Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Season 2)
by SF64Rules
Summary: A new Duel Monsters tournament funded by Boxford has begun on the Island of Sodor, with Thomas and several of his friends being invited to take part and try to win! However, a young man named Marik Ishtar is out to ruin the tournament and get revenge on Thomas for reasons unknown. What's more, three special Duel Monsters cards—the Egyptian God Cards—are out to be obtained, as well.
1. Big Trouble at Sodor High (1)

For Season 2-present, I'll be posting the chapters of the Thomas/Yu-Gi-Oh! Story. It was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: The story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

Genre(s): Game, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Drama

* * *

(Thomas stands on top of a building gazing out into the distance. After a few seconds, he smiles and jumps, causing the scenery to change to the title logo.)

 **YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles**

 **All my life, I've been living in the darkness**

 **Never knowing my true aim.**

 **But then I found you in the corners of the light**

 **and you've shown me just how to play the game.**

(As Thomas continues to fall, his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both appeared, holding onto his arms, slowing his fall and allowing him to land safely. Suddenly, an army of hooded duels called the Rare Hunters appear, with activated Duel Disks, summon monsters to attack Thomas with. Thomas sent both his ace monsters to attack, until he noticed his friends with their own Duel Disks and monsters, Wingweaver, Elemental HERO Neos, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, etc. to come to help.)

 **But no matter how strong we are,**

 **There will always be challenges ahead.**

 **We just have to hold on and**

 **Don't lose our heads!**

(Each of Thomas's friends of the Tidmouth Teens show one by one; Emily, Percy, James, Edward, Henry, Gordon, and Toby. Duck also appears smiling. But then he spins around and, suddenly, the Millennium Ring appears around his neck and his kind face has become that of the insane Montague. A large stone tablet appears in the darkness behind Thomas as spirits of more of his friends Mavis, Lady, Rosie, Stanley, Discord, and others appear as well as Ishizu Ishtar, a young Egyptian woman with dark hair, and a robed man with a turban called Shadi.)

 **Let the power of greatness flow through your spirit**

 **As your undying will to fight never rests.**

 **Heed the wisdom and the might of all ages**

 **As the world takes through its course of light.**

(Spencer appears on a TV Screen with his three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in his hand before the three majestic dragons emerged from the TV Screen. Suddenly, a cluster of stars pool into large green rings causing a huge beam of light. Out of the light comes a mighty silver dragon known as Stardust Dragon. With it are other monsters called Red Dragon Archfiend, Black Rose Dragon, and Black-Winged Dragon as well as their five owners.)

 **As the night may seem real dim,**

 **Never let the dangers in.**

 **Challenge your might and see through the day then**

 **Everything you've stood for will surpass your greatest test!**

(The scene changes to Thomas facing off against Marik Ishtar, a young teenager with tanned skin and white hair, who gives off a rather sinister smile. The spirits of three large, powerful monsters called the Egyptian God monsters appear as the title logo come back again)

 **YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles**

* * *

It was a new day on the Island of Sodor. Almost two months (it was now the month of May) since the events of the big San Francisco Duel Monsters tournament in the United States had been won by a resident of that very island... That boy was the 15-year old Thomas Billinton. Thomas had short bright blue-hair, and very commonly wore a black sleeveless shirt, blue jeans with a belt, a blue jean jacket over the shirt, and black sneakers. He was easily the best duelist on the Island of Sodor.

One warm May morning, he, his best friend Percy Avonside, and very good friend (and love interest) Emily Sterling, were all walking down the street heading for school. Percy was a 14-years old boy with short light green-hair, and was wearing a white t-shirt with a big green stripe in the center, blue jeans with a belt, and green sneakers. Emily was a beautiful 15-year old girl with long, dark green hair (almost emerald-like) with a yellow bow on the back of her head. Her current outfit was an emerald green shirt (exposing her midriff), an unbuttoned blue jean jacket, an emerald green skirt, and blue tennis shoes.

Like Thomas, both Percy and Emily were duelists, too. However, Percy was somewhat more experienced than Emily was, but the girl was still a fairly good duelist too, especially since she was getting better every day. While on their way home from school on that lovely spring day, Thomas, Emily, and Percy each took the train, and, soon afterward, walked down a street while chatting.

"Another day, another bunch of school work." sighed Percy.

"Never mind." said Thomas. "At least we also got to spend some time with our friends."

"Not to mention we'll reach summer very soon." Emily added. "As well as my 16th Birthday... My sweet 16th..."

Percy was just about to reply back when he stood and suddenly sniffed the air.

"Do you two smell smoke?"

"Yeah." agreed Thomas, also sniffing at the air. "I do; black smoke. It...sorta smells like..."

"Fire!" cried Emily.

With that said, the dark green-haired girl ran off to the direction of the smell of black smoke, whilst Thomas and Percy both ran along after her.

* * *

 **Title: Big Trouble at Sodor High, Part 1**

* * *

Before long, the three teenagers found themselves surrounded in thick, smelly, black smoke...that meant Emily was right about one thing; there was a big fire coming from somewhere nearby. Quickly, the three teenagers ran on ahead, and soon found the source of the black smoke. It was coming from somewhere along a wide clearing...but also in the direction of one of farmer Terence's barns.

"Cinders and Ashes! I think it's coming from one of the barns that way!" exclaimed Thomas. "Come on!"

The three friends raced up the trail towards one of the barns to help with the fire. Over at the barn, the fire was practically a five-alarm blaze. Various people and farmers were passing and throwing buckets of water at the fire, hoping to contain the flames.

"Come on, come on!" called one farm-hand named Trevor. "We have to stop this fire from spreading further!"

The three teenagers raced in to help.

"Just in time, you three!" cried Trevor. "Grab a bucket of water and help douse the fire before it spreads!"

"How did this fire even happen?" asked Thomas.

"One of my workers was having a smoke break..." Terence coughed, hurling a bucket of water at the fire. "I came in and told him not to smoke. He dropped it and...it fell onto some dry hay."

"Sorry again!" called one of the workers.

Thomas, Percy, and Emily each didn't waste a single second and they began to help try and keep the fire under control. Despite the three teenagers' assistance, the fire only continued to get bigger and bigger, soon to wipe out the whole barn and perhaps spread about.

"It's no use!" cried another farm-hand. "The fire is too hot!"

"We can't give up!" objected Trevor. "We'll lose everything if we don't stop it!"

Just when all seemed lost, everyone heard the sounds of sirens, a horn, and a bell rang in the distance. Then, from the thick smoke came three, big, red fire engines. They stopped just outside the barn.

"It's the fire department!"announced a farm-hand.

Two firefighters quickly stepped out of one engine. One was a young woman, who was no less than 35-years old, she had long magenta coloured hair pulled into a ponytail and was dressed in blue. Her name was Belle. The other was a middle-aged man, who looked to be in his mid fifties (53 to be exact), he had dark hair and was dressed in red. His name was Flynn.

"Have no fear! The firefighters are here!" Belle declared bravely.

"Stand back, everybody! We'll handle this!" Flynn added.

The crowd stepped away from the fire engines. They were very relieved to see the firefighters arrive on the scene. The rest of the firemen quickly got out their fire hoses. Quickly, they connected them to their fire engines. In no time at all, water shot out of the hoses, and the firefighters began to battle the flames. It took a few more minutes, but at last the fire was out.

"The fire is out!" cried Terence.

Everybody cheered for the brave fire fighters. While that was going on, Terence went to inspect the damage to the barn, which wasn't too bad looking... nothing a little repairing and repainting couldn't fix.

"Not too much damage was done." The farmer finally said, turning around to speak to the firefighters. "Quite a surprise considering how big that fire was."

"What happened?" asked Flynn. "How did the fire even start?"

Everyone else (except Terence, Trevor, Thomas, Emily, and Percy) murmured to each other until one person (a farm-hand) stepped forth.

"It was me." The farm-hand admitted shamefully. "I was having a smoke break outside when I was caught by Terence, causing my cigarette to drop into the dry hay. As I went back to work, I didn't see the fire begin."

Flynn was very cross to learn all of that. "You should be ashamed of yourself!" he said firmly. "You're really lucky that no one was hurt in this incident. I certainly hope you've learned something from this."

"I know, sir, and I have." answered the farm-hand truthfully. "In fact, as of now; I'm gonna quit smoking."

"Good call." smiled Belle. "Smoking is bad for your health, anyway."

Terence merely shook is head at his farm-hand before he turned his attention to Thomas, Emily, and Percy, with his mood lightening up considerably.

"Thanks for trying to help, kids."

"It was nothing." said Percy bashfully.

It was then Flynn and Belle both recognized the three teenagers... especially both Thomas and Percy.

"Wait, aren't you two Thomas Billinton and Percy Avonside?" asked Flynn. "The latter a runner up in the San Francisco tournament, and the former was the winner of the whole tournament?"

"That's us." nodded Thomas.

"My goodness!" cried Belle. "My kids are big fans of you both since that tournament!" She held out a small notepad and pen. "I was wondering if I could get both of your autographs? This would make my kids so happy."

"Sure." Thomas took the pad. "Who should I address this to?"

"Gumball, Darwin, and Anais." Belle answered.

Percy had a thought about that... "Gumball, Darwin, and Anais? Now where have I heard those names before?"

"You okay, Percy?" Emily asked, breaking the green-haired boy's thoughts.

"O-Oh, nothing." answered Percy, shrugging. "It was nothing important."

Once Thomas wrote a little something on the pad, he handed it back to Belle, who then got Percy to sign something, too. Once that was done, Flynn spoke up again.

"Either way, we're very proud how you three. Despite you not having to help, you rushed in to help try to put the fire out."

"Thank you." said Emily politely.

"You three must be now late for school." Flynn stated. "Why not we take you three up to Sodor High School?"

"We'd like that very much." Thomas accepted gratefully.

Terence then spoke to the three Tidmouth Teens one last time...

"Thanks again for your help." he said gratefully. "If you ever need any fresh eggs or honey, just come on down."

"We'll definitely come down here." Percy nodded, just before he zoomed over in an instant. "Could I take a sample of your freshly made honey to go, please?"

Everyone shared a laugh over how silly Percy was acting.

(elsewhere...)

Ten minutes later, the fire truck pulled into the schoolyard of Sodor High School.

"Well, here we are." announced Flynn. "Now just lead me to your principal, and I'll make sure you three don't get into trouble for being late."

"Sure thing." nodded Thomas, as he and his friends began stepping out of the truck.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the school, the bell had rung to have everyone start moving to their next period classes. Sir Topham Hatt, upon seeing Thomas, Percy, and Emily, was cross.

"Where have you three been?! You're late and missed your first period classes!"

"That's because they were helping fight a fire." spoke the voice of Flynn, who walked up to the principal.

"Ah, you must be the fire chief, Mr. Oshkosh." Sir Topham Hatt exclaimed, fixing his tie while walking over.

"Yes, I am." The fire chief confirmed, shaking the principal's hand.

"And did I hear that these three kids helped put out a big fire?"

"They did." Flynn nodded. "If you ask me, these kids shouldn't be in trouble for being late if they risked their lives to help others."

"An interesting point." agreed Sir Topham Hatt, and turned his attention to Thomas, Emily, and Percy. "Thomas, Emily, Percy, please accept my apologies."

"You're forgiven." said the three teenagers at once.

With that said, they went their separate ways to their classes.

(elsewhere...)

Later on in his fourth period class, Thomas was outside near the track & field—well, field—wearing his blue track suit and warming up for gym class when Rosie Vulcan approached him. Rosie was a 14-year old girl with shoulder-length pink hair. She was wearing her gym clothes of a white t-shirt, black shorts, and pink sneakers.

"Hi, Thomas." greeted Rosie cheerfully.

"Hi, Rosie." Thomas greeted back.

"We didn't see you in Math class today. Why were you so late for school today?"

Thomas told Rosie about the fire.

"Wow, you got to help put out a fire?" asked Rosie. "That is so amazing!"

At that moment, Duck came up. Duck was a 15-year old boy with short green-hair. He wore a black and green track suit, but also a necklace of a sort around his neck.

"Thomas, Rosie!" Duck exclaimed. "The teacher is about to begin class, come on!"

"We're coming," said Thomas. Suddenly he noticed something around the Great Western green-haired boy's neck. "Say, Duck, what's that thing around your neck?"

"Oh, you mean this?" Duck gestured to the necklace around his neck. "This is something I got from my father many years ago."

"Could you tell us a bit about it?" Rosie asked curiously.

Duck was about to answer when he and the other two teens heard a whistle being blown.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait." The Great Western green-haired boy said, turning around. "Come on!"

The three friends raced off to their next class.

(elsewhere...)

Later on, it was lunch time, and in the cafeteria, Thomas, Emily, and Percy were enjoying their lunch with the rest of their friends.

Edward Stewart, age 17, had blue hair, wore a blue shirt with the number 2 on front, green overalls, and also had glasses.

Gordon Gresley, age 18, had blue hair, wore a blue shirt with the number four on the front and looked fairly muscular on the upperbody, as well as black jeans.

James Hughes, now age 16, had slick red hair, wore a red jacket (a black sleeveless shirt was underneath) with the number five on the left side, along with bright blue jeans.

Henry Stanier, age 18, had long light green hair tied back in a low ponytail, and wore a green shirt with the number three on the upper right side, along with black pants.

Toby Holden, age 17, had brown hair, wore a brown cap on his head, and wore a brown shirt with a blue number seven on front, as well as blue (slightly torn) jeans.

"So, you three actually fought a fire?" James asked in amazement. "Awesome!"

"But it was still very dangerous of you." Gordon scolded. "You could've gotten badly hurt."

"They needed help!" protested Percy. "You think we should have just ignored them and worried more about school?"

Gordon was upset. "No, of course not!"

Just before the argument could continue, a voice spoke up near the table.

"Um, Thomas?"

The voice belonged to Rosie. Thomas turned to face her, smiling kindly.

"Hi, Rosie. What's up?" The blue-haired boy greeted.

"I was wondering if you were busy tonight?" Rosie asked hopefully. "If you're not... maybe you'd like to go see a movie with me?"

But, to her dismay, Thomas shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I am busy. I've got homework that has to be done, and then I have to help my sisters and parents with the annual spring cleaning around the house. That work will probably take us the whole week to do."

Rosie felt rather disappointed. "Oh... okay then." she said unhappily. "Never mind I said anything."

With that, the pink-haired girl sadly walked away to a free table.

"You okay, Thomas?" asked Emily, seeing the disappointed look on the boy's face.

"I feel a little bad for turning her down." replied Thomas. "I wish I didn't have all that work to do."

"Perhaps you might have a slight thing for Rosie after all." Edward suggested.

Hearing that statement made a slight look of anger and jealousy appear on Emily's face, but Thomas managed to speak up before the dark green-haired girl did.

"Of course not, Edward. You know I'm not ready for a girlfriend yet."

"More like too afraid to get one." snickered James.

"That's enough, James!" Emily snapped, getting into her red-haired friend's face angrily. "You will leave Thomas alone! That is, unless you want me to hand you your hide in another duel!"

James immediately backed off, whimpering all the way like a coward.

"Wimp!" Gordon laughed.

Over to another table nearby, where Rosie was sitting, she was eating lunch all by herself quietly and sadly... Meanwhile, watching from a short distance was Diesel Horwich. He was a 16-year old, black-haired, boy wearing a black shirt with a skull stitched on the front, black jeans, and green sneakers. Diesel had a devious plan to get even with not only Thomas and Emily, but Rosie as well (ever since the pink-haired girl lost to Emily, and Diesel's money making scheme blew up in his face).

"This might work to my advantage." Diesel said quietly to himself.

With that said, the devious black-haired boy walked over to speak to her.

"Hello, Rosie."

"Oh, hello, Diesel." Rosie greeted quietly.

"Is something troubling you?" asked Diesel, pretending not to know why Rosie seemed upset.

"I really wanted to spend time with Thomas this weekend, but he's too busy for me."

"Oh my!" Diesel gasped with false shock... not that Rosie knew. "I'm so sorry to heart that!"

It was then Mavis Drewry, a 16-year old girl with shoulder-length blonde-hair, walked over with her lunch. She was not happy to see Diesel at all. Especially after what he nearly did to her back at the start of the San Francisco tournament.

"Go away, Diesel!" The blonde-haired girl snapped. "Don't you dare try toying with Rosie's mind so you can use her for your schemes."

"Oh, now that hurts!" said Diesel, pretending to feel insulted. "How could you ever say such a thing like that?"

In a fit of anger, Mavis grabbed her former boyfriend by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to her, so that they were seeing eye-to-eye.

"I'm warning you..." growled Mavis acidly. "If you try anything to harm ANY of my friends again, I'll make you regret it! Understand?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am." Diesel whimpered.

Satisfied to see Diesel in fear, the blonde-haired girl let him go and he walked away without another word.

"Don't be listening to anything Diesel has to say, Rosie." The blonde-haired girl warned. "He's a devious liar."

"I'll try." Rosie nodded. "Do you want to sit with me?"

"Sure."

With that said, Mavis joined the pink-haired girl for lunch. Too bad Diesel wasn't about to give up that easily...

(elsewhere...)

Later that day, after the bell had rung for the end of the school day, Diesel saw Rosie in the library working on a project and decided to try again.

"You don't really believe what Mavis said, do you?"

"I've heard about what you did to her a few months ago." Rosie retorted, getting an angry look on her face.

"What did I do?" Diesel asked, faking innocence.

"You snuck into the San Francisco Tournament, kidnapped Mavis, beaten her to the point she had to be hospitalized for a few days, rigged Thomas's deck for a duel, and then tried to hurt Mavis again even after you lost!" said Rosie hotly. "So why should I listen to you?"

"I've changed." answered Diesel. "I now want to do good."

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious." The devious black-haired boy insisted. "Besides, I can't help but feel sorry for you. Thomas doesn't seem to be interested in you, he seems to like Emily far more."

"Thomas already stated that he isn't ready for a girlfriend." Rosie protested.

"What if I were to tell you that he was lying?"

Rosie was stunned. "What?"

"I've noticed the two of them holding hands when they walk." said Diesel sneakily. "I even saw them kiss once or twice."

"I don't believe you." Rosie muttered quietly, slowly starting to break down in tears. "But, you also look like you're telling the truth."

"There, there." Diesel remarked comfortly. "It's quite alright. Would you care to maybe come to the Smelter's classroom tomorrow morning? My friends there would be happy to be your friends, too."

Now, normally Rosie would have outright refused to go with him, but she was so blinded by her sadness in thinking that Thomas had lied to her that she wasn't thinking straight... With that said, the pink-haired girl nodded.

"Very well, I'll come by when I get to school tomorrow morning."

"I knew you'd see things my way." grinned Diesel. "How about I meet you outside near the statue of Sir Topham Hatt?"

"All right." nodded Rosie.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, at the Billinton residence. Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was busy doing his homework. He couldn't help but feel bad about what he said to Rosie...

"Maybe I shouldn't have turned her down." The blue-haired boy said to himself. "She seemed really upset that I couldn't spend any time with her."

As Thomas continued to work on his homework, he heard a familiar voice.

"Thomas..."

The blue-haired boy looked around. "Who's there?" he peeped.

Then Thomas saw, on his dresser, his deck glowing white. The blue-haired boy immediately knew what was happening.

"My Dark Magician is calling out to me."

Thomas walked over to his deck and drew the top-most card. It was the Dark Magician card that was glowing. Suddenly, the Duel Monsters spirit of Dark Magician appeared to speak with his master/friend.

"What's the matter?" asked Thomas.

"Thomas, I sense great danger ahead." said Dark Magician.

"Great danger?"

"Yes." The purple-haired male spellcaster confirmed. "While I don't know what it is exactly, but I can say that someone in your very school is out to get you and your friends."

"In my school?" gasped Thomas. "I'll have to warn Sir Topham Hatt once I find out who it is."

"By the time you do, it will be too late." Dark Magician pointed out. "Please be careful out there. I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you."

With that said, the spirit vanished; leaving Thomas both confused and worried.

"I swear things in my life are getting more dangerous every day." The blue-haired boy said only to himself.

(elsewhere...)

The next morning, Rosie was standing by the statue of Sir Topham Hatt waiting for Diesel when...

"Morning, Rosie."

It was Percy and his girlfriend, Lady Stone. Lady was 15-years old and very beautiful looking. She had long golden blonde hair and a maroon headband and a maroon short-sleeved shirt with the word 'Lady' on the front and a maroon skirt with gold shoes.

"Hi, Percy. Hi, Lady."

"Since you're early, why not join us for breakfast in the cafeteria?" Lady kindly offered.

"No thanks, I'm actually waiting for someone." Rosie declined.

"Thomas finally find time to hang with you?" asked Percy.

"Unfortunately, no."

"I'm sorry." Lady apologized.

Rosie sighed. "It's fine... I'll try again another time."

With that said, Percy and Lady both went on ahead towards the school. When they were gone, Rosie heard a familiar oily voice...

"Hello, Rosie."

It was Diesel.

"Diesel!" gasped Rosie.

"Are you ready?" The devious black-haired boy asked immediately.

Rosie gave a quick nod.

"Very well, follow me."

Rosie followed Diesel into the school.

(elsewhere...)

The two teenagers both walked down the hallway until they reached the Smelter's classroom.

"Here we are." Diesel announced.

"Okay... Open the door." said Rosie slowly and nervously.

Diesel nodded and opened the door, making Rosie gasp at what she saw on the inside.

"Oh my gosh!"

The Smelter's classroom was a complete mess. The desks were all broken, oil and metal strung all over the place, Rosie could even swear she saw a rat scurry past.

"How can you live in a shop like this?" asked Rosie.

"Call it what you want." said Diesel, smiling as he looked around the place. "But it's home to us."

"Who's there?!" boomed a voice from the back room.

"I've brought Rosie Vulcan here!" Diesel called back.

Coming from the back of the room was a man with dark mustard-like coloured hair and clothing. He also had a huge cast on his right arm (a serious injury perhaps?).

"Hello, Rosie. Welcome to the Smelters' class." The teacher greeted. "My name is Mr. Nodniws. Diesel said you might come to visit our class. He's been telling me all about you. You are a very special girl. Come in and have a seat..."

Diesel pulled up a chair for Rosie so she could sit down. He (Diesel) gave her (Rosie) a kind smile.

"You may have already noticed that our room isn't big or grand like the others, but it's still a good classroom and we're all very happy to have you here." Mr. Nodniws continued.

Rosie felt nervous, but soon a small smile soon appeared on her face.

"Thank you, Mr. Nodniws."

With that said, the pink-haired girl sat down. At that moment, some of the other Smelter teens came out from the back room to see their visitor. There was Arry and Bert Hilton. There were also two boys Rosie had never seen before. The first was Den Royce who had orange hair and wore orange and blue clothes, while the other was his brother Dart Royce who had blonde hair and wore red and yellow clothes. There was Beyer Peacock, also known as Bear, for the growling noises he makes. He had blonde hair and blue or green clothing.

Then there were three other boys, one of whom Rosie knew well. The first was Paxton Derby, who had green hair and wore green clothes, and was also a good (yet rarely seen) friend. The second was Sidney Darlington who had blue hair and wore blue clothes. The third was Norman Ashford who had red hair and wore red clothes. He was also Dennis' cousin. Dennis Ashford, another member of Diesel's gang, was in the room too. He had gray hair and dressed in gray clothes.

The other two boys were recognizable, they were Splatter and Dodge Doncaster (both were members of Diesel's gang). Then there was Derek Clayton, another good friend of Rosie's. He had blonde hair and wore green clothes.

"Hello, I'm Den. Uh, what I mean to say is..." Den started to say, but got mixed up.

Dart decided to help him. "What Den means to say is he's the teacher's assistant and I help him a lot, I'm Dart."

Den pointed to the left. "These boys here are Sidney, Paxton, and Norman. And those boys over there are..."

"What he means is that those boys there are Dodge and Splatter." Dart finished.

"I know, Dart. I was going to say his name." sighed Den in annoyance.

"Um... hello, everyone." whimpered Rosie, sounding quiet and nervous.

"Diesel has been telling us that you were feeling unappreciated." said Mr. Nodniws.

"We're here to see to it that you're never ignored ever again." put in Arry.

"So, don't you worry." Bert added.

"You can always depend on us." Dennis threw in.

"As you can see, we don't get to enjoy noon-hour like everyone else." said Den. "Uh, I mean..."

"What he means is that the class is such a mess, that we end up having to spend our time cleaning it." finished Dart.

"Haven't you told Sir Topham Hatt about this?" asked Rosie.

Just before someone could answer her question, Paxton noticed the Duel Disk on Rosie's left arm.

"Wait a second." The green-haired boy interrupted. "You play Duel Monsters?"

"Yeah." nodded Rosie. "I was a champion that took part in the San Francisco tournament, but I lost to Thomas early on."

"She even copied Thomas's deck for her duel with Emily." added Diesel.

Mr. Nodniws grinned to himself. "Well then, how about that? What do you saw to a quick match against me?"

Rosie raised an eyebrow. "But isn't the bell going to ring soon?"

"I assure you this match won't take long." Mr. Nodniws replied, pulling out his own deck from his pocket.

"Okay." said Rosie, activating her Duel Disk.

Diesel gave his teacher a Duel Disk. The man then used his good hand to slot the disk onto his injured arm.

"You ready, Rosie?"

Rosie had her hand drawn already. "I'm ready."

(later...)

Several turns later, Rosie stared in horror as she watched her Guardian Angel Joan be destroyed by an unknown monster.

"I've...lost." The pink-haired girl whispered (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Mr. Nodniws wins!**

* * *

"Good game, Rosie." said Mr. Nodniws, just as the holograms faded away.

"Whoa..." Rosie finally said, upon recovering from her shock. "That was a very quick duel indeed."

It was right around then the bell rang.

"Uh-oh! I have to run now!"

"No worries, child." Mr. Nodniws said kindly. "You may go. And know that you're always welcome to come back here. But, for our sake, please don't tell anyone you were ever here."

"I won't!" called Rosie, just as she took off out of the room for homeroom class.

Mr. Nodniws continued to smile until the pink-haired girl was out of sight. Once she was, his smile turned evil as he suddenly was met by a new voice inside his mind.

"So, my friend, how is the plan going?"

"Just as you predicted, master, all is going according to your plan." replied Mr. Nodniws.

An image of a teenage boy with tanned skin and also wearing purple robes appeared (the boy seemed to be Egyptian).

"Excellent!" smiled the teenage boy. "Soon the chosen one in the prophecy will fall..."

As he said that, he pulled out...a golden rod of a sort... It had a Millennium Eye-like tip on the top of the long handle.

"...and then die by my hands."

Two evil laughs (coming from the teenage boy and Mr. Nodniws) echoed throughout the teacher's head as he gave a very evil smile. Just who is this guy (the teenage boy, F.Y.I.)? And what is the connection between him and Mr. Nodniws? It would seem we'll find out very soon.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**

* * *

(A large hourglass, shining in bleak darkness spun slowly)

 **Like sands through the hourglass**

 **So life goes slowly along.**

(Grains of sand began to trickle down the hourglass)

 **Every moment we see each other**

 **Every time that we speak**

 **Every night when the last thing we think of**

 **is how to get a decent sleep.**

(Through the grains of sand, Thomas and his friends appear one by one. The grains stopped falling, zooming out to find all the sand was now at the bottom)

 **We share our thoughts and dreams,**

 **fleeing from the cruel reality.**

 **But in the end, we're out of time**

 **And things become the way they ought to be.**

(The hourglass spun faster and fllew off into the sky, soaring over Thomas and his friends, who look up at it.)

 **For our souls will see the light in darkness**

 **Our voices will cry out in the night**

 **We stand together no matter the challenge**

 **And we will bring forth the greatest light!**

(The darkness disappeared and is replaced with the bright light of the sun, shining down on everybody.)


	2. Big Trouble at Sodor High (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Running as fast as she could, Rosie was rushing to her homeroom class. Along the way, without looking where she was going, she smashed into someone.

"GAH!"

Rosie and the person both fell down.

"Sorry about that." The pink-haired girl apologized.

"No, that was my fault." said the voice of a friendly 15-year old boy.

"Stanley?"

Yes, it was Stanley Hudswell. Stanley had gray-hair, and wore a green sweatshirt hoodie with the name 'Stanley' stitched on the front, gray pants, and white sneakers.

"Heading for homeroom class?" Stanley asked kindly. "Why don't we go together?"

Rosie smiled. "Sure."

The two students walked off towards their home room.

"By the way-" said Stanley suddenly. "-where were you earlier?"

Rosie grew flustered. "Um... I was helping a friend with something."

"Who was it?"

Before Rosie could answer, another voice had called out to them...

"Rosie! Stanley!" announced the voice. "You won't believe who's here today!"

It was from Thomas. The blue-haired boy was out in the hallway when he saw the two teenagers.

"Who is it, Thomas?" asked Stanley.

"Flynn and Belle of the Sodor Fire Department!"

"You're kidding." said Stanley in amazement. "They're really here?!"

"I wish I was joking, but I'm serious." Thomas insisted.

With that said, Stanley and Rosie both joined Thomas in their homeroom classroom.

* * *

 **Title: Big Trouble at Sodor High, Part 2**

* * *

Inside the Tidmouth classroom, everyone was seated at their desks, and Mr. C, the homeroom teacher, was busy speaking to the class.

"As you know-" said Mr. C. "-today we have some special guests to see us from the Fire Department."

He gestured to his right, showing both Flynn Oshkosh and Belle Brighton.

"Mr. Flynn Oshkosh, and Ms. Belle Brighton!"

The entire class applauded.

"Good morning, kids." greeted Flynn. "As well as those we've met not long ago."

He cast a look towards Thomas, Emily, and Percy.

"That would be us." said the green-haired boy.

"Anyway..." Belle spoke up. "Sir Topham Hatt invited us both up to the school today to speak to all of the classes about fire and about how to handle it if one were to start in your own home or another building."

"We've learned this when we were kids." muttered Gordon quietly and deadpanly.

"Perhaps so, lad." Flynn replied. This caused Gordon to gasp, thinking that the fire chief shouldn't have heard him. Flynn then smiled. "But even now, it's always wise to get a refreshing reminder on the very importance of this stuff."

"Very true." agreed Edward.

"Okay, so who can tell me what to do if your clothes somehow catch on fire?" asked Belle, seeing Duck raise a hand. "Yes?"

"You roll along the ground?" Duck asked hopefully.

"Correct!"

"Wait a minute." spoke up James. "Shouldn't water help do the same?"

"Very true, James." said Belle. "But it's safer to stop what you're doing so you don't let the fire spread to the rest of you."

Flynn then asked a question. "Now, if a building you're in is on fire, you're near a door, and you don't know if there are flames on the other side...what should you do?"

In an instant, Stanley raised his hand.

"Yes, Stanley?"

"Feel the door itself. If it's hot, then DON'T go and open the door." The gray-haired boy answered.

"Correct." nodded Flynn.

This lecture and questions went on for an hour at least. As it went on, Emily was working on writing a little something when her pencil broke. Seeing as she was near Thomas, she leaned over and whispered to him.

"Thomas, do you have a spare pencil?"

"Sure." whispered Thomas, handing Emily a pencil.

"Thanks."

Rosie was listening to the lecture when she overheard Thomas and Emily, making her feel upset. So, she decided to ask him for something.

"Thomas, do you have a spare pencil?" Rosie whispered, a little louder since she was not as close to his seat.

Unfortunately, Mr. C overheard the pink-haired girl speaking. "Did you say something, Rosie?"

Lots of people were now staring. Rosie felt herself turn red out of embarrassment.

"N-Never mind." The poor girl said meekly. "I'm sorry, I'll stay quiet."

Eventually, the bell rang.

"And that's it for today." concluded Flynn. "We hope you all enjoyed the lecture."

The class started to depart to their next period. Rosie was still upset with what happened earlier...

"It's like Thomas didn't seem to pay any attention to me, and only paid attention to Emily." she thought. "Just like Diesel said..."

"Hey, Rosie!" called out Stanley. "You feeling okay? You've been quiet since the lecture ended. Wasn't it great that Flynn and Belle visited us today?"

"Yeah." said Rosie, trying to smile. "It was even funnier when James tried to flirt with Belle."

"Yeah, what a riot!" laughed Stanley, but then he saw Rosie looking sad. "H-Hey, is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah." Rosie lied. "Everything's fine."

Stanley didn't look all that convinced. "Sure doesn't look that way to me."

The pink-haired girl just walked away from the gray-haired boy to go to her next class. Along the way, she decided to pay a quick visit to the Smelter classroom. Upon arriving, she opened the door and found Mr. Nodniws seated at his desk looking over several papers. The man immediately smiled when he saw Rosie come in.

"Rosie! Come in, come in!"

Rosie came in and sat.

"So have have been things today?" asked Mr. Nodniws.

"Homeroom lasted longer than normal today." Rosie answered. "We had two guest speakers come in today; Flynn and Belle of the Knapford Fire Department."

"I see." said Mr. Nodniws, taking interest. "It must've been fun."

"It was." smiled Rosie, before her look turned sad. "It's just that..."

"What?" The Smelter Class teacher asked. "What's the matter?"

"I tried to get Thomas's attention, but he ignored me for Emily."

"Oh dear!" said Mr. Nodniws, sounding falsely upset. "I'm very sorry to hear that he's not been such a good friend. Rosie, I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" questioned Rosie, looking up

"Oh yes, I've been ignored by people throughout my whole darn life. Must be because of my arm or something."

He was referring to his casted arm.

"That's terrible!" cried Rosie.

"Indeed so." agreed Mr. Nodniws.

Rosie felt terrible for the Smelter Class. "I wish there was a way I could help, Mr. Nodniws."

"Sadly, there's not much to do." sighed Mr. Nodniws. "I'm just very thankful that my students, as well as you, do listen to me."

Mr. Nodniws then looked to the clock, noticing that it was almost 11:00.

"You'd better hurry along, Rosie." he said wisely. "You don't want to be late for your next class."

"My next class is actually near yours." Rosie replied, getting up. "I have science."

"I see... Well, thank you for stopping by."

Rosie bowed politely and then exited the room. Mr. Nodniws, once Rosie was gone, then smiled sinisterly to himself.

"So, what do you think of this girl?" A new voice echoed in the teacher's mind.

"She might be just the right bait we need to lure that Billinton boy." said Mr. Nodniws aloud. "All we have to do is bide our time."

"How interesting..." spoke the voice again. "A girl with such a caring heart like that shall be easy to manipulate."

"Of course, master."

(elsewhere...)

Later on, it was lunch time in the cafeteria, and Rosie had just gotten her food. Soon, she spotted Thomas getting his own food...

"Hey, Thomas!" Rosie called out.

"Oh, hi, Rosie." greeted Thomas. "Did you need something?"

"O-Oh, it was nothing." Rosie blushed. The look on her face soon grew hopeful. "I was wondering if you're free this weekend?"

But to her disappointment...

"Sorry, Rosie." Thomas apologized.

"W-Why not?"

"Flynn and Belle are having a big spring yard sale at the Fire Department that weekend." Thomas explained. "They've asked me, Emily, Percy, Lady, Toby, and Mavis to help them out while the rest of the department is on alert."

"Can't I at least go with you and help?" asked Rosie hurtfully. "Why do you always have to be too busy to hang out with me? Don't you even care about me?"

"Of course, I do." protested Thomas, sounding surprised and such from the accusation. "But I've already told you that I'm not ready for a girlfriend."

"Then why do you always hang around with Emily?" Rosie practically demanded.

"She is one of my closest friends. You remember when she told you and Stanley about what happened to her several years ago, right?"

Rosie nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, we've been close ever since I helped her stop being bossy." said Thomas. "I would never throw any of my friends away. But I would also never turn down the chance to help someone, either."

Rosie felt sadder. "I understand."

Thomas, feeling sorry for Rosie, then walked away with his food and a guilty look on his face.

(elsewhere...)

Later at the end of the day, Rosie paid the Smelter classroom again. Inside, some of the Smelter Teens were busy trying to fix up the broken equipment.

"Hello again, my dear!" called Mr. Nodniws cheerfully. "How was the rest of today?"

"They were okay, I guess." sighed Rosie.

Mr. Nodniws raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess... Thomas?"

Rosie didn't say anything; she just nodded sadly. Suddenly, there was yelping sounds coming from a few of the Smelter Teens.

"OW!" cried the voice of Dart. "Who put those tools there?!"

"Dart, do be careful!" came the voice of Den, before another crash was heard. "Sheesh, there's not much room here in the back!"

Mr. Nodniws and Rosie both went into the backroom, there they found Den and Dart arguing over something.

"I know! But surely there's enough room to put their tools away! You know we've said hundreds of times already that we need a bigger room than this!"

Mr. Nodniws snarled. "SILENCE!"

This subdued Den and Dart both into silence... though it was more out of fear than actual respect.

"Wow, this room is a lot smaller than I first thought." Rosie commented.

"Indeed." groaned Mr. Nodniws unhappily. "We wanted a larger room, but Sir Topham Hatt was far too selfish and cheap to allow it."

"That doesn't sound like the principal..." Rosie commented thoughtfully, just before getting an idea. "But maybe I can help."

"Oh?" Mr. Nodniws leered curiously.

"I'm going to try and convince Sir Topham Hatt to let you have a bigger class room." said Rosie. "I promise to do it as soon as the weekend is over and done with."

"You'd...really do that for us?"

"Of course!" smiled Rosie. "You've all been so good to me this week, so it's the least I could do."

"Well, thank you." Mr. Nodniws said gratefully. "But seeing as you're probably going to miss your bus, I'll have Den and Dart here both show you a secret shortcut only me and my students know about."

Dart nodded, and then looked to Rosie. "Right this way."

The two boys showed Rosie a secret door alongside the wall in the back room. It lead outside to the schoolyard.

"Have a good weekend." said Den, holding the door open.

"I will." nodded Rosie, giving her two friends a smile. "And thank you!"

With that, the pink-haired girl went through the shortcut and made her way to the bus to go home.

(elsewhere...)

After the weekend finished, Rosie arrived at Sodor High School and immediately went to the principal's office. Inside the office was the secretary, Mrs. Stacy Jones.

"Good morning Mrs. Jones." greeted Rosie.

"Oh, good morning, Rosie!" Stacy Jones replied, smiling upon seeing the pink-haired girl. "What can I do for you today?"

"I'm here to see Sir Topham Hatt."

But Stacy Jones immediately shook her head. "Sorry, dear, but he left to have a meeting with the city mayor, and he won't be back until the end of the day. But if you'd like, I could leave him a message for you."

"Thanks!" smiled Rosie, feeling happy. "It's about the Smelter's classroom."

"The Smelter's Class?" asked Stacy Jones.

"Yes." nodded Rosie. "Their classroom is too small and broken up. They want a bigger room that's in better shape."

Stacy Jones's expression changed from cheerful to stern.

"Uh, I'm sorry. He has nothing to discuss about the Smelters' Class."

"Why not? They deserve a better classroom." Rosie protested.

Stacy Jones dismissed that. "I'm sure they have a fine classroom. Now, you'd better get going or you'll be late for class."

Rosie grew very unhappy with Stacy Jones. "I'm thinking you don't care about the Smelter's Class." she said hurtfully, and then left the room.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Smelter's classroom, Rosie soon arrived, much to Mr. Nodniws's joy.

"Good morning, Rosie!" The teacher called. "How did it go?"

Rosie shook her head. "I'm sorry. Sir Topham Hatt is going to a meeting. And Ms. Jones told me your classroom is fine, and that there's nothing wrong with it."

Mr. Nodniws was extremely unhappy to hear that, and so he proceeded to pound on a desk with his good hand in a rage.

"That blasted woman!" Mr. Nodniws shouted in anger.

But Rosie wasn't done just yet... "But I have an idea."

"Huh?"

"If I can show Thomas how messy this classroom is-" The pink-haired girl continued. "-and of how unhappy you all are with it, maybe he'll be able to convince them himself that you need a new classroom. They're sure to listen to Thomas..."

The problem, however, is that Thomas didn't trust the many of the Smelter Teens, especially Diesel and his gang, and Rosie didn't know of this... but Mr. Nodniws sure did and decided to take full advantage of it.

"That's a wonderful idea! Could you bring him here at the end of the day?"

"Sure! I'll see you soon!" Rosie waved and left the classroom.

As soon as the pink-haired girl was gone, Mr. Nodniws once again smiled sinisterly to himself.

"Master, it's almost time." he said through his mind.

"Just as we planned." agreed the voice of that mysterious teenage boy. "Make sure you don't mess it up..."

"I won't." vowed Mr. Nodniws. "That is a promise!"

(elsewhere...)

Rosie's chance to talk to Thomas finally came around lunch time. The Tidmouth Teens were talking to Duck about his necklace inside the Tidmouth classroom.

"It's called the Millennium Ring." The Great Western green-haired boy explained to his friends.

"Another Millennium Item." thought Thomas to himself.

"Where did you get it?" asked Henry.

"I got it from my father a long time ago." Duck explained. "He was exploring the sands of Egypt when he came across a merchant, who then sold it to him."

"It does look valuable." commented Gordon.

It was then Thomas spotted Rosie. "Hey, Rosie!"

With that said, the blue-haired boy walked over to the pink-haired girl.

"I've got some good news; I'm free after school, so I can hang out with you if you'd like. Truth be told, I've been feeling bad for ignoring and turning you down those few times."

"That's great, Thomas!" said Rosie happily. "But would you mind coming with me after school? I need to show you something."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The Smelter's classroom!" The pink-haired girl blurted out.

Suddenly, the whole classroom silenced... The students all stared at Rosie in complete shock.

"The Smelter's Class?!" The Tidmouth Teens shouted.

"What on Earth were you doing there?!" Duck asked.

"With those delinquent Smelter Teens!" Gordon added harshly.

"Many of them are nothing but trouble!" Percy put in, thankfully not mentioning the few friendly ones.

"I know that, but they think I'm special." Rosie stated. "Their teacher, Mr. Nodniws, said so."

"That's a strange name he has." Henry commented.

"The Smelter Teens need a new classroom. Their old one is too small, too dark, and very messy." Rosie continued.

"Those Smelter Class teens have enough room!" James said rudely. "They don't need another classroom!"

"You're just as selfish and uncaring as Mrs. Jones and Sir Topham Hatt!" snapped Rosie in anger. "You don't know what it's like for them to work in an unsafe room where they have to constantly fix broken equipment! They're always being put second and that isn't right at all!"

"But we do know them well." Gordon spoke up. "They've caused us nothing but trouble."

"With only a few exceptions." put in Toby.

"And don't you remember what Diesel, Arry, and Bert nearly did to Mavis?" added Emily. "If Thomas didn't do something, they would have possibly killed her!"

Rosie was getting even more upset. "That's no reason to treat the rest of them like garbage! How would you like it if you were cast aside like that?"

"You shouldn't be hanging around with a dangerous crowd like them." Edward warned. "'cause they will say anything to trick you."

"I don't care! The Smelter's Class deserve something better than what they already have!" argued Rosie, trying to calm down. "So, Thomas... will you come down to the classroom at the end of the day? Mr. Nodniws will tell you everything."

"Thomas, I sense a trap." Emily whispered.

"Yeah, me too." Thomas whispered back, before looking to Rosie calmly. "Okay. Emily and I will both go with you to the Smelter's classroom after school."

"Great!" said Rosie happily. "I promise you that Mr. Nodniws will explain everything to you guys."

As Rosie walked away, the rest of the Tidmouth Teens spoke to the two teenagers.

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Toby.

"To be honest, not really." shrugged Thomas.

"Then don't go!" said James. "Common sense."

"But now I have to go there... I've promised Rosie that I would."

"As have I." Emily added.

(elsewhere...)

Later on, the day was nearly over and Rosie was inside the Smelter classroom waiting for Thomas and Emily to both arrive.

"It's better than we first thought." The pink-haired girl was saying. "Thomas is not only coming, but so is Emily."

"What about Sir Topham Hatt and Mr. Percival, the vice principal?" asked Mr. Nodniws.

"They're both away for the day to go to the meeting with the mayor."

Mr. Nodniws smiled and said in a sinister tone. "That's good, very good indeed."

"Why's that?" Rosie asked nervously.

And so Mr. Nodniws spoke normally. "Because I'm going to alternate the plan a little bit. We're going to take over the entire school instead." When he said that, Rosie gasped in horror. "And you will lead us, Rosie. When the school is under our control, Sir Topham Hatt will have to listen to us. Once our demands are met, we'll immediately hand the school back to him."

"Oh." sighed Rosie in relief. "You had me scared there for a moment."

"I apologize for it." apologized Mr. Nodniws.

At that moment, Thomas and Emily both walked in.

"Rosie, where are-" Thomas began, but froze in horror.

Standing beside Rosie was...him. The same monster that tried to take over Sodor High School a long time ago. He was back, and no doubt going to try again, as well try to get revenge on him.

"Emily, stay close to me." Thomas said to the dark green-haired girl.

Emily nodded slowly and did.

"Welcome, Thomas Billinton and Emily Sterling, we've been waiting for you two, for so very long!" Mr. Nodniws cried dramatically, as he spread his arms out in welcome. Then, the man started to speak normally once again. "Den and Dart will take you around the classroom to show you everything. Rosie and I are both busy."

Den held his left arm out. "Come with us. We're going to the back room."

But Thomas was not buying it one bit. "Forget it! We're taking Rosie and leaving." he argued.

He and Emily both turned to leave, but Dart quickly got in their way.

"You're not going anywhere. You have to stay here with us. We're going to take good care of you." The Smelter Teen said in a sinister tone.

Diesel smirked. "The way you say it Dart makes it sound scary."

Dart smiled back. "Yeah, cool isn't it?"

"What about Rosie?" demanded Thomas.

"She'll be coming with me, boy." Mr. Nodniws stated, looking to the pink-haired girl. "Am I right, Rosie?"

"Yup!" nodded Rosie brightly.

Thomas couldn't believe it. "Rosie, do you even know who you're talking to?! That's Diesel-"

Suddenly, before he could finish, Thomas felt a fist from Den hit him in the back of the head, hard, causing him to black out into unconsciousness.

"Thomas!" gasped Emily.

"Sorry." said Den apologetically. "Just following orders."

"Take them to the back room." ordered Mr. Nodniws. "Now!"

Den and Dart obeyed, taking an unconscious Thomas and a protesting Emily to the backroom. Rosie looked over to the teacher with slight surprise...

"Um, was Den hurting Thomas necessary?" she asked uncertainly.

"It may have been a bit much-" admitted Mr. Nodniws, agreeing in a sense. "-but he'll be fine. Now are you ready to be remembered as one of Sodor's greatest heroes?"

"I sure am." Rosie nodded.

(elsewhere...)

A few minutes later, Rosie led the charge of the Smelter Teens and teacher to the principal's office. Other students, who were still in their classrooms and ready for the bell to ring to end the day, didn't notice the crowd of Smelter Teens pass by. Stanley, however, was at his locker when he saw a parade of Smelter Teens marching through the hallway and disappear around the corner.

"I wonder what's going on. And where is Rosie leading them to?" The gray-haired boy asked himself.

Curiously, Stanley followed them at a distance, while keeping out of their sight. At last, the parade of Smelter students (as well as both Mr. Nodniws and Rosie) reached the door to the office.

"Well, here we are." Rosie stated.

Mr. Nodniws grinned. "Excellent."

With that said, he kicked the office door open, violently. Inside the office, Stacy Jones noticed that and stood up crossly.

"What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, but seeing Mr. Nodniws's threatening glare caused her to shut up. "Umm... good afternoon."

With that said, Mr. Nodniws and Rosie both approached the main office of Sir Topham Hatt. Inside, Rosie took a good look around.

"Look around well, my dear. You've deserve it." The teacher stated, before he grabbed the microphone, and began to speak through it. "Good afternoon, students of Sodor High. This is Mr. Nodniws of the Smelters' class speaking. As of now, the school is under our control..."

Rosie smiled, as she was expecting Mr. Nodniws to say * _ **until our demands are met**_.* Unfortunately, what he said next was completely different...

"...and we won't be giving it back anytime soon! You all are now my prisoners. Those who stand in our way shall be destroyed!"

Rosie gasped in surprise when she heard that. Never the less, Mr. Nodniws continued to speak.

"If you are all wondering how this came to pass, then you have Rosie Vulcan to thank for giving us this wonderful opportunity! And if you come across Sir Topham Hatt, tell that fat tub of lard that this is what happens to those who ignore me!"

Once Mr. Nodniws put the microphone down, Rosie walked forth nervously.

"Um, you weren't being serious when you said all of that stuff, right?" she asked, hoping it was a joke.

Unfortunately, Mr. Nodniws only howled with laughter.

"I was being dead serious, Rosie. This school is mine now, and I won't be surrendering it anytime soon!"

"But you have to!" argued Rosie. "What about the Smelter's Class?"

"Why should they settle on just getting a bigger classroom-" scoffed Mr. Nodniws. "-when they can have the whole school as their new classroom?"

Exiting the office, the Smelter Teens waited to hear what their teacher had to say.

"The school is ours now, boys!" he announced. "So go, and have some fun."

"Thanks very much, Diesel 10!" came from Diesel, Arry, and Bert.

"You're the best!" came from Dodge, Splatter, and Dennis.

"Diesel 10?" Rosie blinked. "But I thought your name was Mr. Nodniws!"

"Not quite!" cackled the teacher. "You see, Rosie, Nodniws is actually Swindon spelled backwards! And I happen to be none other than Diesel 10 Swindon, the world famous criminal of the Island of Sodor!"

To prove his point, the man tore his cast off his left arm and revealed that it was a normal arm, but the hand was entirely replaced by a claw hand like one from a warship diesel engine...

"A criminal?!" Rosie nearly shrieked. "No... no I don't believe it!"

"Believe it!" retorted Diesel 10. "Since you don't know much about me, I'll tell you a bit of my history. I used to be a teacher at this very school three years ago... But then, when I thought I should be principal of this school instead of Bertram, I tried to take over the school by force. Your friend, Thomas, rallied all of his friends to put an end to my plans, however. They succeeded and sent me to jail as a result."

"Jail you so likely deserved!" hissed Rosie.

"However, last year, someone had broken me out. And thanks to that person, I'm back in business yet again, and thanks to you, Rosie, the school is finally all mine! Now I'll finally be able to make this school do whatever I want it to do! ...with the Smelter's Class helping me out."

"You..." Rosie spluttered. "You'll never get away with this!"

"Oh, but can't you see?" chuckled Diesel 10. "I already have!"

Rosie couldn't believe it. All this time, Diesel 10 had been manipulating her good heart for his own selfish goals. She thought she was doing a good thing for someone... Instead, she just did something bad. Really bad!

"But since you've just helped me, I'll let you leave unharmed. But if you're not gone in five minutes, then you'll become a prisoner just like your pathetic friends!"

Not wasting any time, Rosie quickly raced away out of the office, as well as the school.

"Diesel 10, why did you let her go?" asked Diesel. "Won't she go the police?"

"I'm not worried." Diesel 10 replied, holding up a remote control. "One press of a button and the school will be locked down."

He pushed a button on the remote.

(elsewhere...)

Outside, Rosie watched in horror as the whole school was put under a lockdown with no way for anyone to get out.

"Oh no! Now everyone's trapped in there, and it is all my fault!"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the back room of the Smelter classroom, Thomas and Emily were both tied up to a chair.

"It was Diesel 10." Thomas grumbled angrily. "I'm sure of it!"

"We have to get out of here!" cried Emily.

Suddenly, the door opened and walked in Diesel 10 and a remorseful looking Den and Dart.

"Well, well, well." snickered the villain. "Isn't this a grand day for me? Not only do I finally get Sodor High School under my control, but I have my archenemy locked up, too."

"You lying snake!" shouted Thomas. "Let us go!"

"In due time. You know, I've been wanting payback on you for a long time, Billinton. When that time comes, I'll make you suffer in a slow, painful way."

"You won't get away with this!" Emily exclaimed.

"Nice mouth, girly." said Diesel 10 in a sassy tone, bringing a his hand to touch the left side of the girl's face. "Too bad your boyfriend here won't live long enough to see you make use of it."

The dark green-haired girl flinched fearfully when the man's hand touched her face.

"Leave Emily out of this!" Thomas demanded. "It's obvious that it's me you want!"

"As much as I'd like to kill you now... it'll have to wait." Diesel 10 then turned to leave. "Den and Dart, guard the door, and make sure no one except me goes in and out."

"Yes, sir." They both replied, sounding remorseful for their actions.

With that said, Diesel 10 walked away.

"Why are you two doing this?" asked Emily accusingly. "What did we ever do to you?"

"We're just following orders." replied Dart, feeling ashamed.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the school, Rosie had begun to make a run for it, hoping to get as far away from Sodor High School as humanly possible. Oh no! What will be done now? Find out next time...

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	3. Big Trouble at Sodor High (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Running as far as she could, Rosie wanted to get as far away from Diesel 10 and the Smelter Teens as she could. All she could think about is how badly she screwed up.

"How could I have been so stupid?!" Rosie thought to herself, tears steaming down her face. "I thought I was doing something good for someone. Just to find out I... I..."

The poor pink-haired girl didn't get any further, and just collapsed onto her knees to cry out of shame, disgrace, and remorse.

"Rosie!" called a voice. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

Rosie looked up in surprise.

"Stanley? Stanley is that you?"

Yes, it was Stanley Hudswell. The gray-haired boy was actually safely out of the school, too.

"Yup, it's me." smiled Stanley

Rosie continued to tear up. "Oh, Stanley, this is all my fault!"

"Yeah, I've heard." The gray-haired boy acknowledged. "However, I don't blame you for what happened at all."

"You don't?" The pink-haired girl blinked through her tears.

"No, I don't." insisted Stanley kindly. "You were just trying to do what you thought was right. Diesel 10 lied to you."

"But how did you get out?" asked Rosie.

"I saw you leading Diesel 10 and most of the Smelter Teens down the hallway. I got suspicious over what was going on, so I secretly followed." explained Stanley. "I couldn't get into the office when I saw the Smelter Teens outside, but I did listen to the message that criminal gave. After that, I got out of the school as fast as I could."

"What should we do? You and I are no match for Diesel 10 right now. And the school is on lockdown..."

"Let's head into town and get help." suggested the gray-haired boy. "Maybe Flynn and the rest of the Fire Department can assist us in stopping Diesel 10."

"I hope so." whispered the pink-haired girl. "I really hope so..."

With that said, Rosie and Stanley both started to race across the street... Just then, there was a loud screeching sound of tires burning rubber on the ground.

"Hey!" called a voice. "Watch where you two are going!"

The two Sodor High School teenagers looked and gasped in amazement.

"Whoa!"

* * *

 **Title: Big Trouble at Sodor High, Part 3**

* * *

There, sitting on the road, were three VERY cool looking motorcycles. Riding them were three teenagers:  
-The first was a 16-year old boy with short dark brown hair, brown eyes, orange shirt and black pants.  
-The second was a 16-year old girl with shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing a purple t-shirt with a blue jean jacket over the shirt, and purple shorts.

"Look both ways before crossing the street." scolded the third teenager, who was actually 18-years old. He had short black hair and glasses, and was wearing a white t-shirt and gray shin-length shorts. "Safety comes first, you know."

"Who are you three?" asked Stanley and Rosie both at once.

The brown-haired boy removed his helmet and smiled.

"The name's James." he said. "These are my friends Zack and Carlie."

Carlie (the girl) removed her helmet and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you both." The brown-haired girl said cheerfully.

Zack (the older boy) removed his helmet and kept a calm look on his face.

"What's the rush, anyway?" The black-haired boy asked. "You two nearly got hit by us."

"We're sorry-" Rosie apologized. "-but we need to get to town and find help."

"What's the matter?" asked James R., now sounding concerned.

"A criminal has taken over our school!" Stanley explained. "All our friends are trapped inside with no escape!"

"That's awful!" gasped Carlie. "We'll help you save them and stop that criminal."

"Thanks." sighed Rosie gratefully. "But we'll need more help. Could you guys give me and Stanley a ride to town to the Fire Department?"

"Say no more." Zack nodded, putting his helmet back on. "We'll help you two any way we can."

The two teenagers climbed aboard Zack (Stanley) and Carlie's (Rosie) motorcycles respectively and they rode off.

(elsewhere...)

A while later, the three motorcycle driving teens arrived in the town of Knapford.

"I've never seen motorcycles like these before." Stanley commented, riding with Zack. "What kind of models are they?"

"Duel Runners." Zack answered plainly.

"Duel Runners?" Rosie blinked, having heard the answer come from Carlie, too. "What's a Duel Runner?"

"Special motorcycles that you can play Duel Monsters on." explained James R..

"Wait, so you three are duelists?" asked Stanley.

"James and Carlie are-" Zack corrected. "-I'm not."

"There are two other duelists of our group." James R. added. "Matt and Michael. Out of us, they are easily the best of the best."

"Too bad they're off exploring the island." giggled Carlie.

Pretty soon, the teenagers found Flynn and Belle's firefighting team. They had just put out a fire at an apartment building, and were getting ready to leave when...

"BELLE! FLYNN!"

The two adults looked and saw the kids pull up.

"Stanley? Rosie?" blinked Belle. "What's going on?"

"Come quick!" Rosie said very quickly. "My... school... danger!"

"Easy, slowly." said Flynn soothingly. "Now, tell us what's happening."

"A criminal named Diesel 10 has taken over Sodor High School and is holding everybody inside prisoner." Stanley explained more calmly. "We need help!"

"Say no more!" nodded Belle, now looking dead serious. "We're ready to come to the rescue."

"And again, we'll help out in any way we can." Zack added.

"Well then, let's kick this rescue into overdrive!" cried James R., who revved his Duel Runner up once more.

(elsewhere...)

Twenty minutes later, the three Duel Runners and three fire trucks arrived outside in Sodor High School's front yard.

"So, how do we get inside?" asked Carlie. "You said the place was on lockdown, right?"

"There's a secret passage to the Smelter's Class." answered Rosie. "Maybe that's still open."

"What's going on?" said another voice.

They group all turned around and saw Duck.

"Duck?!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed. "You got out, too? But how?"

"I...don't remember." admitted Duck, rubbing the back of his head. "I remember listening to Mr. Nodniws's announcement on the PA, then suddenly I blacked out. Later on, I woke up and found myself outside."

"Strange." Stanley commented. "Very strange, indeed."

"Now, where is the secret entrance you mentioned?" Zack asked Rosie.

"Follow me." ordered the pink-haired girl, running ahead.

She lead them to a door near a part of the building.

"This is it."

James R. gripped onto the door handle and pulled on the door, but it wouldn't open...

"It won't open." The brown-haired boy grunted, tugging more and more.

"Now how are we going to get inside?" asked Carlie.

"I have an idea." Zack spoke up. "It won't be pretty, but it might work."

"Let's hear it." said Duck.

Zack looked to Flynn. "Do you have some strong rope?"

"In one of our fire trucks." nodded Flynn, raising an eyebrow. "What do you need it for?"

"Get it for me, and I'll show you."

Flynn went to the fire truck and brought back some strong rope.

"Here you are." The fire chief offered.

Zack took the rope and tied one end to the door handle, and the other end to his Duel Runner.

"Zack." whispered James R., looking surprised. "You aren't thinking of..."

"Using my Duel Runner to pull the door open?" interrupted Zack, answering the question. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do."

The black-haired boy got onto his Duel Runner and started it up. Bringing it to full throttle, the door was pulled open in no time.

"Geez, it's a good thing I'm not that door." Belle commented in a deadpan tone. "Because that would hurt in the morning."

"Come on!" Rosie shouted, running into the Smelter classroom.

Stanley, James R., Carlie, and Zack all followed the pink-haired girl inside. Now that they were inside, they searched around.

"Anything?" asked Rosie.

"No." Carlie shook her head.

Eventually...

"How did you guys get in here?" came the voice of Den.

"The school is on lockdown." came the voice of Dart.

There stood Den and Dart. Rosie had to keep much restraint to keep herself from going over and doing something very drastic to those two Smelter Teens.

"You let Thomas and Emily go, right now!" The pink-haired demanded.

"Sorry, but we can't do that." Dart replied, shaking his head.

"Why not?!"

"You two seem reluctant." Carlie commented softly, walking forth. "Reluctant to take orders from that Diesel 10."

Den and Dart both took one look at the brown-haired girl and blushed at how pretty she was.

"We didn't really want it to go this far." said Den shyly. "Um, I mean..."

"What he means is-" Dart spoke up. "-that we only wanted a bigger, safer classroom."

"So, why are you still obeying Diesel 10's orders then?" asked Zack. "He's lied to you about getting a new classroom just so he could take over the school."

The two brothers didn't answer. They only looked to each other for a moment.

"I think we should..." Den started.

"Go?" Dart finished.

Den nodded. "Yes."

"Besides, I never liked Diesel 10, anyway." Dart added.

"Me neither." Den agreed. "Why shouldn't we stay?"

And they moved away from the door, causing Rosie to sigh in relief.

"Yes!" she cried out. "Now to save Thomas and Emily."

"Hey where'd Duck go?" asked Stanley, noticing that the Great Western green-haired boy was not inside the classroom.

"He must be waiting outside with Flynn and Belle." James R. suggested.

Either way, Rosie opened the door. There, Thomas and Emily were both tied to two separate chairs.

"Thomas! Emily!"

The two captured teenagers turned and gasped.

"Rosie?" Thomas and Emily both said at once.

"I'm so glad you're both alright!" exclaimed Rosie. Without wasting another second, she began to untie her friends.

"How did you get in?" asked Thomas.

"That would be my doing." said Zack coolly, gesturing to himself.

Thomas and Emily were both confused when they saw the black-haired boy, James R., and Carlie.

"Who are you three?" Emily asked. "I've never seen you before."

"We're Zack, Carlie, and James." said Carlie, introducing herself and her two friends. "We've come from America."

"We're adopted children of Discord." added James R..

Thomas and Emily were both surprised.

"Discord told us about you guys!" Thomas exclaimed. "But...he said there were five of you."

"That's because our two others friends, Matt and Michael, are both out exploring the Island." Zack pointed out. "We happened to come upon Rosie and Stanley here while riding into town."

"I'm so sorry I caused this to happen." said Rosie sadly. "I thought I was helping the Smelter's Teens out by getting them a bigger classroom."

"It's okay." Thomas replied calmly, placing both hands the sad girl's shoulders. "We understand completely. Now come on, let's go free everyone..."

Upon arriving in the hallway, the teens found Den, Dart, Sidney, and Paxton going to some of the nearby classrooms.

"What are you three up to?" Stanley called out.

"We're freeing the other students here." Paxton replied. "Believe me when I say this; we had no intention of letting this happen."

"This is our way of saying we're sorry for helping that monster out." added Sidney.

"Thank you." smiled Emily. "I knew you weren't bad guys."

"Speaking of bad guys..." Thomas spoke up. "It's time to teach Diesel 10 a lesson."

With that said, he, Emily, Rosie, Zack, Carlie, and James R. all took off down the hallway. Just as quickly, Henry and Edward both showed up to join them.

"We're with you in this!" said Edward.

"Let's teach Diesel 10 a lesson!" said Henry.

As they went down further down the hallway, James and Gordon both joined up too.

"Let's take back our school!" said Gordon.

Even further down, the gang found Toby and Percy, who both instantly joined as well.

"That fiend's not going to get away with this!" said Toby. "What he did was wrong!"

Eventually, the large number of teenagers had arrived outside the office. Diesel and his gang could be seen chatting.

"What the-?" Diesel was surprised to see Thomas and the others. "How did you guys get loose, and-" Upon spotting Carlie, he grinned flirtingly. "-who's the babe?"

Carlie gave the devious black-haired boy a disgusted glare in response.

"She's one of our new friends." snapped Thomas. "We're taking back the school!"

"So, get out of the way!" added Percy. "You lot are out numbered."

Seeing as they were outnumbered, Diesel and his gang did back down. This allowed everyone to enter the office. Inside, Stacy Jones was cowering under her desk when she spotted Rosie and Thomas.

"He's in Sir Topham Hatt's office."

"Thank you." bowed Thomas. He went over to the door to Sir Topham Hatt's office and opened it.

Inside the main office, Diesel 10 was seated in Sir Topham Hatt's desk with his back to the gang. He kept a calm, yet evil look on his face.

"So, you've come back, Rosie." he muttered sinisterly, before turning around to look at all of his enemies with a maniacal look on his face. "Foolish girl, the school is all mine now!"

"You're wrong! It's our school! And we're taking it back!" Thomas shouted.

Rosie stepped forward. "You tricked me Diesel 10! You made me think I was helping the Smelters' Class, but I now know your scheme, and we're going to stop you here and now!"

Diesel 10 gestured his claw hand out.

"You'll do nothing!"

"Oh, yes we will!" said Thomas, stepping forth.

Suddenly, there was a loud crowd of voices coming from the hallway.

"What the-?!"

Stanley smiled. "Oh, did we forget to mention four of your students have gone and freed all of the other students and teachers of this school?"

Enraged, Diesel 10 growled.

"I'd say you're outnumbered now, Diesel 10." added James.

"So you might as well give it up, Diesel 10!" Gordon demanded. "You don't scare any of us. So you might as well pack it up, and get your butt out of our school!"

Diesel 10 slammed both hands on the desk. "Me? Leave!?" he shouted. "Never! This school is mine, and I'll never give it up to the likes of you fools!"

"What makes you think you can take all of us on?" asked Zack calmly. "There's more of us than there is of you."

Diesel 10's angry face soon turned to one of glee as he erupted into maniacal laughter, catching everyone off-guard.

"You all think you have me beat, don't you?" he asked. "Well you don't! Take a good look outside why don't you?"

James R. ran to a nearby window and gasped. Outside, there were hundreds of hoodlums wielding baseball bats and knives. Worst of all, many of them had also surrounded Duck, Belle, Flynn, and their firefighting team, ready to attack them at the given command.

"There's a whole army out there!" James R. announced in horror. "And Duck, Belle, Flynn, and the other firefighters are all surrounded!"

"I called in my gang." Diesel 10 explained. "Somehow, I knew something like this would happen, so I took some extra measures to ensure that I win no matter what. So you fools might want to think twice before you try to take back the school."

"You monster!" shrieked Emily. "Those are innocent people out there!"

"And if you think I'm bad now." Diesel 10 rebuffed. "Wait until I tell you all this; a few of my gang members also paid a little visit to a certain home of one of you fools and—how shall I put this—kidnapped a duo of younger sisters..."

Thomas gasped in shock. Diesel 10 didn't just do what he (Thomas) thinks he (Diesel 10) did... but the evil smile on the man's face confirmed that he did do it.

"YOU SENT SOME OF YOUR MEN TO KIDNAP MY SISTERS?!" he roared in anger.

"Correct!" laughed Diesel 10.

"Let them go!" demanded Percy.

"Oh, I'll let them go..." The criminal nodded, before bringing his Duel Disk up from under the desk and onto his left arm. "Only IF the San Francisco champion can defeat me in a duel."

"Fine!" Thomas nodded, clenching a fist. "I accept your challenge."

"Then follow me to the gym." Diesel 10 walked away from the desk. "That place has so much more room."

Suddenly, a voice spoke in his head.

"Excellent work so far, Diesel 10." said the voice of the same teenage boy. "Now all you need to do is destroy Thomas Billinton."

"That won't be a problem, master." insisted Diesel 10 in his head. "With my deck, along with the cards you and your followers have supplied me, it will be an easy job."

"Just remember-" The male voice then warned. "-if at one point you start slacking off, I will be taking over."

"I never slack off!"

(elsewhere...)

In the gym, there were dozens of hoodlums waiting, and to Thomas's horror, there was both Annie and Clarabel being held captive.

"BIG BROTHER!" They both shrieked in fright.

Suddenly, the other teenagers (minus Thomas) got themselves being held captive by the hoodlums, too.

"Let my friends go!" snapped Thomas. "It's obvious that it's me you really want!"

"I will only do so IF you win this duel." Diesel 10 retorted, tossing a Duel Disk over to the blue-haired boy. "Should you lose? All of you will die!"

"I won't lose to you!"

Thomas equipped the Duel Disk onto his left arm, slotted is deck into the card holder, and activated the device.

"Big words coming from the San Francisco champion." laughed Diesel 10.

Once the criminal activated his own Duel Disk, the two duelists drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both shouted in unison.

Everyone in the gym watched silently. The teenagers and teachers really hoped that Thomas could win and save everyone...

"Since we're in my domain, I'll take the first turn." Diesel 10 insisted.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Diesel 10 (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Magic Metal Coat, Cyber Jar, Machine Conversion Factory, Trap Jammer, and Mystical Space Typhoon

* * *

He took a card from his hand and gave a devious smile while placing it facedown on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"For my opening move, I'll just summon this monster in defense mode."

A facedown card appeared on the field (sideways).

"That's all for now." said Diesel 10 sneakily.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Magic Cylinder, Dark Magician Girl, Magical Dimension, Polymerization, and Curse of Dragon

* * *

"You can do it, Thomas!" called Percy, just before he felt a hoodlum smack him upside the head.

"Keep quiet!" The hoodlum snapped.

Thomas watched that happen and grimaced before looking back over to Diesel 10, holding up a card in the process.

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" announced the blue-haired boy.

The elf swordsman appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1200).

"Attack Diesel 10's facedown monster!"

Obnoxious Celtic Guardian obeyed, charging at the facedown monster with his sword.

"HA!" laughed Diesel 10. "Your first turn and already you get into trouble!"

The monster was revealed to be...

"Cyber Jar!" gasped Thomas in realization.

That's right. The mechanical jar appeared and created a black hole, destroying itself and Thomas's monster.

"Now we both draw an additional five cards." said Diesel 10, holding up five drawn cards. "And then we special summon as many possible level 4 or lower monsters we draw."

Thomas obeyed and drew five cards from the top of his deck. They were shown to be Gaia The Fierce Knight, Shift, Spider Web, Sage's Stone, and Mirror Force

"I've drawn the following monsters." Diesel 10 held the three cards up. "And they are all low leveled ones—but have a pretty high attack power."

Three machine monsters called Mechanicalchaser (Level 4/ATK: 1850) appear on his side of the field.

"So, what did you draw? Can you even summon something?"

"I might not be able to special summon anything I drew-" said Thomas, grabbing a card from his hand. "-but I can still do this! Observe as I activate Polymerization to fuse Gaia the Fierce Knight with Curse of Dragon to fusion summon Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Gaia The Fierce Knight and Curse of Dragon both briefly appear before fusing together. Once the fusion ended, Gaia The Fierce Knight was riding Curse of Dragon like the dragon was his steed (Level: 7/ATK: 2600).

"Too bad you've already attacked." Diesel 10 snickered.

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Thomas continued coolly, sliding two cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

Two facedown cards materialized.

"Pathetic!" Diesel 10 commented loudly, before drawing his card. "My turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Diesel 10 (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (9): Magic Metal Coat(!), Machine Conversion Factory, Trap Jammer, Last Day of the Witch, Machine Recycle(!), Cost Down, Machine King, Machine King, and Zoa

* * *

"I'll activate the Spell card Cost Down!" The criminal held the mentioned card out. "Now by discarding one card from my hand-" He sent a copy of Machine King to his graveyard. "-for the rest of this turn, all the star levels of the monster cards in my hand get lowered by two! And now..."

He held out and placed a copy of Machine King onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Machine King in attack mode!"

Appearing by the Mechanical Chasers was a large robotic monster (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"But that monster is weaker than my Dragon Champion!" Thomas protested.

"Wrong!" Diesel 10 pointed out.

"How?!"

"My Machine King gains an additional 100 attack points for every machine-type monster on my side of the field." explained the criminal. "And so far, I have four."

"Don't you mean three?" asked Thomas.

"INCLUDING itself."

Machine King grew extra strong (ATK: 2200 - 2600).

"He's good." commented Zack.

"But now Machine King and Gaia the Dragon Champion are tied." Carlie pointed out.

"Not to mention Thomas has those facedown cards of his." added James R..

"I'm not worried about the facedowns." Diesel 10 insisted, holding another card up. "My Machine Recycle Spell card will handle that problem."

"Machine Recycle?" Thomas quizzed.

"Yes. In exchange for not letting any of my Mechanicalchasers attack this turn, my Machine King can safely attack without setting off any of your facedown Spell or Trap cards!"

"But both monsters will still be destroyed." objected Thomas.

"Now I'll equip Machine King with the equip spell Machine Conversion Factory." Diesel 10 held up another card. "This boosts my monster's attack and defense points by 300 points."

The mentioned Equip Spell card materialized face-up, causing Machine King to grow stronger (ATK: 2600 - 2900/DEF: 2000 - 2300).

"You were saying, boy?"

Thomas scowled.

"Machine King!" ordered Diesel 10. "Destroy Gaia the Dragon Champion!"

Machine King obeyed and fired off both of its fists like rockets. The pair of fists struck Curse of Dragon and shattering it to pieces. Gaia The Fierce Knight then fell onto the ground and shattered to pieces, too.

"Your Gaia the Dragon Champion has been blasted out of the sky." Diesel 10 declared.

Thomas grimaced as his life points took a hit (LP: 3700).

Suddenly, the same voice from before spoke to Diesel 10, sounding very pleased so far.

"Yes." The voice said sinisterly. "Kill him and bring me victory!"

"Oh, I will master." Diesel 10 obeyed mentally, and then spoke aloud. "You're no match for me, Billinton! Once I defeat you, you alone will pay for ruining my life!"

"Why do you hate me this much?!" Thomas demanded.

"It's your fault I got arrested in the first place!" snapped Diesel 10, with his voice full of venom-like hatred for the blue-haired boy. "You and your friends ruined my chance to become the principal of your blasted school!"

"You deserved it!" objected the blue-haired boy. "You tried to take over the school and hurt innocent people. For that, I'll certainly stop you again!"

With that said, and full of determination, he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3400)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Dark Magician Girl, Magical Dimension, Shift, Spider Web, Sage's Stone, and Magician's Valkyria

* * *

"I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!" announced Thomas, holding his card out.

The older female spellcaster appeared twirling her scepter around (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).

"Next I activate a powerful Spell card." The blue-haired boy held his card out. "Magical Dimension!"

As the Spell card materialized face-up, a large casket with chains appeared.

"As I have a spellcaster-type monster on my field-" explained Thomas, readying a new card from his hand. "-I can tribute one monster I control and special summon another spellcaster from my hand... So watch as I sacrifice Magician's Valkyria to summon Dark Magician Girl!"

The casket opened up and Magician's Valkyria jumped inside as the coffin closed up. Upon opening back up, the apprentice of Dark Magician jumped out and glared at Diesel 10 with anger (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

"That's not all."

"You mean there's more?" asked Diesel 10, looking worried.

"Magical Dimension allows me to also destroy one monster on your field!" Thomas pointed out. "So say goodbye to your Machine King!"

The casket reappeared on Diesel 10's field and opened, causing a purple fog to pull Machine King inside as it closed.

"You little son-of-a-" Diesel 10 began.

Just before he could finish his sentence, the casket exploded and left a cloud of dust on his side of the field.

"You'll pay for that, kid!"

"I don't think so." retorted Thomas, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. On cue, Sage's Stone materialized face-up. "Because now I play Sage's Stone! If Dark Magician Girl is on the field when Sage's Stone is played, I can special summon from my hand or deck the Dark Magician!"

A card slipped out from Thomas's deck. On cue, the purple-haired, male spellcaster joined the Dark Magician Girl in facing down Diesel 10's monsters (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).

"So that's the Dark Magician." Carlie breathed.

"And how a true champion plays." added James R.. "He'll go very far in his career!"

"Now, my magicians-" commanded Thomas. "-attack Diesel 10's Mechanicalchasers!"

Dark Magician Girl obeyed by first firing a blast of magic from her wand, destroying one of the Mechanicalchasers. Diesel 10 growled as he watched Dark Magician begin its turn to attack. Dark Magician attacked by holding up his hand, and thrust it forth, causing the area to fizzle about. Another Mechanicalchaser felt the blow of the attack and shattered to pieces of glass.

"Say goodbye to 800 of your life points!" Thomas declared.

Diesel 10 growled again as he took damage (LP: 3200). The whole audience in the gym (well, all except for the hoodlums) cheered for Thomas's big comeback move. Back over with Diesel 10, an image of the same teenage boy appeared next to him. The teenage boy did not look too happy with how Diesel 10 was fairing...

"You're slipping up, Diesel 10." he scolded. "Didn't you say you could beat Thomas Billinton with no trouble at all?"

"Give me time." Diesel 10 requested. "I'll take him down."

The teenage boy sneered. "You'd better..."

Once the image of the teenage boy was gone...

"Get ready, boy!" Diesel 10 drew his card. "My turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Diesel 10 (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Magic Metal Coat, Trap Jammer, Last Day of the Witch, Zoa, and Monster Reborn

* * *

"I equip my remaining Mechanicalchaser with the Equip Spell card Magic Metal Coat!"

The mentioned Spell card card materialize face-up, but nothing seemed to happen...

"What's going on?" Thomas asked, looking confused.

"Oh, I don't know." Diesel 10 shrugged innocently. "Perhaps you should attack and find out?"

Thomas scowled as he drew his next card. Diesel 10 merely kept his smile while waiting for a play.

"Come on... come on...!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3700)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Shift, Spider Web, and Magic Formula

* * *

The blue-haired boy looked at his card and then looked back up at Diesel 10.

"I equip my Dark Magician Girl with Magic Formula! This gives her an extra 500 attack points!"

A large book appeared and Dark Magician Girl began reading it, causing her strength to go up (ATK: 2000 - 2500).

"Now attack Mechanicalchaser!" commanded Thomas. "Dark Burning attack!"

Dark Magician Girl obeyed and jumped into the sky, firing off a magical blast from her wand. The blast got closer and struck Mechanicalchaser, but then the blast got reflected back!

"What?!" cried Thomas.

The blast then struck both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, destroying both of them at once.

"My magicians..."

No one else in the audience had expected that either.

"What did you do?" demanded Thomas.

"That's the power of my Magic Metal Coat." taunted Diesel 10. "It covers my machine-type monsters with a coating so shiny that it allows them to reflect any attack made by a spellcaster-type monster. That causes the blast to be reflected back to another monster... But since your Dark Magician Girl had equal attack strength to the Dark Magician, they were both destroyed at once!"

"That's hardly what I call fair." Emily commented acidly.

"Don't give up, Thomas!" called Rosie.

"I've got no intentions of giving up." insisted Thomas, before looking back to Diesel 10. "I end my turn."

"My turn." said Diesel 10, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Diesel 10 (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Trap Jammer, Mystical Space Typhoon, Zoa, Monster Reborn, and Machine King

* * *

His drawn card was another copy of Machine King.

"I'll tribute my Mechanicalchaser now." The criminal announced, causing his monster to vanish in a blue streak.

"But why?" Thomas gawked. "Your Equip card gave you a great advantage."

"And it still does." Diesel 10 retorted, adding the card to his hand. "If I lose my monster in any way, then my Equip card returns to my hand."

"That's cheap!" called Henry.

"Now come forth - Machine King!"

A third copy of Machine King appeared (Level: 6/ATK: 2200 - 2300)

"Next I'll play the Spell card Mystical Space Typhoon!" Diesel 10 said, holding out his card. "Say goodbye to one of your facedown cards!"

The Spell card materialized face-up and causing a typhoon to start up.

"Target the left card!"

The typhoon blew over and destroyed Thomas's first facedown card (briefly revealing it to be Mirror Force).

"My Mirror Force!" cried Thomas.

"Too bad." laughed Diesel 10. "Attack directly, my Machine King!"

"I can't block this attack without the use of a spellcaster-type monster." Thomas thought to himself, looking towards his remaining facedown card. "Magic Cylinder is useless to me!"

Machine King's fist flow over to the blue-haired boy and punched him, causing him to fly back a small distance while yelling in pain (LP: 1400).

"Soon you will lose, and the school will truly be mine!" Diesel 10 cackled. "Get ready to lose it all, Thomas Billinton!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	4. Big Trouble at Sodor High (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up inside the gym of Sodor High School, Thomas was locked in a tight spot. Although all of the students and teachers had managed to unite against Diesel 10, the criminal was prepared for it and now forced Thomas into a duel to determine the fate of everyone and the school.

"You see? Even if you are the best of the whole school, you're still not a match for me!" Diesel 10 bragged (LP: 3200). "The power of my mighty Machine King will go and turn you into scrap metal!"

"Not if I scrap IT first!" snorted Thomas (LP: 1400).

"I'd like to see you try that!"

Over to Percy in the audience, he was looking pretty confident with the situation thus far.

"Taunt him all you want, Diesel 10!" The green-haired boy called out. "But Thomas will STILL defeat you! You'll see!"

"We'll just see about that." retorted Diesel 10, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "First, I'll reequip my Magic Metal Coat to Machine King and end my turn."

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Shift, Spider Web, Magic Formula, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"First I'll use Pot of Greed!" The blue-haired boy held his drawn card out. "Now I draw two cards."

He was shown to have drawn Monster Reborn (Spell card) and Kuriboh (Effect Monster card).

"Next I'll use the Spell card Monster Reborn!"

The mention Spell card materialized face-up.

"Go ahead." Diesel 10 smirked. "Revive your Dark Magician. It's the only monster that can even stand up to my Machine King."

A card came out of Thomas's graveyard.

"Welcome back, Dark Magician!" The blue-haired boy called out, taking and holding the card up.

The purple clad male spellcaster-type monster reappeared in an instant (Level: 7/ATK: 2500).

"Just remember that you cannot attack with any spellcasters!" reminded Diesel 10. "...not unless you want their attacks to be reflected right back at you."

"I'm well aware of that!" Thomas snapped. "But I will figure a way out. I swear it!"

Yeah, that was gonna be easier said than done...

* * *

 **Title: Big Trouble at Sodor High, Part 4**

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the quarry, a sound that resembled the roar of a motorcycle could be heard. All of a sudden, two Duel Runners roared by.

"I hope you're ready, Mike!" called the voice of a teenage boy. "Because my Stardust Dragon will take down your Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"HA! In your dreams, Matt!" laughed the voice of another teenage boy.

The first boy was 17-years old, had short dirty blonde hair. He wore a long-sleeved blue jacket with a high collar and amber gems, over a sleeveless black shirt with a red symbol, and also wore gloves below his elbows with an amber gem on them. His lower body consists of black jeans with amber knee pads, a belt with two Deck holsters hidden under his jacket, and calf-high motorcycle boots. Flying high above him was a majestic looking dragon called Stardust Dragon.

"My turn!" The dirty blonde-haired boy announced, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn ?** : Matt Crawford (LP: 2800)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (2): One for One and De-Synchro

* * *

Hiss drawn card was a Spell card called De-Synchro.

"Get ready, Mike!" declared Matt, holding his shining, drawn, card out. "The Spell card De-Synchro!"

The other teenage boy, also 17-ears old, had short lime green hair and wore a long white trench coat lined with purple with spiked shoulders over a white plunging shirt, grey pants, and white boots, riding his Duel Runner, gasped in surprise.

"This lets me return your Red Dragon Archfiend back to your extra deck-" said Matt, smirking. "-and bring back the monsters used in its Synchro Summon."

Michael watched in horror as his Red Dragon Archfiend vanished in an instant. On cue, a 'tuner' monster called Dread Dragon (Level: 2/ATK: 1100/DEF: 400) and an effect monsters called Strong Wind Dragon (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000) took the monster's place.

"No! Not again!" Michael complained. "You're about to win again!"

"Got that right!" Matt smirked some more. "Stardust Dragon, attack Dread Dragon with-"

Just before he could declare an attack, an alarm went off on his Duel Runner.

"Huh?"

Sensing something was wrong, Matt turned and called out to his friend/adopted brother/rival.

"Sorry, Mike, but the duel is over now!" The dirty blonde-haired boy echoed. "Our friends are in danger!"

The holograms vanished and Matt pushed a button on his Duel Runner to halt the alarm as Michael rode up to him.

"What's the trouble?" questioned the lime green-haired boy.

"I'm not sure." Matt replied thoughtfully. "My Duel Runner just started beeping an alarm of a sort. I know our friends decided to head into town for some food earlier, but just now..."

"You think we'd better go look for them?"

Matt nodded seriously. "Just to be safe."

Michael grinned. "Then let's kick this search into overdrive!"

"Let's rev it up!" came from Matt.

With that said, the two teenage boys rode off into the distance and towards the city of Knapford.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the gym of Sodor High School, Diesel 10 grew gleeful.

"It's my turn now!" he declared, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Diesel 10 (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Trap Jammer, Zoa, Monster Reborn, and Metalmorph

* * *

His drawn card was the Metalmorph Trap card.

"Excellent." The criminal thought to himself, before looking up. "I'll just set this card in my hand facedown."

A facedown card materialized behind Machine King.

"That's all for me." said Diesel 10, smiling deviously.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card of his own.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Shift, Spider Web, Kuriboh, and De-Spell

* * *

The blue-haired boy's card was De-Spell (Spell card).

"Your Equip Spell card is about to bite the dust, Diesel 10." he said, now smiling.

With that said, Thomas slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell card De-Spell!" declared Thomas, just before thrusting his right hand forth. "Say goodbye to your Magic Metal Coat!"

The De-Spell Spell card materialized face-up. Suddenly, on Diesel 10's side of the field, Magic Metal Coat fizzled and soon vanished.

"No!" The criminal cried out. "Not my Equip Spell card!"

"That's right!" smirked Thomas. "Now your Machine King is defenseless. Dark Magician, destroy Diesel 10's Machine King with Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician obeyed, firing a powerful blast of black magic from his scepter at Machine King, striking and causing it to shatter into pieces. Diesel 10 growled as he took damage (LP: 3000). While the criminal was mad about it, there was someone else who was madder... On cue, the image of the same teenage boy reappeared.

"What did I say about slacking off, Diesel 10?" asked the teenage boy.

"I can do this, master. Stay out of my way!" snapped Diesel 10.

Big mistake...

"That does it!" shouted the teenage boy angrily, pulling out his golden Rod. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!"

Suddenly, Diesel 10 clutched his forehead and yelled in pain.

"Master, please!" he begged rather loudly. "Give me another chance!"

"Diesel 10?" Thomas blinked in confusion.

"I gave you a chance and you blew it!" shouted the teenage boy. "Now I will take over this duel!"

The whole audience, including the hoodlums, were puzzled with what was going on.

"Um, what's up with that?" Percy asked nervously.

Diesel 10 let out another yell of pain before quieting down. Raising his head, everybody could now see that something was wrong. Diesel 10's face was now blank and emotionless, and the symbol of the Millennium Eye was glowing on his forehead.

"Diesel 10 is now gone, little Thomas." said Diesel 10, with a mixture of his own voice, along with a new voice.

"What the heck?" Zack gasped.

"What's wrong with him?" asked James R..

"I am merely speaking through this fool." answered whoever was controlling Diesel 10. "For he has now become my mind-controlled puppet."

"Who are you?!" demanded Thomas.

"I am not one to give away my name too early." retorted the voice of the mysterious teenage boy. "Win this duel, and I'll tell you all that you'll need to know... But I'm afraid that won't be happening."

Thomas scowled. "And why not?"

"Because I am going to win! Prepare to die, Thomas Billinton!"

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, outside the school, the Millennium Ring began to glow, catching the attention of Duck. Suddenly, his face changed to that of Montague.

"I sense another Millennium Item at work." Montague said to himself. "I will use my Millennium Ring to track it down."

He began walking towards the school.

"Duck?" whispered Belle, but the Great Western green-haired boy didn't seem to listen.

"Hold it right there, squirt!" called a hoodlum.

Montague looked and saw that the ten members of Diesel 10's gang were now eyeing him. But did this worry him? Not in the slightest...

"Do you guys have a problem with me?" The ' _boy_ ' scoffed.

"Nobody's allowed in there!" said another hoodlum. "The boss says so."

"Oh really?" quizzed Montague, he then got a serious and threatening look on his face. "Don't waste my time. Let me pass or I'll have to kill you fools."

"Duck, what's the matter with you?!" Flynn gasped, noticing that the Great Western green-haired boy was acting differently.

The hoodlums, however, were laughing loudly at the boy's threat, not knowing that he was being deadly serious.

"You? Kill us?" laughed one hoodlum. "What a riot!"

"What a maroon!" came from another hoodlum.

Montague glared dangerously. "I supposed I'll just have to teach you a lesson." he remarked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a deck of Duel Monster cards. "Now we play by ' _my_ ' rules!"

"Duck?" Belle gasped in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Just teaching these fools a lesson." Montague answered, shuffling his deck.

"Enough talk! Get him!" cried a hoodlum, lunging forth.

The rest of the hoodlums charged at Montague, who just drew a card as though nothing was about to happen to him.

"Try this on for size." The green-haired spirit declared, holding the card up as his Millennium Ring started glowing. "The Man-Eater Big!"

"No silly little card can stop us!" snorted a hoodlum.

But he was wrong. Suddenly, the card began to glow as well and out from it came a huge bug.

"HOLY SH-!" cried a hoodlum, stopping before he could finish his sentence.

"What...on...Earth..." whispered Flynn.

"You fools don't know what powers you are dealing with." Montague chuckled darkly.

The hoodlums tried to shoot down the Man-Eater Bug with their guns, but it looked like it had no affect.

"Lets get out of here!" cried a hoodlum.

"Leaving so soon?" Montague asked sadistically, drawing another card from his deck. "The fun's just getting started." He held up a monster card called ' **Morphing Jar** '. "Now say hello to the Morphing Jar!"

The huge jar appeared as a one eyed creature popped out of it and swallowed the hoodlums whole as they screamed in fright.

"HELP!" screamed a hoodlum.

"Save us!" came from another, but it was futile.

Montague laughed psychotically as he watched the suffering of the hoodlums, while Belle and Flynn both watched in complete terror.

"Oh my G-" Belle started to say, but never finished due to the shock cutting herself off.

"What did he-?" Was all Flynn was able to say, too.

"I sent them to a little place called the Shadow Realm." said Montague calmly, turning towards the two fire fighters with his Millennium Ring still glowing all gold. "But I think it would be best if you both forgot you saw all of that."

The Millennium Ring's power activated, this time causing the two lead fire fighters, and their whole squad, to fall unconscious (thankfully, they weren't hurt).

"Enough time wasted." Montague sighed to himself, walking towards the school entrance. "Now to find where that Millennium signal is coming from."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the gym, Diesel 10 (being possessed) continued to talk to Thomas.

"You are no match to my superior power." he taunted. "Prepare to lose everything!"

With that said, the possessed criminal drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Diesel 10 (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Zoa, Monster Reborn, Metalmorph, and Graceful Charity

* * *

"I'll start with the Spell card Graceful Charity."

On cue, the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Using it, I draw three cards from my deck." Diesel 10 (possessed) explained, doing exactly what the card says and does.

"Don't forget you have to discard two cards from your hand afterward!" Thomas reminded.

Diesel 10 (possessed) did as he was told (and what the card did). Then looking at his hand, which contained Zera the Mant, Zera Ritual, Zoa, and Monster Reborn, the villain smiled.

"Now, before you face your fate, I'll activate the Spell card Monster Reborn!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"Come back to me, Mechanicalchaser!" commanded Diesel 10 (possessed).

The monster, Mechanicalchaser, reappeared on his side of the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1850).

"Finally, I'll play the Ritual Spell card Zera Ritual!" Diesel 10 (possessed) held his card out. "This will allow me to summon one of the most feared monsters in the game!"

Appearing was a large throne with a dark figure sitting in it.

"How are you going to summon Zera the Mant?" Thomas asked quaintly. "You only have Mechanicalchaser on your field."

Diesel 10 (possessed) only held up his Zoa monster card.

"I'll offer Zoa from my hand as well."

Zoa appeared briefly on the field as it and Mechanicalchaser were sacrificed.

"Come forth Zera the Mant!" called Diesel 10 (possessed).

The ritual commenced.

"Wow..." Percy breathed.

"Thomas..." whispered Rosie.

Once the two monsters were gone, the silhouette of another monster appeared in the fog.

"Meet the instrument of your destruction!" announced Diesel 10 (possessed).

A huge blue and black fiend-type monster with a sharp claws and wearing a large purple cape showed itself, giving a roar in the process (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2300).

"No way..." gasped Thomas.

"I'm afraid so!" shouted Diesel 10 (possessed). "Zera the Mant, destroy the boy's Dark Magician now!"

Zera the Mant obeyed and charged forth towards the defenseless Dark Magician.

"Not this time!" Thomas called out. "Go Magic Cylinder!"

Thomas's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"I won't have that!" Diesel 10 (possessed) remarked, pressing a button on his Duel Disk, causing his own facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "I counter with Trap Jammer!"

Thomas's Trap card shorted out and disappeared.

"That's not good." Toby gulped.

"Now where was I?" Diesel 10 (possessed) mocked. "Oh, yes... Destroy the Dark Magician, my Zera!"

Zera obeyed, picking up where he left off.

"Oh no, you don't!" growled Thomas, grabbing a card in his hand and quickly discarding it.

Suddenly, Zera's claw smacked into a wall of forming Kuribohs.

"Kuriboh?!" shouted Diesel 10 (possessed).

"That's right!" nodded Thomas. "Kuriboh protected my Dark Magician and also made the damage I would have taken become zero."

"So be it."

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in the hallway, Montague was walking around looking for whatever it was he was looking for.

"It must be close by." The green-haired spirit said only to himself. "I can feel it."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the gym, Thomas continued to face the possessed Diesel 10 bravely.

"My turn is over." Diesel 10 (possessed) said arrogantly. "But if you were wise, you'd forfeit to me."

"I will never surrender to you!" declared Thomas defiantly. "As long as I keep my trust in the Heart of the Cards, I will defeat you!"

"Then try me, fool!" The possessed criminal dared. "Show me..." Suddenly, he started clutching his head in pain. "GAH! Who's...?"

There, standing at the entrance to the gym, was Montague. His Millennium Ring was glowing all gold (at its strongest).

"Duck?" Thomas gasped.

"DUCK?!" came from the whole gym.

"Y-You!" seethed Diesel 10 (possessed).

The possessed criminal let out another groan of pain as he covered his face. After taking his hand away, it looked as though Diesel 10's face had returned to what it normally was.

"Help... me..." The criminal whimpered, before clutching his head in pain again.

"Diesel 10?" Thomas turned around, looking surprised.

Suddenly, Diesel 10's face became expressionless once more.

"Silence!" he yelled in two voices once again. "That fool is gone!"

Montague merely watched the little scene in dark amusement.

"So, somebody is using Diesel 10 to duel against Thomas." The green-haired spirit thought to himself. "And I appear to be blocking his Millennium Item's power."

"Get on with the duel, boy!" Diesel 10 (possessed) shouted.

"Looks like it's time for me to step in." Montague thought to himself again. "The boy, Thomas, must not be allowed to lose to this fool."

Montague's Millennium Ring began to glow once again.

"With the power of my Millennium Ring, I break Alexander Swindon free from his possession!"

"What's Duck doing with his Millennium Ring?" asked Emily in shock, seeing what ' _Duck_ ' was doing.

All of a sudden, Diesel 10 felt himself getting his mind back.

"Where...am I?"

"Looks like Diesel 10's back to normal." exclaimed Percy.

"It's my turn!" said Thomas, placing two fingers on his deck. "Heart of the Cards... guide me."

With that said, he finally drew his card in a Destiny Draw. But despite Thomas drawing his card, Diesel 10 took one look at the boy and felt his anger officially reach its breaking point.

"BILLINTON!" The criminal roared in rage, taking out a club from his inside his coat. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Thomas, look out!" cried Rosie.

Diesel 10 rushed forth and tried to hit Thomas with the club, but the blue-haired boy ducked and rolled along the ground.

"Go get him, boss!" cheered a hoodlum.

"Sock it to him!" added a second hoodlum.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME, BOY!" Diesel 10 shouted in pure hatred.

The criminal kept swinging his club, and Thomas kept dodging. Eventually though, it happened - Diesel 10 eventually swung his club trying to hit Thomas, but missed and accidentally hitting a nearby generator with all of his might, shorting it out and causing sparks to touch the wall...and catch fire.

"Fire!" cried Edward.

Everyone, including the hoodlums, began to make their escape from the gym. Unfortunately for Thomas, just as he, Annie, and Clarabel reached the door, an insane looking Diesel 10 blocked their way out.

"No..." The criminal said slowly, breathing deeply. "If I have to die in a fire, I'll make sure you and your sisters die here with me, Thomas!"

"You can keep me here, but let my sisters go!" demanded Thomas.

"Now why would I want to break up loving siblings?" asked Diesel 10 coldly. "Why don't we finish our little duel to decide who lives?"

"Gladly!"

(elsewhere...)

Outside, everyone was evacuating the building. Gordon soon spotted Belle and Flynn both waking up from being unconscious.

"Flynn! Belle!" he called.

"Are you two alright?" asked Henry. "What happened?"

The two adults got back onto their feet, feeling a little groggy.

"Ugh... I don't really remember." muttered Belle.

"Right now, a fire had broken out!" Emily exclaimed. "Diesel 10 had gone berserk during a duel between him and Thomas, and he started the fire!"

"We're on it!" nodded Belle. She turned to the rest of the department. "Get the water going, lads!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The team of firefighters shouted, and immediately set to work.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Carlie asked helpfully.

"We need to finish evacuating the building." Flynn stated.

"We're on it!" Zack nodded, turning to run back to the burning building.

"Wait for me!" called James R., following his friends.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the gym, Thomas held his drawn card out.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Shift, Spider Web, and Card of Sanctity

* * *

"I activate Card of Sanctity!" he said. "I believe you know what it does."

"We draw until we hold six cards." Diesel 10 stated.

Thomas drew his four cards, showing them to be Hand Control, Dark Burning Attack, Premature Burial, and Excalibur.

"First I activate Premature Burial." Thomas continued, taking a large life point hit (LP: 600). "At the cost of 800 life points, I can call from my graveyard any monster I wish."

"Dark Magician Girl?" Diesel 10 yawned, before coughing due to accidentally sucking in smoke. "Thought so."

"Yes! Return to the field, Dark Magician Girl!"

The female spellcaster appeared (Level: 6/ATK: 2000). Upon seeing the flames around the area, as well as Thomas trying to keep himself standing due to the heat and smoke, Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician both grew worried.

"So you have your two ace monsters back. Big deal!" Diesel 10 scoffed, though he started to feel weak himself.

"Big brother..." whispered Clarabel, as Annie gave a cough due to the smoke.

"Hold on, you two." Thomas said to his sisters. "Just a little longer." He returned his attention to Diesel 10. "Next I activate a powerful Spell card called Dark Burning Attack!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Dark Burning Attack!?" coughed Diesel 10.

"That's right!" Thomas confirmed. "This allows my Dark Magician Girl to destroy all monsters on your side of the field! Go, my Dark Magician Girl!"

The female spellcaster leaped into the air and fired off a shockwave from her wand that destroyed Zera the Mant in an instant. Diesel 10 screamed in rage and horror at his impending loss to the blue-haired boy.

"And now you're wide open!" Thomas declared, pointing forth. "Finish him off, my Dark Magicians! Double Dark Magic Attack!"

The male and female spellcasters both obeyed, crossing their weapons together and firing off a very powerful blast of Dark Magic/Burning Attack at Diesel 10, striking and causing him to yell, fly back, and crash into a wall (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

"Yay, Thomas!" cheered Annie and Clarabel at once. "You've won, big brother!"

"Come on!" called Thomas, taking his two sisters by their hands.

Unfortunately, the flames had spread so much that the door was now blocked off.

"No!"

"Too bad." Diesel 10's voice had said. Nearby, the villain stood back up menacingly. "Looks like we're all gonna die together, anyway."

(elsewhere...)

Outside, the firefighters were doing their best to contain the flames. Eventually, Zack, James R., and Carlie all came out of the building with the remaining students.

"That's all of them!" called Zack.

Emily then realized something. "Wait... what about Thomas?!"

"And Annie, Clarabel, and Diesel 10?!" added Rosie.

"Oh no!" cried Carlie.

"They must still be inside the gym!" exclaimed Edward.

Just then, the roar of two motorcycles echoed the air. Just then, two more Duel Runners drove up. It was James R., Zack, and Carlie's friends' Matt and Michael.

"Matt! Mike!" Zack exclaimed.

"You both made it!" Carlie added.

"What's going on?" asked Michael.

"There are people still trapped inside the gym!" cried Emily. "And it's on fire! Please save them!"

"In that case, leave this to us." Matt nodded, putting his helmet back on and looking to his right. "Ready, Mike?"

Michael gave a confident nod. "You know it, man."

With that said, the two duelists revved their Duel Runners and off they went into the burning school. However, Montague, not wanting to have Thomas die from the fire, started to follow in response.

"Duck!" called Edward. "What are you doing?!"

"I have to go help Thomas!" said Montague, using Duck's voice as not to raise suspicions.

"But it's too dangerous!" protested Toby.

"I'll be fine!"

With that said, Montague ran into the burning building.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the burning gym, Diesel 10 was walking menacingly over to Thomas and his sisters.

"Now...to...finish...you...off!" he struggled to say.

Thomas merely looked on bravely as he held onto his two frightened sisters protectively. Suddenly, they heard the sound of motorcycles. Within seconds, Matt and Michael both burst into the gym on their Duel Runners.

"Thomas!" called Matt, struggling to withstand the heat of the flames. "Where are you?!"

"Over here!" called the blue-haired boy.

Diesel 10 was getting closer to the three innocent civilians, but Michael sprung into action immediately.

"Hang on!"

Michael jumped off of his Duel Runner and charged at Diesel 10, tackling the villain to the ground.

"Get off me, you-!" Diesel 10 struggled to say... but the smoke, heat, and his exhaustion from the duel finally took its toll and he fell unconscious.

"Hmph! Not a very tough customer." scoffed Michael

"No time for that." said Matt firmly. "We gotta get out of here."

"Bad news; our Duel Runners can only hold an extra person besides us." Michael pointed out.

"Then take my sisters and come back for me and Diesel 10!" Thomas stated.

"No, big brother!" wailed Annie. "We can't leave you!"

"We have no choice." Matt pointed out, coughing from the smoke. "So let's go!"

Reluctantly, Annie and Clarabel went with Matt and Michael while Thomas did his best to stay strong until they could come back.

"This...can't...end."

But, despite his best effort, he collapsed onto the ground and finally passed out from the smoke, heat, and exhaustion. Montague had arrived in the burning gym around here...

"Not on my watch!" The green-haired spirit said to himself as he rushed over to the unconscious Thomas. "Time to ensure that in case something happens to me and my host, I'll have a backup just to be safe."

With that said, Montague's Millennium Ring was braced onto Thomas's head as it glowed gold for a moment before stopping.

"There." smirked Montague, before hearing a motorcycle roar. "Now to fake unconsciousness."

The green-haired spirit then pretended to pass out as Michael and Matt both came back in.

"Okay, let's get Thomas and-" Matt began.

"Hey, how did he get here?!" Michael demanded, referring to seeing Montague.

The dirty blonde-haird boy was dismayed. "Great... This could be a problem."

"Well have to take them." said Michael. "But what about Diesel 10?"

"I'll take him." Matt replied slowly. "And before you say your Duel Runner can only fit two people, namely you and one other person, you'll just have to make it work."

The lime green-haired boy sighed. "Fine. But we have to hurry."

Matt picked up Diesel 10, and carried him over to his Duel Runner, while Michael brought both Montague and Thomas to his own Duel Runner. The two teenage boys then got back onto their Duel Runners and revved them up.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the school, the firefighters were still fighting the fire, while everyone else waited anxiously for Matt and Michael to come back with Thomas, Duck, and Diesel 10.

"Where are they?" asked Carlie.

"They should have been out by now." added Emily.

At last, they could see the two Duel Runners coming out of the burning building.

"There they are!" exclaimed Zack.

Everyone ran over to the two Duel Runners, just as Matt and Michael got off of them and removed their helmets.

"Are they okay?" asked Stanley.

"We don't know." Michael replied grimly.

"An ambulance will be arriving shortly, along with the police." James R. stated. "We also had Flynn call the school principal and tell him what had happened."

(later...)

Soon, an ambulance arrived along with the police. Sir Topham Hatt was also among them, and he was NOT a happy chap when he had heard what had happened.

"What did you think you were doing?!" The principal bellowed at the Smelter Teens. "The school was almost burned down, my office and the hallways are trashed, and you let an escaped convict, and my former assistant, take over my school! I'm deeply disappointed with all of you..."

The bad Smelter Teens (mostly Diesel, Arry, Bert, and their gang) whimpered and cowered at their principal's angry, booming voice, while Den, Dart, Paxton, and Sidney, however, all look ashamed. Feeling sorry for them, Rosie stepped forward to confess her misdeed...

"It wasn't their fault sir." The pink-haired girl spoke up selflessly. "They just wanted a bigger, safer classroom. Their old one was too hazardous and small to be used. Diesel 10 told them that you were too greedy and selfish to give them a new classroom, and talked them into helping him take over the school."

Sir Topham Hatt looked over to Rosie with a raised eyebrow.

"And I...helped Diesel 10 with his plan. So, if you want to expel me from school... then go ahead. I deserve it."

Emily chose this moment to back the pink-haired girl up.

"You can't expel her, sir." The dark green-haired girl objected. "Rosie was upset that Thomas had been too busy to spend time with her and Diesel 10 took advantage of her sadness. He tricked her into thinking that she would be doing a good thing, and Rosie thought she was doing what was right. Even then, she still managed to get help to put an end to Diesel 10's plans."

Sir Topham Hatt folded his arms and stared long and hard at Rosie and Emily before he speaking to the former.

"Well, I'm not all that happy that you allowed Diesel 10 to take over the school." Sir Topham Hatt started sternly, but soon a small smile appeared on his face. "But, I'm very pleased by what you did to help everyone and make up for the mistakes you've made. For that, I won't punish you, and neither will your parents."

Rosie and Emily both smiled as the former then continued...

"And sir, may the Smelter Teens have a new classroom?" asked Rosie hopefully. "It's dark, dusty, dirty, oily, and there's not enough space to move around."

Sir Topham Hatt smiled again. "Of course they can have a new classroom. I was planning on giving them a new classroom anyway. That's what my meeting with the mayor was all about."

"It was?" The pink-haired girl blinked in surprise. "But Ms. Stacey Jones said you had nothing to discuss about it."

"I told her to say that in order to keep it a surprise." explained Sir Topham Hatt.

Either way, Rosie was very happy to hear that the Smelter Teens would get a new classroom.

(elsewhere...)

A while later inside Knapford Hospital, Thomas finally woke up to find most of his friends, his sisters, and his parents all watching over him in worry.

"Hey, everybody." said Thomas, smiling.

In an instant, the blue-haired boy was nearly crushed by his friends' hugs.

"We were so worried!" sobbed Mrs. Billinton.

"Never scare us like that again, son!" added Mr. Billinton.

"I'm sorry." Thomas apologized, but then saw the five new faces. "It's you guys!"

"Yup." Carlie smiled brightly. "In case you need a memory refresher, I'm Carlie."

"I'm Zack." said Zack.

"And I'm James." added James R. "But so as not to confuse me for your guys's James, call me James R.."

"As you can tell, I'm Matt." threw in Matt.

"And I'm Michael." finished Michael. "We five are champion duelists from San Francisco, and are the adopted children of Discord J. Crawford."

"So you're the five adopted children Discord told us about." said Edward.

"Wait a minute. I thought Zack said he didn't duel?" Rosie asked curiously.

"I don't." insisted Zack coolly. "I actually know quite a bit about Duel Monsters. That's why I consider myself a champ."

"It was Discord J. Crawford who taught us how to play the game." explained Michael. "Zack here took up to studying the game inside and out instead."

"Wow." said Edward in amazement. "And I thought I knew much about the game."

"Either way, at least now the school is safe." Thomas pointed out in great relief. "And Diesel 10 is back behind bars where he belongs."

"No doubt he'll be staying there for good, too." Percy agreed.

"And we'll never see him ever again." added Stanley.

With that said, the other Tidmouth Teens, along with their new friends, all couldn't agree more.


	5. Legend of the Gods

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at the Sodor Airport, a plane was just touching down on the runway. Once it had stopped, all the passengers got off and went to collect their luggage. One passenger in particular was a woman in her mid-to-late twenties. She had tanned skin and long dark hair, and looked to be from Egypt.

Upon leaving the airport, one person was there to greet her.

"Welcome to Sodor, Ms. Ishtar." he bowed politely.

"Please call me Ishizu." The woman replied.

"As you wish."

"It's an honor for you to choose our museum for your exhibit on Ancient Egypt." another man said as he walked up. "And since you warned us about the possibility of thieves, we've taken extra precautions to keep your artifacts safe."

"Thank you."

With that said, the two men began to lead Ishizu to a limo parked nearby.

(three days later...)

Meanwhile, Sodor High School was closed down for a few weeks so repairs could go in peace ever since the big fire there (thanks to Diesel 10's failed takeover), and the students all had some time of as a result. In the park, the Tidmouth Teens (joined by Mavis, Stanley, and Rosie) were all talking to the five adopted children of Discord.

"So those motorcycles you guys ride are called Duel Runners?" asked Emily.

"That's right." said James R.. "They're pretty revolutionary. You can ride them while playing Duel Monsters."

"But isn't that a little dangerous?" asked Mavis.

"It is." Matt nodded. "But once you get LOTS of practice in, you'll find that it isn't as dangerous as it looks. It can even be rather fun."

"Care to give a demonstration, Carlie?" Michael asked, grinning.

"Sure."

Carlie put her helmet on and got onto her Duel Runner, starting it up.

"So, who will be my opponent?" she asked.

"I'll take you on." James R. volunteered, putting his helmet on.

A few minutes later, the two Duel Runners finally took off around the park. The other teenagers all watched and commented on the impending duel.

"Who do you think will win?" Thomas asked.

"I vote Carlie!" James blurted out, grinning.

"Figures." said Gordon deadpanly.

"I take it James has a thing for girls?" said Zack, looking a bit amused.

"A little bit." Percy nodded.

Meanwhile, the duel between James R. (LP: 4000) and Carlie (LP: 4000) had began.

"Let's duel!" They both shouted at once.

The two Duel Runners moved on the pavement at an even speed.

"I'll take the first turn!" Carlie declared.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Carlie Crawford (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Witch of the Black Rose, Closed Plant Gate, Ground Capture, Monster Reincarnation, and Star Siphon

* * *

"For my opening move-" She placed a monster onto a monster field slot on her Duel Runner. "I summon Witch of the Black Rose in attack mode!"

Appearing before them was a small witch with purple hair dressed in black (Level: 4/ATK: 1700 /DEF: 1200).

"Now my Witch's effect activates. Whenever it is summoned normally, I draw a card from my deck. If it's a monster card, then my monster stays. Otherwise, it is destroyed!"

Carlie drew her card. It was shown to be a monster card called Poison Ivy Knight(!). Smiling, the brown-haired girl looked up.

"And I did draw a monster card." she admitted. "Now I'll use it's effect to special summon it in defense mode."

"That effect is similar to my Watapon." Thomas gasped.

Appearing beside Witch of the Black Rose was a purple-skinned male monster wearing ivy-like clothing and wielding a lance and shield (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 900).

James R. smiled. "Go for it, Carlie. I'm ready for it."

"Right!" said Carlie. "I tune my Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose with my Level 3 Poison Ivy Knight!"

"WHAT?!" cried the Tidmouth Teens.

"Can she really do that?!" Mavis asked in shock.

"Looks like we're about to find out." Stanley stated.

Witch of the Black Rose suddenly turned into four large rings and hovered over Poison Ivy Knight as it also turned into three white stars.

"With the tuning complete." Carlie said, selecting a card from the extra deck on her Duel Runner and holding out it out. "I synchro summon the Black Rose Dragon!"

"Synchro what?" Thomas gasped.

"It's one of the newest summoning technique." explained Matt.

"When our adopted father was creating the game, he added a new summoning technique that only true masters of the game could hope to achieve." Zack added.

"Now watch." Michael threw in. "You're gonna love this show."

The green rings became a large beam of light. Out of the beam came a huge red dragon with wings made from rose petals (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800).

"Behold the Black Rose Dragon!" Carlie cried out. "My deck's ace!"

"Wow..." breathed the Sodor High School teenagers.

"See? What did we tell you?" Matt grinned.

"You've managed to get your deck's ace monster out." James R. said, smiling at the sight. "But that won't be enough to beat me!"

"We'll see." assured Carlie, sliding a card from her hand into a Spell/Trap slot. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

A card materialized facedown next to the brown-haired girl's moving Duel Runner before vanishing.

"My turn!" announced James R., drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : James R. Crawford (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Black Feather Degrade(!), Blackwing - Bora the Spear, Feather Degrade, Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer, Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn, and Black-Winged Strafe

* * *

Taking a quick look at his hand, James R. quickly got an idea on what he could do to help even the odds.

"Since you control a monster and I don't." said James R, holding his card up and placing it onto a monster field slot. "I can special summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn!"

A humanoid birdman with two large brown wings appeared and soared around (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 900).

"What good will that do?" Rosie asked. "His monster only has 2000 attack points."

"Don't count James out just yet." Michael advised. "He isn't one of the greatest duelists out there for nothing you know."

"Now I'll also special summon Blackwing - Bora the Spear!" said James R., placing another card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Runner. "Since I control another monster with Blackwing in its name, I can special summon this monster from my hand!"

Another humanoid birdman appeared...but this one carried a large lance as a weapon (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 800).

"Next I'll tribute my newly summoned monster." James R. continued. "So I can call upon my level six tuner monster, Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer!"

Bora disappeared in a multicolored light and in its place was yet another humanoid birdman. This one had a dagger coming out of one of its wings (Level: 6/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1600).

"Now I'll activate the Equip Spell card Black Feather Degrade!" James R. slotted a card into his Duel Runner. "Using this card, I'll select my Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer as the target. Its star level will be reduced by half so long as it is equipped with this Spell card!"

Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer had its level reduced by half (Level: 6 - 3).

"And I bet you know what will happen now, right?" James R. asked, smiling cheekily.

"I do." sighed Carlie.

"Like you did with your monsters, I tune my now Level 3 Blackwing - Kogarashi the Wanderer with my Level 5 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn!"

Kogarashi turned into 3 green synchro rings and binded with Sirocco, turning it into 5 white stars. James R. then recited a small summon chant.

"Now by the power of a Synchro Summoning, these two Blackwings will beat as one! Soar to power, Black-Winged Dragon!"

Appearing in a huge green light was a mighty black dragon. It's mouth looked like a bird's beak, its wings had white feathers, and three lone feathers came behind it (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1600).

"Let's kick this little show into overdrive!" announced James R..

* * *

 **Title: Legend of the Gods**

* * *

At Boxford Corp, all was going well for everyone there. Inside the building, the 18-year old Spencer Gresley, cousin of Gordon Gresley, was busy typing away on his laptop.

Spencer had short silver hair and wore a long white sleeveless designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with a black shirt, with the sleeves coming out from under the coat, and black jean-pants. He also had extra belts in pairs strapped around his upper arms and shins.

"Things have been going well lately." Spencer said quietly. "Work on the virtual world game is progressing on time and should be finished by the end of the month."

However, there was still one thing he couldn't get off his mind; and that was Thomas Billinton. While he did make peace with Thomas and his friends earlier, he still wanted to defeat Thomas and reclaim his former glory.

"There has to be a way to defeat Billinton." Spencer thought to himself. "But how?"

It was then there was a knock on his office door.

"Yes?"

The door opened, and there was the newly adopted Skiff, a former member of the late Sailor John's pirate band as well as his formerly adopted son.

"Hi, Spencer!" he greeted.

"Oh, what do you want, Skiff?" Spencer asked, not taking his eyes of his work.

"There's something on TV about an Ancient Egypt Exhibit at the Museum." said Skiff. "Did you want to check it out tomorrow?"

Spencer only laughed harshly. "Don't make me laugh!" he replied coldly. "Why would I waste my time checking out junk from a long time ago?"

"Never mind." sighed Skiff in disappointment. "I just thought it would be something fun."

Just then, the telephone rang.

"This is Spencer Gresley." said Spencer, answering it. "Who is it? I'm a busy person."

"Do you wish to see a Duel Monsters card even stronger than Exodia?" spoke a voice from the other line.

"Stronger than Exodia?" asked Spencer curiously.

"Who is it, Spencer?" quizzed Skiff, walking over over. "Who-"

Spencer held his right hand up, and the younger boy halted his movement.

"Tell who you are." The silver-haired boy demanded. "If this is just a prank call, then I will make you regret it!"

"This is no prank call." said the voice calmly. "I also hear that you are not interested in coming to the new Ancient Egypt Exhibit."

"Huh?!" Spencer was shocked. "But how did-?"

"How did I know about you not wanting to go?" asked the voice. "Why don't you come to the exhibit tonight and I'll explain everything."

"Wait! Who the h-" Spencer started to say, but didn't finish his sentence before the person hung up on him. Angrily, he slammed the phone down. "Argh!"

"What was that all about, Spencer?" asked Skiff.

"It was probably a prank call." grumbled Spencer. "But just in case, I think I'll go down to that Exhibit tonight."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Skiff asked.

"Whatever." Spencer replied. "But we won't be there for long though."

"Okay, Spencer."

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, somewhere in another part of town, Ishizu, after hanging the phone up, was speaking to one of the men who accompanied her to the museum.

"Is he coming?" he asked.

"He's sure to come." said another man, who walked over. "With the mention of a powerful card, how can he pass it up?"

"He will come no matter what." Ishizu replied, her necklace glowing all gold. "I have foreseen it all."

"Did your Millennium Necklace predict it?" asked one man.

"More so than that." Ishizu replied, her eyes closed.

With that said, the woman brought a card up in her left hand.

"This is what he will want."

On the card was pictured a large, powerful blue creature. Its name read Obelisk the Tormentor, with 4000 attack and defense points. And unlike other monster cards that were either yellow or orange, this card was blue...but NOT a ritual monster.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the park, the duel between James R. and Carlie was coming to a close. Why? Because a very much powered up Black-Winged Dragon had just unleashed its attack and destroyed Black Rose Dragon in one blast.

"And that's game!" James R. called proudly.

The blast then struck Carlie, causing her to scream as her life points dropped to zero and her Duel Runner went out of control before finally stopping (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Crawford wins!**

* * *

"CARLIE!" exclaimed Thomas and Emily, both running forth.

"Are you alright?" asked Thomas.

Carlie only removed her helmet and smiled like she wasn't in any danger or something.

"I'm perfectly fine." she said, but then grew a smidge disappointed. "Though I am a bit down that I lost."

"You did your best." said James R., walking over after stopping and getting off of his Duel Runner "Good game."

"Wow." James commented. "You guys really are some of the greatest duelists out there."

"Thanks." Carlie smiled, looking over to the red-haired boy. "And just how good are you?"

"I'm pretty good myself." said James proudly.

"Oh?" Michael grinned. "Do you wanna prove that?"

"Is that a challenge?" asked James cockily.

"You bet!" Michael stated, activating his Duel Disk.

"I guess I'll have to accept it then!" James replied, activating his own Duel Disk.

"Heh, this will be a piece of cake!" Michael declared.

"Your James doesn't know what he's getting himself into." said Zack, sounding very blunt.

"Come on, give him a chance." Henry suggested.

"Out of the five of us, Michael is the best." Matt added to that. "He and I are actually equal in skill."

"Our James was able to tie with me." said Percy.

"Well, I'd suggest we watch and see what happens." Carlie suggested.

"Good idea." Mavis agreed.

The two boys drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

(elsewhere...)

A while later, a limo was driving down the highway towards downtown Knapford. Inside was Spencer and Skiff, and the former was doing some serious thinking.

"If there actually is a card more powerful than Exodia." he thought. "Then perhaps I can use it to defeat Billinton." The silver-haired boy then smiled to himself. "Sure we're on better terms now, but that doesn't mean I still want to defeat him and reclaim my former title."

"Hey, Spencer." came the voice of Skiff.

"Yes?" asked Spencer.

"We're here." said Skiff, pointing at the museum up ahead.

He was right. The limo had just pulled into the parking lot outside the museum. Once the limo stopped, Spencer gave instructions to the driver.

"Keep the limo running, we won't be very long."

"Yes sir." obeyed the driver.

Spencer and Skiff both got out of the limo and walked inside the museum. Inside, there were lots of people looking around the artifacts and relics of the past...but sadly Spencer wasn't so interested in it.

"That person had better not have tricked me." he muttered.

Just then, there was a new voice calling out to him in a calm, soothing tone.

"You are Spencer Gresley, correct?"

Spencer looked up, turned around, and saw Ishizu.

"Yes." The silver-haired boy said firmly. "I am."

"I am Ishizu." The woman introduced herself. "And I have invited you here to discuss a few things."

"More like force me." retorted Spencer. "Listen, you said to me over the phone that you know of a card that is even stronger than Exodia. I demand to see it now!"

"In due time." Ishizu replied calmly, turning around. "Now come with me."

Ishizu led the two boys down a flight of stairs.

"The Bureau of Archaeology was formed in 1857 to protect important artifacts from tomb robbers." explained Ishizu. "Currently, I am the director of it."

"Wow," said Skiff. "I never knew there was a Bureau for Archaeology."

"Tell me, Spencer." Ishizu began. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Destiny?!" Spencer spat. "Why would I believe in something so corny?"

"Because you, Skiff and I were destined to meet here tonight."

"That's enough!" snapped Spencer. "Skiff, I want you to go wait outside. I'd like to have a talk with Ishizu here."

"But, Spencer-" Skiff started to say.

"I'd suggest keeping your brother around, Spencer." Ishizu required.

"Look, so far you've been wasting my time." Spencer replied angrily. "So, unless you want the weight of my company brought down upon you, you'll tell me what you're really up to!"

"Very well." said Ishizu calmly. "In case you didn't already know, Duel Monsters was based on a 3000-year-old Egyptian game, played by the ancients for power. After a trip to Egypt, Discord Crawford discovered this game and decided to reinvent it for modern times."

At last, they came to the bottom of the stairs. A Keep Out sign was used to block the way.

"This is where my most precious artifacts are kept." Ishizu pointed out, moving the sign so Spencer and Skiff could follow her. She stopped them in front of a pair of stone carvings. "Behold! These stone tablets depict the earliest known game played in Egypt—the origin of Duel Monsters."

Spencer and Skiff both took a took and gasped.

"Oh, wow!" breathed Skiff.

"It can't be!" came from Spencer.

The carvings on the stone looked like Duel Monsters cards. Ishizu's story was true!

"The ancients believed that natural disasters, war and suffering were caused by demons of the heart." said Ishizu. "The Pharaoh had his sorcerers carve the demons onto stone tablets and sealed them away."

"You must be joking." Spencer replied, shaking his head in denial. "This can't be true!"

"I don't know, Spencer." Skiff stated. "It sounds very true to me."

"If you don't believe my words, Spencer." said Ishizu. "Then I would suggest that you take a good look at the carvings up close."

Try as he could, Spencer could not deny what he was seeing.

"Take a look at the second carving." continued Ishizu, gesturing to the second carving. "This is the reason I've called you here. This carving depicts the Pharaoh and his greatest opponent. Perhaps this might give you inspiration, as it did Discord."

Spencer looked at the second carving and gasped when he saw that the Pharaoh looked incredibly familiar.

"Great balls of fire!" he cried. His eyes became bloodshot. "That's Thomas Billinton!"

"What?!" Skiff gawked, also taking a closer look. "It is Thomas! -but, who's that above him?"

"The Dark Magician." answered Ishizu.

"This is unbelievable." Spencer exclaimed. "Thomas being related to a Pharaoh?"

"The Pharaoh's opponent in this carving was a priest." said Ishizu, gesturing to the other side of the carving. "That priest was you, Spencer Gresley."

Another look of shock appeared on Spencer's face. Sure enough, the other person in the carving was someone who looked exactly like him.

"Again, if you don't trust my words, take a look at the monster the priest used." Ishizu continued. "It's the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"This is incredible!" cried Skiff.

"When all seven Millennium Items are brought together." said Ishizu. "Something unimaginable will happen. But nobody knows what. The important thing is that the battle between the Pharaoh and the priest continues."

"This is all so stupid." whispered Spencer in disgust, before turning around. "I've wasted enough time here. Come along, Skiff."

"So, you do not believe my words, still?" Ishizu questioned.

"Listen, lady, you can tell me about that junk as much as you want, but I make my own future." Spencer huffed. "And that future-"

"-is to create a theme park. Especially for orphans." Ishizu finished, cutting the silver-haired boy off.

"How did you know about the theme park project?" demanded Spencer, turning back around.

Ishizu decided to show the two boys her Millennium Item, removing it from her neck and holding it out.

"Take a look at this artifact." she said. "This will show you everything."

"Is that another Millennium Item?" asked Skiff.

"Yes." nodded Ishizu. "Just as Discord - and then Sailor John possessed the Millennium Eye, I possess the Millennium Necklace."

"The Millennium Necklace?" quizzed Skiff. "What's that do?"

"It allows me to predict the future." explained Ishizu. "I can also use it to show you and your brother the ancient past."

With that, the Millennium Necklace began to glow. Spencer and Skiff both screamed before everything faded to white.

(new area...)

Ishizu, Spencer, and Skiff all found themselves inside a pyramid from 3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt.

"Where are we?" asked Skiff.

"This is the Pharaoh's palace from long ago." explained Ishizu.

"This is all an illusion, I just know it!" Spencer rebuffed.

"Continue to watch." advised Ishizu, just as a servant of the Pharaoh ran by.

"Where's he going?" asked Skiff.

"Just watch carefully."

The servant ran up the steps towards the Pharaoh, but was intercepted by two guards.

"Please, I bring urgent news!" said the servant.

"Let him speak." commanded the Pharaoh.

The guards obeyed and lowered their weapons and allowed the servant to approach the Pharaoh.

"Now, what is going on?"

"There's been a rebellion!" The servant said. "One of your priests-"

He didn't finish before a loud yell echoed the throne room.

"Guards!" commanded the Pharaoh.

Without any more warning, the guards raced towards the entrance of the room.

"I command that you to let me pass." said a familiar voice.

Ishizu looked to Spencer knowingly. "That voice sounds familiar, doesn't it, Spencer?"

"Yes..." he whispered.

"Stand back, traitor!" ordered one guard.

This was a big mistake. Both guards went flying back by an unknown force as the owner of the voice entered the room.

Spencer gawked. "That's me!"

"Now do you fully believe what I'm telling you?" Ishizu asked.

The silver-haired boy was too shocked to answer. Down below, the priest approached the tall, staircase throne.

"Pharaoh!" shouted the priest. "I challenge you for the throne!"

"I accept your challenge, traitor!" said the Pharaoh, getting up from his throne.

But before the Pharaoh could walk down the stairs, down below, several guards assembled at the bottom.

"We will handle him, my lord!" called a guard.

"We will show him the power of our spirit monsters!" came another guard.

"I cannot risk you all getting hurt." said the Pharaoh. He seemed to care more for the well-being of his subjects than his own well-being.

"Nor can we risk losing our king." said a guard.

"I am warning you all!" sneered the priest, raising a scepter that seemed to resemble the one that mysterious teenage boy used on Diesel 10. "Step aside or suffer the consequences!"

"We will stop you!" said a guard firmly, stepping forth with an item of his own.

"Very well." said the priest. "But don't say I didn't warn you." He then raised his rod forth and aimed at the guard. "May the Sun God Ra defend me and to punish the evil that stands in my way!"

"I won't let you win!" said the guard, aiming his item (which was a key of a sort).

A few minutes later, the priest withdrew his item.

"Apparently, this battle cannot be decided by mere magic." he said. "So let our spirit guardians decide the outcome!"

"Agreed!" The guard nodded, and held his hand out. "Arise stone tablets!"

"Arise stone tablets!" added the priest, holding his empty hand out.

Two large stone tablets rose up from the ground and glowed white. One had the picture of a familiar dragon called 'Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1', and another of a Minotaur monster called 'Battle Ox'.

"Emerge now, Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" called the guard.

"Emerge, my servant!" called the priest. "Battle Ox!"

Once the glowing had stopped, the two monsters appeared out of their tablets; A large blue dragon and a Minotaur in red and gold armor wielding a large battle axe.

"Attack!" called the guard. "Fireball attack!"

The Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress obeyed, firing off a ball of fire. The priest merely smirked.

"Pathetic." he said, and then called out to his monster. "Slice through that fireball, Battle Ox!"

Battle Ox obeyed, slashing his axe through the fireball, and then the blue dragon, destroying it. The guard collapsed to his knees in agonizing pain.

"It...can't..." he gagged, before falling onto his front, dead.

The priest laughed maniacally. "Did you see that, Pharaoh?" he called. "This is exactly what will happen to you!"

The Pharaoh watched with a serious look on his face. Up above, Ishizu's Millennium Necklace started glowing.

"I think it's time to return." she said.

A white glow enveloped the three humans and returned them to the present.

(new area...)

"But what happened next?" asked Skiff. "Who ended up winning the duel?"

"That will be tale for another day." Ishizu stated.

Spencer was looking very quiet.

"I..." he muttered. "...believe you now."

"Thank you." said Ishizu. "Now take a look at the carvings at the top of the stone."

The two boys obeyed and did so, as the woman continued to explain.

"According to legends-" she began. "-there were three spirits that protected the people of Egypt. They are known as the Egyptian Gods."

One carving showed a huge, muscular creature.

"Obelisk the Tormentor."

The second showed a large serpent-like dragon with two mouths.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon."

And the third was a dragon too, but it looked like it had a more birdlike face.

"And The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Wow..." gasped Skiff.

"And now, I have something to give you." Ishizu continued, holding up a card. "One that I think you might like."

Spencer nodded and took the card. Once he saw what it was, he was shocked once again.

"This is Obelisk the Tormentor!" he cried. "How did this become a card?"

"Discord created the game Duel Monsters." said Ishizu. "While doing so, he also made the Egyptian Gods into cards."

"But why didn't he ever use them?" asked Spencer.

"Discord feared their power and worried he wouldn't be able to control them." explained Ishizu. "Whoever holds these cards can become the ultimate duelist."

"I've heard of them." said Skiff. "Whoever welds all three can use their power for either good or evil. Any mishap could lead to someone's death."

"Discord gave the Egyptian Gods to me." Ishizu went on. "I had them hidden away, but two were stolen by the Rare Hunters."

"Who are the Rare Hunters?" asked Spencer.

"A group of elite duelists lead by a ruthless young man." said Ishizu, though her eyes could tell she was lying on the 'young man' bit. "They steal cards and sell them on the black market, making millions in the process. However, they also keep the best ones for themselves, allowing them to build unbeatable decks. They are also very cruel, for they could also possibly kill people if they wanted."

"They sound like the pirates lead by Sailor John." Skiff commented.

"We must get the Egyptian Gods back from them before they come for Obelisk as well."

"How do you suggest we do so?" asked Spencer.

"The Rare Hunters seek the rarest cards around." said Ishizu. "Perhaps if you were to host a big Duel Monsters tournament..."

"...I see." nodded Spencer. "The Rare Hunters would accept the bait, bringing the other two God cards with them."

"Not to mention it would attract duelists from all around the island." added Skiff.

"Even Thomas Billinton..."

"You may borrow Obelisk for the tournament." said Ishizu. "But I will expect it back."

"How do you know I'll return a powerful card like this?" asked Spencer smugly.

"Because I have complete trust in you."

After giving it a few minutes, Spencer turned around.

"Very well." he said. "I'll have Boxford Corp start funding for the tournament right away, and I'll contact Discord to have him arrange for a few rule changes and card playing limitations."

With that, Spencer and Skiff both walked away.

"We will meet again, Spencer Gresley." Ishizu thought to herself. "I predict it."

Her Millennium Necklace grew brightly.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the park, James was sulking.

"I can't believe I lost so easily." he grumbled.

"I warned you." said Matt. "Michael is one of the best out of all of us.

"Although I will admit your summon of Elemental Hero Magma Neos was pretty cool." said Carlie sweetly. "Just like you."

"Oh, gee, thanks." James rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Oh brother..." said Emily, face-palming. "Next he'll be flirting with Molly Russell or even Daisy Cammell."

But if only Carlie stopped there...

"Of course, I admire boys who use synchro summoning techniques far more though." she added in a teasing tone.

James instantly fell down, anime style.

"Is he dead?" asked Michael.

"I think it's what someone does in an anime when something comical or annoying happens to them." Percy replied.

"Say what?" Matt blinked.

"We'll explain it after some food." said Gordon. "Anybody up for some Fish and Chips or some Bangers and Mash?

"None for me." said Henry. "I'm a vegetarian, remember?"

"I've got a better idea." James R. spoke up. "I know of a great place to eat."

"What is it?" asked Mavis.

"It's near your school. And it's a restaurant that makes good meat foods, as well as good vegetables."

"Sweet deal." said James, waking back up. "Let's go."

(elsewhere...)

Back with Spencer's limo, it had pulled onto the highway. Inside, Spencer and Skiff were both looking at the Obelisk card the former was given.

"It looks powerful." commented Skiff. "But likely very difficult to summon."

"Unless you had the right strategy to pull it off." said Spencer.

"I still can't believe you and Thomas had Egyptian ancestors that did battle." added Skiff.

"Neither can I." Spencer agreed. "And it looks as though history is going to repeat itself."

"How so?" Skiff quizzed.

"I wish I could answer that, Skiff. I wish I could answer that."

The limo then drove off. It looks like we have a big tournament on our hands soon.


	6. The Egyptian Field Trip

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It was now early June, and Sodor High School had finally been finished with the repairs, meaning that classes were back and such. -however, there was also some very good news. What's the news? The annual school field trip to the history museum was underway.

Inside Thomas's room at the Billinton residence the night before the big field trip tomorrow, Thomas was talking to one of his friends (Percy) on the phone.

"I can't wait for the field trip to the museum." said the blue-haired boy. "I've heard there's this new Egypt Exhibit."

"Knowing Edward, he'll likely be the most excited for it." Percy said on the other line.

"You're not kidding." agreed Thomas. "That guy loves anything with history or knowledge."

"Considering once he finishes school, he'll be wanting to take a job at the museum." Percy went on. "Just to make enough money to go to study in Egypt for a year."

"Yeah."

"Well, I gotta get going." said Percy finally. "We're having Chicken and Macaroni for dinner tonight."

"Alright, Percy. See you tomorrow." Thomas concluded,

With that, he hung up and decided to get started on his homework.

"Boy, tomorrow sure is going to be great." Thomas thought. "I wonder what we'll be seeing at the exhibit?" Then he remembered the Millennium Eye and Duck's Millennium Ring. "Perhaps we'll get some more information on those Millennium Items. Hopefully before someone else tries to hurt us again."

Here's hoping that Thomas can get some answers.

* * *

 **Title: The Egyptian Field Trip**

* * *

Inside the Sterling residence, Emily and Mavis were both inside Emily's room watching TV and enjoying a pizza that Mrs. Sterling ordered for them.

"Tomorrow's the big field trip." Mavis said, taking a slice from the opened box.

"I can't wait." smiled Emily. "It's sure to be fun."

Mavis chuckled. "I've heard Edward is the most excited for the trip."

"That boy would be excited for anything to do with history."

"Too bad Gordon and James aren't excited." Mavis continued.

"They were hoping the field trip was to the opening of Knapford's new waterpark." Emily stated, before getting a deadpan look on her face. "Just to see us girls in our swimsuits."

"Ha! I guess they can't resist how pretty we girls are." teased Mavis.

"I'll eat to that."

The two best friends both shared a laugh to that remark Mavis made as they went and continued to eat their pizza.

(Friday...)

The next day, Thomas, Percy, and Edward were each walking to school together.

"Boy, I can't believe we're going to the museum today!" said Edward happily.

"Easy there, Edward." Percy warned. "Don't get over excited."

"Sorry, Percy." sighed Edward, yet still remained smiling. "I'm just so happy we're going to the museum for the field trip. I've been wanting to go there for quite a while now."

"We know." Thomas nodded. "Especially since you want to check out that new Egypt Exhibit too."

"Oh, who knows what it will have to offer?" asked Edward hopefully.

"We'll find out when we get there." Percy answered.

"The big question is why Gordon and James were both grumbling about the field trip." Edward suddenly stated. "Weren't they excited to hear of it?"

"They hated the idea of going to the museum." Thomas pointed out.

"But why?"

"They thought we'd all be going to the new waterpark at Knapford." explained Percy. "Probably so they can see the girls in their swimsuits."

"I just don't know what to do with those two." sighed Edward.

"Considering they saw Emily, Mavis, and Lady in their swimsuits when we were at the beach in San Francisco. I don't know either."

At last, the three boys arrived at the school.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Tidmouth classroom, Thomas and the other students were all busy talking about the field trip.

"It's sure to be fun!" said Duck.

"Do you think there might be a food stand there?" asked Henry.

"No doubt." replied Toby.

"What time do we leave?" came from Oliver.

Yup, all of the class was excited for the big field trip...well, almost everyone. The only ones who weren't talking positively about it was both Gordon and James.

"This is so unfair." The tall, blue-haired boy whined. "Why choose a boring old museum instead of a new, grand waterpark?"

"Yeah." agreed James. "A waterpark would be so much more fun."

"Oh, come on, you two." Edward spoke up. "A museum could potentially teach you something new."

"Right." said Gordon, rolling his eyes. "That's what we have school for, though."

"Maybe Molly and me can share the same bus seat." James whispered quietly.

"Who?"

"Molly Russell." explained James, before looking over to Emily. "You remember her, don't you, Emily?"

"Oh yeah." said the dark green-haired girl, nodding thoughtfully. "She was that shy girl who seemed to resemble me a bit."

"Say..." Percy suddenly spoke up. "Didn't you used to pick on Molly when you were in your bossy phase those few years ago?"

Emily now felt a wave of guilt and shame wash over her. Yes, she did used to pick on Molly a few years ago... before Thomas had managed to save her from herself. Thomas, on the other hand, was now a little upset with his best friend for bringing that bit of info up.

"Did you really have to go and remind Emily of her bossy phase?" The blue-haired boy asked crossly.

"Sorry." said Percy quickly, feeling guilty. "That was a slip of the tongue."

"I'm just happy Molly was nice enough to forgive me when I was finally saved from myself." Emily said quietly, now looking like she was about to cry. "Otherwise, I don't know what I would've-"

Thomas responded to that by putting a comforting hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Easy, Emily." he said kindly. "Those days are all over now."

The dark green-haired girl felt much better. Just then, Mr. C. walked into the classroom with good news.

"Today we will be going on our field trip to the museum." The teacher said happily. "I want everybody on their best behaviors."

"Yes, Mr. C.." said the class at once (except Gordon and James).

"Gordon and James?" Mr. C. then looked at the two grumpy boys in the classroom. "Cheer up, it's field trip day! You should both be excited."

"We'd be more excited if it was to that new waterpark instead of some boring old museum." huffed James.

"Now, now." interrupted Mr. C., now looking and sounding a bit firm. "Do you know how expensive that would be? You should be very lucky that the museum director was nice enough to halve the cost to allow the three chosen classes to visit."

"Indeed." agreed Edward.

"You're right." sighed Gordon. "We should be lucky."

"Even though we won't like it." James muttered.

"Good to hear." smiled Mr. C., ignoring what the red-haired boy had just said.

At that point, an announcement from Sir Topham Hatt was made on the PA.

" _Attention, will the classes going to the Knapford Museum please make their way outside to load the buses_?"

With that said, the students made their ways outside to load the buses.

(elsewhere...)

One of the classes going included both Mavis and Lady, much to Toby and Percy's joy respectively.

"You guys ready for the trip?" asked Lady.

"We sure are." said Percy happily.

A grumpy looking Gordon and James both walked by.

"Well, most of us." Toby remarked innocently.

"Whatever." muttered Gordon bitterly.

Toby, Mavis, Percy, and Lady all shared a quick laugh. James was also looking unhappy...until he saw someone nearby.

"Hello, who is that over there?" he wondered, looking hard, and gasped. "Is that-?"

The red-haired boy was looking over to a 15-year old girl, who had long black hair and was wearing a yellow shirt and yellow skirt. She also had a shy...yet kind look on her pretty face. Many people at the school say she looked strikingly similar to Emily.

"Molly Russell." James grinned.

The red-haired boy walked over to Molly and tried to strike up a conversation with her.

"Hey there." he said. There was clearly a flirting tone in his voice.

"Hello, James." said Molly kindly.

"Wanna sit on the bus with me?" The red-haired boy asked almost immediately.

Molly was about to answer when a voice called out to her.

"Come on, Molly! The bus is loading up."

Molly nodded and turned back over to James.

"I'm sorry, James, but Marion has called me over to the bus we're taking to the museum." she apologized. "Maybe another time?"

With that said, the black-haired girl walked away, leaving James behind in dismay.

"Oh, botheration!" The red-haird boy groaned to himself. "Turned down again."

From there, he got onto the bus his friends were on, and sat down next to Gordon.

"Any luck?" The tall, blue-haired boy asked.

"Nope." James sighed.

"Bummer."

Emily and Thomas (who were both sitting together) were talking about what to expect at the museum.

"What do you think we'll find at that exhibit?" asked Emily.

"Maybe more info on those Millennium Items." suggested Thomas.

"Do you really think so?"

"I don't know." The blue-haired boy shrugged. "But whatever the case, I'd like some answers to all of this."

"Me too." agreed Emily. "Like why we're always attracting the villains."

With that, the buses started and off they went to the museum.

(an hour later and elsewhere...)

It took little over an hour, but once the buses arrived at the museum, they started to get unloaded. A car had also pulled up near the buses. Coming out of it was Sir Topham Hatt.

"Ah, good." The principal said, getting out of his car. "Right on time."

"Hello, sir." greeted Thomas.

"I've left Mr. Percival in charge until we all get back." said Sir Topham Hatt. "Now, shall we all go inside?"

"Let us shall, sir." Percy nodded.

And thus, everyone went into the big building. Inside, the director was waiting when he saw the four Sodor High School classes, as well as the principal, walk up.

"Bertram!" called the director, walking over. "Nice to see you, again."

Sir Topham Hatt and the director shook hands.

"I trust all is well here?" asked Sir Topham Hatt.

"Very well." answered the director. "We are all very proud to have much of your students exploring the museum today. We also have just opened a new exhibit too."

"As we heard." said Sir Topham Hatt pleasantly. Then he turned to his students. "Please be on your best behavior."

"Yes sir." Everyone else said at once.

"Welcome again." The director stated. "Now, before we begin exploring, does anyone have a question they'd like to ask?"

Mavis raised her hand.

"Yes, young lady?"

"What's in the new Egyptian Exhibit?" asked Mavis.

"Lots of artifacts from back in time." explained the director. "But the best person to ask would be Ms. Ishizu Ishtar."

"Who's Ishizu?" asked Henry.

"Is she a real hottie?!" James blurted out.

"Oh brother." muttered Emily.

There were a few chuckles in the area, while the director had a look of annoyance on his face. Sir Topham Hatt knew this and got his students' attention by clearing his throat.

"Excuse me?"

The chuckling stopped as the students looked at the principal, remembering what he had said to them before entering.

"Now then... Ms. Ishizu is from Egypt." The director explained. "She could probably tell you a bit more on what she does here."

There were some murmurs amongst some of the students.

"Now, does anyone else have a question?" The director soon saw Thomas raise a hand. "Yes?"

"There's no chance for a hostage situation, is there?" asked Thomas, recounting the Diesel 10 incident.

"I assure you, lad, that we've made absolute sure that no criminal would ever break in here." reassured the director. "Ms. Ishizu also assured us that no one would dare try to break in or do something of the sort."

With that said, the students walked deeper into the museum. Nearby, Ishizu was standing by the Egypt Exhibit when her Millennium Necklace began to glow, catching her attention.

"So, he has arrived." she thought. "I must go and meet with him."

Meanwhile, the students were checking out many of the displays of the museum.

"Wow." Emily admired. "Is that something Cleopatra wore?"

She was gazing at the outfit and crown jewels that Cleopatra used to wear during her rein as Pharaoh.

"It appears so." answered Edward. "Also, the Egyptians used to worship cats."

"Cats?" Emily quizzed.

"This I'd like to hear." Thomas smiled.

Before Edward could say more, they were interrupted.

"Hey, guys!" called Percy. "Come and see this!"

Thomas, Emily, and Edward walked over to what Percy, Toby, and Mavis were standing.

"What's up?" asked Thomas.

"You might want to see this." said Toby, pointing at the stone carving that showed the Pharaoh's duel with the Priest.

"Goodness gracious!" cried Emily, as soon as she saw the look of the Pharaoh. "That guy looks like Thomas!"

"That's not all." Mavis added, pointing to the other side of the carving. "See the guy the Pharaoh is dueling?"

"That's Spencer!" exclaimed Thomas.

"I see you're enjoying the Egyptian Exhibit so far?" spoke a voice unfamiliar to the six teens.

The six turned around and saw Ishizu approaching them.

"Who are you?" asked Percy nervously.

"I am Ishizu." The woman stated. "The museum director told you and your fellow classmates about me, yes?"

"Yes, indeed." nodded Edward. "He said you were from Egypt and could teach what you do here."

"Correct." Ishizu confirmed, before looking down. "But you, Thomas Billinton, I've been expecting your arrival."

"HUH?!"

"You were?" gawked Percy.

"And how do you know his name?" added Toby.

"Are you psychic?" asked Mavis in surprise.

It was then Emily noticed the trinket around Ishizu's neck. "Maybe that has something to do with it."

The dark green-haired girl was referring to the Millennium Necklace.

"Cinders and Ashes..." whispered Thomas in shock. "Another Millennium Item."

"Indeed." confirmed Ishizu. "My Millennium Necklace allows me to see into the future and look into the past as well."

The six teenagers stared in wonderment.

"Then I guess you know what happened to the Millennium Eye then." The blue-haired boy stated. "And how-"

"-how Discord ended up with it." Ishizu finished.

Mavis gasped. "How do you know about Discord?"

"I met him earlier before you had the chance to." explained the Egyptian woman.

At that very moment, Gordon, James, and Henry each walked in.

"What are you guys doing?" asked Henry.

"The class is going deeper into the museum." Gordon added, before sulkingly adding... "A really boring museum might I add!"

"And who's the pretty lady?" James grinned, upon seeing Ishizu. "Hey there, what's your name?"

"Oh, James..." sighed Emily, while Mavis did a facepalm.

"There's just no telling them off." came from Percy, as Thomas nodded in annoyance.

Ishizu didn't seem bothered that James was hitting on her, and that Gordon had just called her exhibit boring.

"My name is Ishizu. " The Egyptian woman said calmly. "I apologize if the exhibit does not interest you."

"Oh, that's alright." replied James, smoothing back his hair. "How about you and me getting a milkshake after all this?"

That last statement finally caused Emily to pull out a large paper fan from out of nowhere and smack James upside the head with it. The red-haired boy collapsed onto his face with a large lump on the side of his head.

"You're only 15!" The dark green-haired girl snapped. "And Ishizu's an adult!"

While Thomas, Percy, Gordon, Henry, Toby, and Mavis all sweatdropped at this scene, Ishizu merely remained calm and stoic like she wasn't surprised or annoyed.

"Sorry about James." said Emily, turning to look at the Egyptian woman. "He's not too bright in the head sometimes."

"I quite understand, Emily." nodded Ishizu. "And considering the trouble he and Gordon put you through a few years ago, it served him right."

The dark green-haired girl gasped. "But how-?"

As Gordon and Henry both helped James up, the red-haired boy noticed the carving.

"Hey, that looks like Thomas and Spencer." he remarked. "Why are they carved in stone?"

Ishizu began to explain. "Because...those two are their ancestors from 3000 years ago."

"Ancestors?!" Thomas gasped. "You mean-?"

"Yes, Thomas." said the Egyptian woman. "You are the descendant of a brave Pharaoh who saved the world from the Shadow Games 3000 years ago."

"I - don't - believe - this!" Gordon said to himself as slowly as possible.

"But what about Spencer?" asked Toby. "What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Spencer's ancestor was an Egyptian priest who did battle with the Pharaoh for the throne at one point." explained Ishizu. "Nobody knows the outcome of that duel, unfortunately."

"Can't you use your Millennium Item to find out?" asked Edward.

"No." The Egyptian woman shook her head.

"Why not?" asked Emily, looking a little dismayed.

"Because the winner of the duel, along with the Pharaoh's name were erased from Egyptian history." explained Ishizu. "Therefore, I am unable to witness the winner of that battle."

Everyone couldn't believe that this was all too real.

"I've never known..." said Thomas quietly. "That I am the descendant of an Egyptian Pharaoh."

"And that my own cousin is the descendant of a priest." added Gordon. "Wait...does this mean I might have an ancestor, too?"

"Yes, Gordon." nodded Ishizu. "Even you have an Egyptian ancestor."

"Who was he?"

"If you want me to show you-" Ishizu began. "-then I will have to use my Millennium Necklace to take us back into time."

"Can you really do that?" Edward asked curiously.

"Yes." confirmed Ishizu, just as her Millennium Necklace began to glow all gold.

"I don't like the looks of this." James mumbled.

The nine teenagers all screamed as the whole place faded to white. Once the light faded, everyone was gone from the room.

(new area...)

When Thomas opened his eyes, he was shocked to find out where he was.

"Where am I?" The blue-haired boy asked aloud to no one in particular.

"Over here, Thomas!" called the voice of Edward.

Thomas found his friends and Ishizu standing nearby.

"What is this place?" asked Percy.

It looked like they were in Egypt almost 3000 years ago.

"This is...Ancient Egypt." breathed Edward.

Emily walked towards a palm tree and tried to touch it...only to find her hand pass right through it.

"Whoa!" she cried out in surprise, pulling her hand back.

"These are merely shadows of the past." explained Ishizu.

Just then, there were some familiar voices.

"Atem!" called a voice that strikingly resembled Percy's.

"Jono!" came a voice the resembled Thomas's. "Glad you could make it!"

"Jono! Atem!" came a voice that resembled Emily's.

"Hey, Anzu!"

The teens all looked over in the direction of the voices.

"Are those us?" Thomas, Percy, and Emily each exclaimed at once.

The first boy, Atem, resembled Thomas completely. Short blue hair and everything, but with tanned skin color. He wore royal clothing to show a difference. The other boy, Jono, resembled Percy completely. Short green hair and everything, but also with tanned skin color. He wore peasant clothing to show a difference. The girl, Anzu, resembled Emily completely. Long dark green (almost emerald) hair and everything, but also with tanned skin color like the two boys. She wore peasant clothing like the green-haired boy.

"Those are your ancestors." said Ishizu.

"But I thought the Pharaoh's name was erased from Egyptian history." questioned James.

"This is the past though." Edward reminded. "Meaning this takes place before the future happens." He looked to Ishizu. "And judging from how young those three are, I'm saying this happened way before whatever happened happened."

"Correct." nodded Ishizu.

Over with the three kids from the past...

"Atem, what do you think we should do today?" asked Anzu, staring into the blue-haired boy's eyes lovingly.

Atem blushed. While he would never admit it to anyone else, the prince did indeed have a crush on his dark green-haired peasant friend.

"Guess history really DOES repeat itself." chuckled Toby, as he looked over to both Thomas and Emily.

Suddenly, there was another faintly familiar voice.

"Hey, good-lookin'! Going my way?"

James face-faulted upon hearing the voice. "No... please tell me that's not-"

Oh, but it was; it was a young Egyptian James with tanned skin and wearing peasant clothing. Currently, he was trying to talk to (or flirt with) a few of the Egyptian girls walking by...without any success.

"Someone kill me, please!" James begged, with his face now as red as his hair.

Henry and Gordon both shared a laugh at their red-haired friend's misfortune. At that moment, Atem looked over by a nearby tree and saw another girl with wild brown hair, tanned skin, and peasant clothing jumping in the air, trying to grab at some fruit.

"Need some help, Mana?" he asked, walking over to her.

"Mana?" Thomas blinked. "Why does she look so familiar?"

"Doesn't she resemble your Dark Magician Girl monster?" Mavis asked curiously.

"Yes, she kinda does."

Atem, meanwhile, reached up and pulled a fruit down.

"Here you go." he said kindly, handing it to Mana.

"Thank you, Atem." giggled Mana, as she gave the young boy a hug.

The sight of this caused Anzu to growl and shoot the brown-haired girl a jealous glare, while Jono merely chuckled sheepishly.

"Once again, it's nice to see things haven't changed." Gordon snickered in amusement.

He was eyeing Emily, whom he knew would get jealous if any girl was hitting on Thomas. ...not that Emily knew about this right away.

"What?" she asked innocently, noticing all the stares she was getting. "What're you all staring at me for?"

The group of friends just chuckled.

"There you are." said a new voice, catching Atem's attention.

Two more Egyptian counterparts walked up. One of them was a boy who resembled Edward (but without the glasses), and the other was a girl who resembled Mavis (but had black hair with yellow streaks instead of pure blonde hair).

"Those two are me and Edward!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Hey, guys." greeted Atem.

"Ryu and I have been looking for you, brother." Mavis's counterpart scolded. "Our parents have been wondering where you've gone."

"Heh heh, sorry, Mia." apologized the blue-haired Egyptian boy sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I lost track of time."

Thomas and Mavis both looked at each other in shock.

"My ancestor was related to you?!" They both said to each other at once.

"Now that's what I call a twist." said Toby rhetorically.

Ishizu looked to Gordon and James.

"What are you both thinking now?" she asked. "Enjoying the tour so far?"

"Actually...yes I am." said Gordon, now smiling. "This is incredible."

"But if that was an ancestor for Dark Magician Girl-" James questioned, referring to Mana. "-then wasn't there one for the Dark Magician?"

Just then, an Egyptian teenager about the same height as Ryo, wearing priest clothing and sporting straight red-brown hair that fell past his shoulders came out of the bushes.

"My lord!" he called.

Atem, hearing the voice, looked over.

"What is it, Mahad?" he asked.

"Your grandfather, Shimon, is requiring your presence." Mahad stated, bowing in a polite way.

"That's why we came for him." Ryu pointed out.

"Alright." said Atem, nodding. "I'll go see him."

Just as Mahad was standing back up, he saw a snake come down from the tree branch above Atem.

"Watch out behind you!" cried Mahad, pushing the young boy out of the way and getting his arm bitten by the snake.

"Mahad!" cried Atem.

Mahad collapsed onto his left side, gripping his left arm in agonizing pain.

"MAHAD!" cried the younger kids, as well as Mana.

"Oh my gosh!" cried Emily, watching the scene in horror. "How awful!"

"How terrifying!" added Henry, looking pale.

"My prince - are you all right?" asked Mahad weakly.

"I'm fine." answered Atem, looking saddened. "But what about you?"

"I'll-" gasped Mahad, feeling the burning poison of the bite in his blood stream. "-be okay."

"We need to get you back to the palace!" Atem then turned to both Jono and Ryu. "Will you two help me?"

"He might not make it in time." protested Ryo.

Realizing this, and deciding to take matters into his own hands, Atem took Mahad's arm and sucked on the bite, drawing out the poison.

"No, my prince." winced Mahad. "The future Pharaoh needn't do this..."

"You were bitten by a snake, and I am getting the poison out!" insisted Atem. "If it were the other way around, you would do the same thing for me, and do you know why? Because we are friends."

"My lord..." The younger version of Mahad whispered, before the sting from the bite caused him to grimace.

The nine Egyptian teenagers watched this. While Thomas, Percy, Emily, Edward, Toby, Mavis, Henry, and Gordon were all amazed at this act of bravery, James merely turned away in disgust.

"Mush." he muttered.

The scene the faded away to black...before fading back in, this time in the throne room. There, Shimon, who resembled Sir Topham Hatt, stood before the kids.

"Whoa!" gasped Thomas.

"Is that Sir Topham Hatt?" asked Henry.

"That is his ancestor." explained Ishizu.

"Atem, I'm deeply displeased with you." scolded Shimon. "Don't you realize you could have killed yourself trying to help Mahad like that?"

"I am sorry, Grandfather." said Atem, looking down in shame. "But Mahad is my friend, and I did not want him to die."

"Atem..." whispered Anzu with concern.

"How is Mahad?" asked Mana. "Will my master to okay?"

"Mahad is doing well at the moment." answered Shimon. "A little rest and he will be right as rain."

"My liege." came another faintly familiar voice to Thomas and the others.

"Another familiar voice." commented James.

"This one will you find very...interesting." Ishizu informed.

"Who is it?" asked Percy.

"Watch and you'll see."

"Here he comes now." Gordon announced, but became shocked when saw who it was. "What the-?!"

There, coming out from the hallway, dressed in priest robes was...

"SPENCER?!" gasped the teens.

Atem smiled. "Cousin! What brings you here?"

"COUSIN?!" went both Thomas and Gordon.

"I've heard what happened to Mahad." Spencer's counterpart stated. "I've come to see if he's okay."

"Priest Seto, he will be fine." said Shimon. "But your concern is still greatly appreciated."

"Thank you, Grandfather." bowed Seto.

All of this realization became too much for Thomas, who started to feel faint.

"I don't feel too good." The blue-haired boy groaned.

"Thomas!" exclaimed Emily in concern, as she held onto her friend.

"Easy, man!" Percy added.

Mavis looked to Ishizu. "I think we're about ready to end this little tour."

"I agree." said Ishizu, just as the Millennium Necklace began to glow.

(new area...)

Everyone found themselves back in the Egyptian Exhibit.

"We're back!" Toby stated.

"Thank goodness." sighed James. "Time warping is quite bad for my health."

"Now then, did you kids learn anything from our trip?" Ishizu asked the teenagers.

"We sure did." smiled Toby.

"Aw, but I didn't get to see my own Egyptian Ancestor." pouted Gordon.

"Maybe we'll see him some other time." suggested Henry.

"What's the matter with Thomas?" asked Emily, looking to Thomas.

The blue-haired boy was looking pretty quiet...mainly because everything he saw today was...out of this world.

"Thomas?" Percy spoke.

That got Thomas's attention. "Huh?"

"Are you okay, man?" asked James.

"Oh, sure."

It was then Ishizu spoke to Thomas again...

"You were mostly shocked at what you have witnessed." she said calmly. "I do not blame you for feeling that way."

"If it makes you feel any better, I was just as shocked about you and Spencer being related." Gordon brought up. "No doubt he won't believe me when I tell him."

"Actually, he will." Ishizu pointed out.

The Sodor High School teenagers all looked at the young Egyptian woman.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Henry.

At that point, Ishizu decided to tell everyone about her meeting with Spencer and the upcoming tournament.

"So Spencer saw your visions, too?" asked Thomas. "And got inspired to throw a tournament?"

"Yes." Ishizu nodded. "And this is to lure a group called 'The Rare Hunters' out."

"Rare Hunters?" Emily blinked. "Who are they?"

"A group of duelists who steal rare cards and sell them on the black market."

"That's awful!" remarked Toby.

"They sound like the pirates we faced when we were in San Francisco." added James.

"Yes, I know." Ishizu muttered quietly, her eyes closed.

"We'd better enter that tournament and help stop those Rare Hunters." insisted Thomas.

"One problem; we don't even know when it will start." Gordon pointed out.

"Or if we'll even be invited." added Percy.

"Spencer will invite you." assured Ishizu. "I know he will."

Before anything more could be said, a voice called out to the teens.

"There you all are!"

It was Sir Topham Hatt and the rest of the classes.

"We've been looking everywhere for you." said Sir Topham Hatt. "It was like you all just disappeared."

"Oh, sir, you have no idea." James joked.

Sir Topham Hatt gave a sigh. "Well, come along. We're all heading to catch the buses."

The nine teens set off after their principal and classmates.

"Best - Field Trip - Ever!" came from James.

As everyone left the building for the buses, Ishizu watched from nearby.

"We'll meet again soon... my Pharaoh." The Egyptian woman thought to herself.

Her Millennium Item glowed in a response.


	7. Obelisk the Tormentor

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the middle of Knapford, the school buses were driving away from the museum and along the highway going back to Sodor High School after a big day. Inside one of the buses, the students from the Tidmouth classroom (but mainly Thomas and his pals) were all busy talking about the field trip.

"That field trip was so cool." said Percy happily.

"That Ishizu sure knows how to tell a story of the past." came from Gordon.

Thomas, however, seem conflicted with something. Likely from his encounter with Ishizu and his possible ancestry.

"Thomas?" blinked Emily, once again sitting beside her blue-haired friend. "What's wrong?"

"I'm the descendant of an Egyptian Pharaoh." Thomas muttered quietly.

"Again, we're just as shocked about it as you are." James pointed out.

"But there's another thing that's got me bugged."

The red-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "And that is-?"

"Ishizu's Millennium Necklace." Thomas stated. "First Discord, then Duck, and now Ishizu. How did she get it?"

"Nobody knows for sure." shrugged Emily. "It sure is a mystery."

"Well this mystery is giving me more and more unanswered questions." Thomas sighed sadly.

The dark green-haired girl put a hand on Thomas's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Thomas." she said kindly. "We'll find the answers to those questions together."

"Got that right." added Percy.

"All for one..." Toby began.

"...and all for one!" added James.

Thomas smiled slightly. "Thanks, everyone."

Yes, this would be a challenge they would face together.

* * *

 **Title: Obelisk the Tormentor**

* * *

Meanwhile, over at Boxford Corp on the other side of the city, the voice of Spencer could be heard.

"Is it finished yet?"

(elsewhere...)

Inside one of the chambers inside the building, Spencer was standing before a large computer of a sort. Nearby, an engineer was busy making some modifications.

"Just a few finishing touches and it'll be ready, Master Spencer." The engineer reported.

"Excellent." smirked Spencer, as he looked back at the card he had received from Ishizu. "The only way to be sure of this card's power is to test it."

A minute later, Skiff and Discord both walked into the chamber.

"Spencer-boy, we meet again." greeted Discord cheerfully.

"Of course." Spencer nodded in a neutral-like gesture. "You've agreed to my terms, right?"

"Yes. I've agreed to your terms."

With that said, the creator of Duel Monsters handed the silver-haired boy a list.

"These are the changes I've made to the card limitations for your tournament." explained Discord.

Spencer took the list and looked it over, smiling when he finished.

"Thank you." The silver-haired boy nodded once more.

Just then, the engineer called out... "It's ready!"

Spencer immediately walked over and handed the man something.

"Insert my deck into the machine."

The engineer nodded. "Yes, sir."

"What are you doing, big brother?" asked Skiff.

"Testing the power of my new Egyptian God card." answered Spencer. "And the best way to do so is against the power of my own deck."

"God card?" Discord blinked. "Whatever are you talking about?"

Spencer smirked. "You'll see."

"Wait a minute." Skiff spoke up. "You're giving your three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to the Duel Computer?"

"Yes." nodded Spencer. "It's the only way to see if this card can be strong enough to defeat Billinton."

The silver-haired boy, snapping his fingers, watched as a man wearing a business suit walked forth.

"Do you have my new deck?"

"Here it is, sir." The man confirmed, handing his master a newly constructed Duel Monsters deck. "We've spent the last seven hours preparing it."

"Very well." said the silver-haired boy, as he took the deck and added the card he had been looking at to it. "Ishizu said that this card is as powerful as, or even more powerful than, Exodia the Forbidden One. Now it's time to put that to the test! ...when I face off against my own three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

Three images of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared beside the Duel Computer and gave a fearsome roar.

"I hope Spencer knows what he's doing." Skiff remarked.

With that said, Spencer activated his Duel Disk and drew his opening hand (LP: 4000).

"Duel engaged." said the Duel Computer with a female voice (LP: 4000). "First move."

* * *

 **Turn One** : Duel Computer (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber Jar, Magic Jammer, Polymerization, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Ring of Defense

* * *

The computer chose a card from its hand and it suddenly appeared on a monster field slot facedown and sideways.

"Summon monster in defense mode."

A large sideways facedown card appeared.

"Turn over." concluded the Duel Computer. "Player's turn."

"As you wish!" Spencer yelled, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Polymerization, Battle Ox, Mystic Horseman, Heavy Storm, Dragon Seeker, and Rude Kaiser

* * *

His opening hand contained Polymerization, Battle Ox, Mystic Horseman, Heavy Storm, Dragon Seeker, and the added Rude Kaiser.

"For my turn-" The silver-haired boy held up three cards. "I'll play Polymerization and fuse my Battle Ox with Mystic Horseman!"

Appearing to the field was the large Battle Ox and a Centaur before fusing.

"I call forth Rabid Horseman!" Spencer shouted dramatically.

Once the fusion ended, there was the mighty Rabid Horseman. It was cross between Battle Ox and Mystic Horseman, with the upperbody of the former, and the lower-half of the latter (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

"Attack the facedown monster!"

Rabid Horseman obeyed, slicing its axe at the facedown monster.

"Reveal monster." said the Duel Computer. "Cyber Jar."

The facedown monster revealed itself to be Cyber Jar.

"Oh no!" cried Skiff. "Now Cyber Jar's effect will destroy Rabid Horseman!"

Skiff was right on the button; Cyber Jar shot out a beam that destroyed Rabid Horseman before shattering into pieces of glass itself.

"Now draw five cards." The Duel Computer suddenly had five more cards added to its hand. "Then special summon any level four or lower monsters drawn."

Suddenly, Blade Knight and X-Head Cannon both appeared in attack mode.

Spencer drew his own five cards. "I summon these five monsters!"

Giant Soldier of Stone, Z-Metal Tank, Gemini Elf, Slate Warrior, and Maha Valio all appeared in defense mode.

"My turn is over." Spencer declared.

"So far he's got himself a wall to protect him." commented Skiff. "But will it be enough?"

"Beginning turn." announced the Duel Computer, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Duel Computer (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (8): Magic Jammer, Polymerization, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Ring of Defense, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Lord of Dragons, Dragon's Rage, and Negate Attack

* * *

A card disappeared from its hand.

"Sacrifice both monsters..." The Duel Computer continued.

X-Head Cannon and Blade Knight disappeared into blue streaks.

"...now summoning Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Appearing in the two monsters' place was the mighty blue and white scaled dragon, which gave a mighty roar upon arrival (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"Now I'm in trouble." muttered Spencer.

Skiff was also worried.

"Blue-Eyes will attack Giant Soldier of Stone." commanded the Duel Computer.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and fired off a blast of White Lightning, destroying Giant Soldier of Stone in an instant.

"Since it was in defense mode-" said Spencer. "-I take no damage."

"Acknowledged." The Duel Computer replied. "Now placing three cards facedown."

Three facedown cards materialized behind Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seeing as there was nothing more the Duel Computer could do, its turn was over.

"My turn!" annouced Spencer, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Heavy Storm, Dragon Seeker, Rude Kaiser, and Monster Reborn

* * *

"First I'll tribute Slate Warrior, to summon Dragon Seeker in defense mode!"

Slate Warrior faded away in a blue streak, just as a fiend monster appeared in the tributed monster's place (Level: 6/DEF: 2100).

"On my next turn, I'll switch my monster to attack mode." Spencer thought to himself. "And when I do, I can destroy Blue-Eyes." He then held up another card. "Now I activate Heavy Storm!"

The Heavy Storm Spell card materialized face-up.

"Activate Counter Trap card!" announced the Duel Computer. "Magic Jammer!"

A large storm blew away the Duel Computer's facedowns, but one of the facedown's quickly activated itself.

"Discarding a card from hand." The Duel Computer stated, sending a card from its hand to the graveyard. "Spell card negated and destroyed."

Heavy Storm was destroyed, leaving the remaining facedown cards untouched.

"Blast!" cursed Spencer. "My turn is over."

"Drawing card." said the Duel Computer.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Duel Computer (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Polymerization, Ring of Defense, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Lord of Dragons, and Graceful Charity

* * *

"Spell card, Graceful Charity. Draw three cards and discard two."

Adding two Blue-Eyes White Dragons to its hand and sending Ring of Defense and Magical Trick Mirror to graveyard, the computer went on with its turn.

"Summon Lord of Dragons in defense mode."

Appearing was a caped man with a dragon-like armor (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1100).

"Oh no!" cried Skiff. "With Lord of Dragon's out, Spencer can't take down Blue-Eyes with card effects."

"Lord of Dragons prevents dragon-type monsters from being affected by the opponent's card effects." explained the Duel Computer.

"Damn!" scowled Spencer.

"Spell card, The Flute of Summoning Dragon." The Duel Computer continued some more. "Special summon two dragon-type monsters from hand when Lord of Dragons is on duelist's side of field."

"I know what monsters the computer wants to summon." commented Discord quietly.

"Summoning two Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

Appearing beside the first Blue-Eyes White Dragon was two more of it, both roaring loudly.

"Finally, Spell card, Polymerization." said the Duel Computer, just as the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. "Fusing three Blue-Eyes White Dragons into Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

The fusion of the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons ensured, and when it finished, there was the mighty three headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon itself (Level: 12/ATK: 4500/DEF: 3800).

"Spencer-boy sure did make his Duel Computer near unbeatable." Discord remarked innocently.

"Spencer..." said Skiff quietly.

"Ultimate Dragon will attack Gemini Elf." announced the Duel Computer.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon obeyed and fired off Neutron Blast.

"At least my life points will remain untouched." thought Spencer.

"Reveal Continuous Trap card." The Duel Computer broke his thoughts. "Dragon's Rage."

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Dragon's Rage?" Skiff quizzed. "Discord, what does that card do?"

"That allows a player's dragon-type monster to inflict piercing damage if they attack a monster in defense mode." explained Discord.

"And Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has 4500 attack points!" Skiff gasped, now knowing where this was going.

The twin Gemini Elves gave a shriek before getting destroyed by the Neutron Blast. Spencer, feeling the force and heat of the attack, shouted in pain from the huge damage he took (LP: 400).

"One more attack and he'll lose!" cried Skiff.

Spencer was panting from recovering from the attack! ...but rather than look up at the Ultimate Dragon in fear like someone else would, he merely...gave a smile of pure satisfaction.

"Beautiful." The silver-haired boy said in an admiring tone. "Just beautiful!"

"Has he lost his mind?" asked a technician.

"No." Discord replied. "I think...he's proud of his Blue-Eyes."

"Huh?"

Skiff was confused by what Discord had said. "Proud?"

"Mr. Crawford, would you care to explain by what you mean by that?" asked the technician.

"Spencer wants to test his skills against his most powerful monster." said Discord. "And he's proud that Blue-Eyes isn't holding back."

Skiff and the technician both looked back over to Spencer.

"So this is what it's like when Billinton faced my Ultimate Dragon?" Spencer asked himself.

The almighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon gave another mighty roar.

"Turn ending now." finished the Duel Computer.

Spencer stared at the Ultimate Dragon fearlessly. "If Billinton can beat my dragon, then so can I."

Discord sensed something about the silver-haired boy.

"Looks like Spencer-boy has a will to keep going." The creator of Duel Monsters said only to himself.

"My move!" announced Spencer, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 400)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Rude Kaiser, Monster Reborn, and Card of Demise

* * *

On cue, the Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up.

"First I'll activate Monster Reborn!" The silver-haired boy declared, holding his card out. "And using it, I'll revive my Gemini Elf!"

The twin elves returned.

"Next I'll play Card of Demise!" Spencer continued, as he slotted his card into his Duel Disk, causing it to materialize face-up. "This allows me to draw until I hold five cards in my hand."

He drew four cards. Smiling, Spencer then took another card from his hand.

"Now I activate Soul Exchange!" The silver-haired boy went on, holding his card out. "Now I can take control over a number of your own monsters!"

"Negative." replied the Duel Computer. "Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is not targetable thanks to Lord of Dragons."

"So I'll just settle for your Lord of Dragons then." Spencer smirked.

Lord of Dragons was forced over to Spencer's side of the field.

"Now I sacrifice three of my monsters in order to summon the Egyptian God monster - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Gemini Elf, Dragon Seeker, and Maha Valio instantly vanished. Suddenly, there was a lot of light and rumbling.

"What's going on?" asked the technician.

Within an explosion of light came a huge, blue, muscular monster, roaring loudly (Level : 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

Discord was shocked. "It...can't be."

"What in the world is that thing?!" cried the technician.

"I play Obelisk the Tormentor's special ability!" declared Spencer. "By sacrificing two monsters, I can give Obelisk infinite strength!"

The giant monster took hold of the remaining two monsters on Spencer's side of the field and crushed them into dust.

"Now my monster can storm the field and deal 4000 points of damage to your life points!"

The Duel Computer was going haywire over the calculations from the new monster.

"The machine's going berserk!" exclaimed a technician. "I've never read such powerful readings!"

"Obelisk!" called Spencer. "Attack with Fist of Fate!"

"Spencer!" shouted Discord. "Where in the name of heaven did you get that card?!"

Too late, Obelisk the Tormentor winded up and punched an energized fist forth.

"Quick-Play Spell card!" called the Duel Computer, despite sparking. "Negate Attack!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself... but Spencer kept a gleeful look on his face.

"That won't work!" he said sadistically. "I'm not actually attacking! My monster is merely using its effect to take out your monsters and life points. That means your card is useless!"

As Obelisk's attack continued, the Spell card was destroyed in the blast.

"Warning! Warning! Unable to compute action!" wailed the Duel Computer. "Warning! Warning!"

Obelisk the Tormentor's fist struck and shattered the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in an instant before creating a massive shockwave that went and struck the Duel Computer, causing it to spark some more before exploding as its life points dropped to zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS:Spencer Gresley wins!**

* * *

Discord, Skiff, and the technician all watched in complete silence and shock.

"It works!" laughed Spencer. "I am unstoppable!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Spencer! What on Earth is going on in there?!" came the voice of Spencer and Skiff's mother.

The door opened, and walking in was both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Mr. Gresley (Boxford) continued to speak. "There was a loud explo-"

Both parents froze in immense fear at what they saw.

"What in the name of Sodor is that?!" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), pointing at Obelisk.

Obelisk the Tormentor merely let out a booming roar before fading away.

"That's what I would like to know." Discord added, walking over.

"You really must thank Ishizu Ishtar." said Spencer smugly. "She was the one who gave me this card."

He then told everyone else in the chamber about the Rare Hunters.

"So then it is true." Discord whispered. "The other two God cards have been stolen."

"Were you really the one who made the Egyptian God cards?" asked Skiff.

"Yes." confirmed Discord, feeling ashamed. "I did."

"It matters not." Spencer interrupted. "With my test a success, the tournament will go ahead on schedule."

"Spencer, honey, do you really know what you're doing?" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) uneasily.

"Of course I do." insisted Spencer, sounding very confident. "When word gets around, those Rare Hunters would jump to the chance of getting more and more rare cards. And no doubt they'd bring the other two Egyptian God cards with them. Once I obtain them all, I'll be truly unstoppable!"

With that said, he erupted into evil laughter at the possibilities.

(elsewhere...)

Later on Saturday, Thomas, Emily, Percy, and Lady were walking down the street in the middle of the big city.

"Thanks for agreeing to go shopping with us, you two." Lady said sweetly to both Thomas and Percy.

"Anything for you, Lady." said Percy, blushing.

"Nice to spend some time with our friends." added Thomas.

Just then, they spotted a large group gathered around the main square. It looked like something was going on...or was about to start.

"Look over there!" Emily pointed forth.

"What do you guys think is going on?" asked Lady.

"Not a clue." shrugged Percy. "But there's only one way to find out."

"Yeah." nodded Thomas. "Come on!"

The four friends walked over to the group. Once they arrived, Thomas noticed that much of the people in crowd were duelists.

"Many of them are duelists!"

Some of the crowd contained Matt, Michael, James R., Carlie, and Zack. Zack was the first to spot Thomas, Emily, Percy, and Lady.

"Hey!" he called out.

"What's going on?" asked Emily, as she, Thomas, Percy, and Lady walked over.

"We don't know." Matt answered. "We were just doing some exploring when we saw these people gathered around."

"Whatever is going on though, I bet it must be Duel Monsters related." Michael added.

"Maybe it's a big tournament like the one in San Francisco." suggested Percy.

"Hey, didn't Ishizu mention something about that during our field trip at the museum?" asked Emily, remembering what Ishizu had told her and the others.

"I think she did." agreed Thomas.

Lady looked around and scowled. "Look who's over there."

Present in the crowd was Diesel, Arry, Bert, and Dennis.

"What are those four doing here?" asked Emily angrily.

"Up to no good, I bet." said Thomas outright.

"Who are they?" asked Carlie.

"Judging from your reactions, it sounds like you know those four boys." added James R..

"Those are four of the Smelters Class teens that also attend our high school." explained Percy. "Diesel, Arry, Bert, and Dennis. They've caused us trouble in the San Francisco tournament when Diesel, Arry, and Bert kidnapped Mavis and had beaten her up to the point of needing to be hospitalized for a few days, while Dennis tried to cheat Lady out of all her star coins."

"Not to mentioned they also hatched a scheme to make money off of a duel between Emily and Rosie." added Thomas hotly.

"Wow... just wow." gasped Carlie. "How awful!"

"Why hasn't Sir Topham Hatt expelled them yet?" ask James R..

"That's a mystery for the ages." Percy remarked.

Before anyone else could talk, the big view screen turned itself on and there was the boy who was gonna announce the tournament.

"SPENCER GRESLEY?!" exclaimed Thomas, Percy, Emily, and Lady at once.

"Say, isn't that the blood son of the Boxford family?" asked Zack.

"The one and only." sighed Thomas.

"Greetings, fellow duelists." said Spencer on the TV Screen. "As you may have already heard, I will be starting a tournament right here on the Island of Sodor."

"I knew it!" The blue-haired boy thought to himself.

"Then it looks like Ishizu was right all along." Emily commented.

"Since the school year is nearing its end, it will happen on the first day of summer vacation." Spencer went on. "But before I say too much, there will be a few differences to the last tournament that was held in San Francisco."

"A few differences?" asked Percy, becoming worried. "Uh-oh, I don't like the sound of that."

"In all of the duels you take part in this tournament-" Spencer explained. "-both players must wager their rarest card. The winner of the duel will take the loser's card."

Everyone down below in the crowd did not like hearing that bit of info at all.

"Forfeit my Dark Magician?!" shouted Thomas.

"That's not fair!" protested Lady. "Losing even one duel would ruin our decks!"

"If anyone has a problem with that new rule, then you probably don't belong in this tournament." said Spencer haughtily, acting like he had a feeling no one would like hearing that bit of info.

"So that's Spencer." muttered Matt, arms folded.

"He's got a bigger ego than both Gordon and James." commented Percy. "And that's saying something."

"We've all made peace with him recently." Thomas added to that. "But he still retained his arrogance and pride."

Suddenly, the people gathered around heard the sound of helicopter blades and looked in the air.

"It's Spencer!" exclaimed Emily.

Yup, holding onto the helicopter door was Spencer Gresley himself.

"I see my message got all of you interested." The silver-haired boy remarked. "Well, that's good. Why? Because it means I've attracted the best of the best on the island who want to take part." Becoming all dramatic, Spencer then pointed his finger to the sky proudly. "However! There is only one duelist who will be crowned the best of this tournament!"

Diesel smirked deviously. "And that will be me."

Nearby, Percy, however, had a feeling he knew who Spencer was really talking about.

"I think I know who he might be referring to."

And the green-haired boy looked to Thomas, who just nodded at his best friend. He knew what he was thinking.

"Unfortunately for most of you, there is one duelist out there I'm dying to face off against once more." Spencer continued. "And I know he's down there somewhere."

Thomas looked up into the sky at the helicopter...and he and Spencer both made eye contact.

"Spencer..." The blue-haired boy whispered.

"Billinton..." whispered the silver-haired boy.

Emily looked at Thomas in concern. "Thomas..."

Either way, Spencer went ahead and finished his announcement.

"Just remember; in two weeks starting today... Knapford becomes Battle City!"

The helicopter flew away, leaving the crowd (except Thomas, Emily, Percy, Lady, Matt, Michael, Carlie, James R., and Zack) to cheer loudly.

"Looks like we've got another adventure in store for us." commented Percy.

"I'll say." Lady agreed. "And who knows what's gonna happen..."

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, in another part of the world (likely Egypt) a group of men wearing purple cloaks were inside a tomb meeting with the same teenage boy who possessed Diesel 10.

"Battle City, eh?" grinned the leader of the band.

"Shall we make our move, Master Marik?" asked one of the cloaked men.

"In due time." The boy (Marik) replied, holding onto his Millennium Rod. "I've already dispatched a number of Rare Hunters to the Island of Sodor, where they will stalk and take the rarest cards of any of the duelists that are there."

"And what of the boy, Thomas Billinton?" asked another of the cloaked men.

"He will be no exception." said Marik darkly. "Thomas Billinton will fall before my power. Then at last, my family's legacy will be avenged!"

The Millennium Rod started glowing with power. On boy, this cannot be good. Can it?


	8. Stalked by Rare Hunters

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It had been a few days since Spencer had announced when the whole new Duel Monsters tournament would be taking placing...and Thomas knew it was going to be very big. ABSOLUTELY big.

In the schoolyard of Sodor High School during lunch hour, Thomas, Emily, and Percy were chatting with their friends about the tournament.

"Basically, Spencer added an Ante rule." Thomas had said. "Where before a duel, we wager our rarest card. And if we lose, ten we have to give that card to the winner."

"There are bound to be other new rules, but that one is the biggest we've heard of." Emily added.

"That doesn't sound very fair." commented James unhappily. "Why do we have to give up our best cards if we lose?"

"Somehow, my cousin might be after something more." Gordon commented. "The big question is what it is?"

"Who knows?" Toby shrugged. "But whatever the case, in just two weeks, the new tournament will begin."

"Do you think you'll take part in it, Thomas?" asked Edward.

"I probably will." nodded Thomas. "What about you guys?"

"As ever, count me in." Percy declared.

"I'll take part, too." James added, before scowling. "I'd like to finally beat that Spencer and pay him back for that humiliating defeat in San Francisco."

"What about you, Emily?" asked Thomas curiously.

The dark green-haired girl shook her head. "I'm still not ready for a big tournament yet, Thomas."

"But you've been getting way better since the San Francisco tournament!" Henry protested.

"Not to mention your duel with Rosie." added James. "A FORMER Duel Monsters champion!"

"AND you crushing James here several times." chuckled Gordon.

The red-haired boy turned red in the face. "HEY!"

Everyone else shared a laugh to that. James fumed for a moment before calming himself and smirking.

"Anyway, what I have here is a card that will totally blow Spencer away!" he declared, holding onto a card.

"Is it Elemental HERO Neos?" asked Percy rhetorically.

"Thaaaat's right!"

"You've been holding onto that thing since you got it in the booster back." said Gordon.

"And I've got my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." added Percy, holding up his own card. The green-haired boy had won the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card from Dennis during the San Francisco tournament, and it had been his deck's ace ever since. "Such a great card..."

Emily sweatdropped. "Okay, those cards you two have both may be powerful, but do you honestly think they'll be able to beat Spencer?"

"Even with those support cards you have?" added Thomas.

"Of course." insisted James. "When you focus and get good cards, anything can happen."

"I don't know..." said Edward quietly.

"Anyway-" spoke up Thomas. "-while the tournament isn't for two weeks, I'm still heading down to the card shop in the mall after school to sign up. Would you guys like to come?"

"Of course." agreed Toby.

"We're in!" James and Percy both added. "We'll sign up with you."

With that said, the friends headed heard the bell ring and went back towards the school.

* * *

 **Title: Stalked by Rare Hunters**

* * *

Inside the Knapford Mall later after school, the Tidmouth Teens were walking down the area, passing by lots of shoppers.

"Looks busier than usual." Gordon commented.

"Well with the tournament coming up-" Edward pointed out. "-everybody wants to be in on it."

"More like shoppers are around to ' _shop till they drop_ '." James joked.

Soon, the group of eight friends arrived outside the card shop.

"Well, here we are." Percy announced.

"Now let's go sign up." added James eagerly.

They walked inside and up to the store clerk.

"We'd like to sign up for the Battle City Tournament, please." said Thomas politely.

The clerk looked at the group. "Are all of you signing up?"

"Actually it's me, James Hughes, and Percy Avonside." The blue-haired boy pointed out.

"I see."

Thomas waited as the clerk typed on his computer. The man then looked up.

"Your name, young man?" he asked.

"Thomas Billinton."

The clerk typed on his computer some more. "There we go..." he said, turning the screen around for the gang to see.

* * *

 **Name** : Thomas Billinton  
 **Duel Rank** : 8/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Dark Magician

* * *

"Wow..." The teenagers gasped.

"Wait a minute!" James suddenly spoke up. "What's a Duel Rank?"

"A Duel Rank is basically a level on how well the duelist is."explained the shop clerk. "You need a rank of at least five stars to qualify."

"And judging from my rank of 8/10, I guess it means I qualify?" asked Thomas hopefully.

The clerk smiled. "Yes it does... Welcome to the Battle City tournament. Now, who's next?"

James and Percy both shoved passed Thomas.

"ME!"

"Me first!" insisted Percy. "Percy Avonside."

"Easy, lads. I'll sign both of you up at once." The clerk chuckled.

"Nice! I'm James Hughes." James introduced himself.

The man typed away for a minute. Just then, there was a beeping sound coming from his computer.

"Um, what's up with that?" asked Percy nervously.

"I'm afraid you'll have to see for yourselves." sighed the clerk, showing them the computer screen.

Upon seeing what was on the screen, James and Percy's jaws both nearly dropped onto the counter.

"WHAT?!" The red-haired boy screamed.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" The green-haired boy screamed as well.

This was what the computer said on them both:

* * *

 **Name** : Percy Avonside  
 **Duel Rank** : 1/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Red-Eyes Black Dragon

* * *

And...

* * *

 **Name** : James Hughes  
 **Duel Rank** : 2/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Elemental HERO Neos

* * *

The clerk shrugged. "I'm afraid you need to have a rank of at least 5 or higher to be in the tournament."

"That's so unfair!" wailed Percy.

"I don't make the rules." retorted the clerk in a professional tone. "The rules were commissioned by Spencer of Boxford Corp."

James literally turned red out of anger. "THAT SNAKE!" he roared. "Wait until I get my hands around his rich little neck!"

"Save some for me!" Percy added, sounding very, very cross, too.

"Guys, cool it!" Emily scolded. "We're in a public area!"

"Yeah." agreed Toby. "Your angry actions are causing people to stare."

"LET THEM STARE!" screamed James. "THAT SELFISH RICH BOY DID THIS TO US ON PURPOSE!"

As James and Percy both ranted and raged on about Spencer, the store clerk turned the computer screen back. Suddenly, he took a closer look at Percy's rarest card and gasped quietly.

"That boy has the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon?" The clerk thought to himself. "But how is that even possible?"

Taking another look, the man gasped again at what James's rarest card was.

"The other boy has the ultra rare Elemental HERO Neos!"

Without wasting another second, the clerk typed something into the computer.

"Well, would you believe it?" he said at last. "I guess there was a mistake."

James and Percy both turned around. "Wha...?"

"See for yourself." smiled the clerk, turning to computer screen around to show the two teenage boys.

This was what the screen now showed:

* * *

 **Name** : Percy Avonside  
 **Duel Rank** : 6/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Red-Eyes Black Dragon

* * *

And...

* * *

 **Name** : James Hughes  
 **Duel Rank** : 7/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Elemental HERO Neos

* * *

"Alright!" cried Percy happily. "We get to be in the tournament!"

"I guess Spencer realized your true talent and changed his mind." commented the clerk.

"Nah, I think that ranking mistake was just a cruel joke he played on us." insisted James, clenching a fist. "One I'd like to get back at him for!"

"Now, since you're all signed up, I'll remind you that you will be wagering your rarest cards in all the duels you'll be participating in this tournament." warned the clerk. "You understand that, right?"

"Though it sounds unfair, we understand clearly." said Thomas, nodding.

"One more thing." The clerk interrupted, holding out three clear-looking cards. "You will need these cards."

Thomas, James, and Percy each took a clear card.

"What are these?" James asked curiously.

"You'll find out when the time is right."

No longer needing to be in the card shop, Thomas and the others all left. The clerk, once the kids were gone, smirked sinisterly.

"Wonderful." The man thought to himself.

He then picked up the nearby phone and dialed a number. After a few seconds a new voice could be heard on the other line...

"Yes?"

"Everything is going according to plan." reported the clerk.

"How many more peons have signed up?" asked the voice (male).

"Three suckers have just left now. And get this; one of them has the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the other has an Elemental HERO Neos!"

The voice on the other line could be heard laughing.

"Excellent work." praised the other voice (male).

With that said, the clerk hung up, smiling wickedly at the gang of teenagers who had left the shop.

(elsewhere...)

Outside of the mall, the Tidmouth Teens were chatting on what to do now.

"So, what should we do now?" asked Gordon.

"I've got an idea." Thomas spoke up. "That new movie at the Knapford Theater is playing at 50% off tonight. Why don't we all go and see it?"

"Great idea." said Emily.

"Ditto." agreed Henry.

"We'll see you guys later tonight!" James exclaimed, just before he, Gordon, Henry, and Percy all took off in different directions.

All that was left was Thomas, Emily, Edward, and Toby.

(elsewhere...)

Later on, it was around 6:00 pm, and Percy was leaving his home.

"Movie starts at 7:00." he thought to himself. "I'd better head over there."

Not wanting to risk being late, the green-haired boy decided to take a shortcut through an alley.

"Spooky..." Percy shivered nervously, looking around the dark alleyway. "B-But I'm not scared."

There was a creaking sound, making the poor green-haired boy jump.

"What was that?!"

(elsewhere...)

Over with James, the red-haired boy, along with both Gordon and Henry, was on his way to meet up with the others to go and see the movie Thomas suggested.

"How long do we have?" asked Henry.

"Shouldn't be too long." answered James.

The three teenage boys jogged down the street of Knapford, trying to make it on time to the movie when...

"Well, well, well..." spoke a calm, but sinister voice (male). "What do we have here, boys?"

"Who said that?" asked Henry nervously.

"A bunch of children is what they are." laughed another voice (male).

"Whoever's out there, show yourself!" James demanded.

Out from the shadows came a group of hooded men. James, Gordon, and Henry each got into a defensive stance.

"Who are you?" asked Gordon in a hostile tone.

"We are the elite group known as the Rare Hunters." said one of the hooded men.

"Rare Hunters?" Henry quizzed.

But James remembered what Ishizu said... "Wait a minute, we were told about you guys!"

"Oh?" One of the hooded men raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You go around stealing rare cards from innocent duelists just so you can sell them for big money." accused the red-haired boy. "Well you're not getting anything from me, buster!"

"HA!" scoffed one of the Rare Hunters. "If we did that, then there would be no fun."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Gordon demanded.

One of the Rare Hunters held out an activated Duel Disk. "We find it more interesting to duel our victims instead of just taking their cards."

"You want a duel?" asked James, activating his own Duel Disk. "You've got one!"

"Be careful out there, James." Henry warned. "Something tells me these guys play very differently than we do."

The two duelists drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" James and the Rare Hunter both said at once.

(elsewhere...)

Back with Percy in the alley, he was still looking around nervously.

"Who's there?" The green-haired boy squeaked.

Suddenly, a rat scuttled by.

"Oh, it was just a rat." Percy sighed with relief. "Nothing to be afraid of."

Just then, there was a new voice... "Ah ha! My target has been found."

"Who's there?" asked Percy, shortly after giving a high-pitched scream. "Show yourself!"

On cue, three more Rare Hunters emerged from the shadows of the alley.

"You!" said a Rare Hunter. "You possess the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, do you not?"

Percy was rather startled. "H-H-How do you know?" he asked nervously. "You're not going to beat me up and steal it are you?"

"HA! You sound scared of us." taunted another Rare Hunter.

"I-I'm not scared of you!" The green-haired boy protested, trying to sound brave. "You're those Rare Hunters I've heard about, aren't you?"

"Indeed we are." confirmed the second Rare Hunter. "Now hand over your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and we'll let you pass. Otherwise, we'll duel for it."

"There's no way I'll hand over my favorite monster card to the likes of you! If I have to duel you to keep it, then so be it!"

Both Percy and one of the Rare Hunters activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Time to duel!" Percy and the Rare Hunter both said at once.

Yes, the match has officially begun...

"I'll take the first turn, kid!" said the third Rare Hunter.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Cannon Soldier, De-Spell, Magic Formula, and Dancing Elf

* * *

The robed man snickered to himself as he looked at his hand and selected a card from it.

"Prepare yourself." The Rare Hunter laid a monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Dancing Elf in defense mode!"

Appearing to the field was a blonde elf in a light green dress with wings on her back (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 200).

"Is that it?" Percy blinked. "That's all you'll play? That's a really weak monster!"

"Just make your move, kid!" snapped the Rare Hunter.

"Gladly!"

With that said, the green-haired boy drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Scapegoat, Panther Warrior, Alligator's Sword, Lightning Blade, Skull Dice, and Graceful Dice

* * *

Percy added his drawn Graceful Dice card to his hand, which also contained Scapegoat, Panther Warrior, Alligator's Sword, Lightning Blade, and Skull Dice.

"I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" The green-haired boy announced.

The large armor clad panther appeared (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1600).

"That's not all." Percy continued, holding another card out. "I'll activate my Scapegoat Spell card!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up, just before creating four little lambs.

"This creates four sheep tokens." The green-haired boy explained. "Now I'll tribute one of them so my panther can attack!"

One of the Sheep Tokens vanished.

"Panther Warrior, take out that elf!" ordered Percy.

Panther Warrior lunged forth and slashed the elf with his sword, destroying the female monster in a single hit.

"Nicely done, kid." snickered the Rare Hunter. "You're better than I thought."

"I'll end with two facedown cards." continued Percy, sliding two cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

Two facedown cards materialized.

"My turn." announced the Rare Hunter, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Cannon Soldier, De-Spell, Magic Formula, and Graceful Charity

* * *

His drawn card was a Spell card called Graceful Charity.

"I'll play the ultra rare Graceful Charity card!" The Rare Hunter declared, slotting the card into his Duel Disk. "Now I draw three cards and then discard two."

Quickly, he drew three cards from his deck and discarded both De-Spell and Magic Formula to the graveyard. Suddenly, a monster called Cannon Soldier materialized in a defensive stance. (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1300).

"Finally, I'll summon Cannon Soldier in defense mode and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Percy, drawing his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Alligator's Sword, Lightning Blade, and Gamble

* * *

Adding his drawn card to his hand, he had a thought about what was going on...

"Weird..." Percy thought to himself. "He talks the game, but mainly seems to be on the defensive. I wonder why?"

"What's the matter, kid?" called the Rare Hunter. "Are you scared yet?"

"No matter, I can't let him get to me." Selecting a card from his hand, Percy placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "No way, you jerk! I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field next to Panther Warrior was a humanoid alligator wearing armor, and a wielding a sword (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200).

"Alligator's Sword, turn that Cannon Soldier into scrap metal!" commanded Percy.

In an instant, Cannon Soldier was reduced to piles of junk by the alligator-like warrior.

"Once again-" Percy went on, as the pink lamb token vanished. "-I'll offer another of my Sheep Tokens, so that my Panther Warrior can attack you directly!"

Panther Warrior lunged at the rare hunter and slashed at him, causing him to yell in pain (LP: 2000).

"Half your life points are gone." Percy taunted. "Suddenly, I'm not afraid of you."

The Rare Hunter merely smirked in his personal thoughts. That boy had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Oh, he will be once I draw the right cards." The man thought to himself, just as he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Rare Hunter (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Giant Soldier of Stone, and Graceful Charity

* * *

His drawn card was yet another Graceful Charity.

"I'll play a second copy of Graceful Charity!" The Rare Hunter held his drawn card out. "Allowing me to draw three more cards and then discard two."

He drew his three cards and discarded two. Suddenly, a large stone soldier knelt in a defensive stance (Level: 3/DEF: 2000).

"Now I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode! Good luck trying to get past it!"

"My move!" announced Percy, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Lightning Blade, Gamble, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon

* * *

It was his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The green-haired boy giggled in his thoughts over what he drew.

"He's so in trouble now." he thought. Finally, Percy spoke aloud. "I sacrifice Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior both vanished in blue streaks. The Rare Hunter merely grinned to himself upon seeing the action being performed.

"That's it..." he whispered. "It will make my victory all the more sweeter."

Appearing in the two monsters' place was Percy's mighty Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).

"Turn that Soldier of Stone into rubble with Inferno Fire Blast!" ordered Percy.

Red-Eyes obeyed, firing a blast of fire at Giant Soldier of Stone and destroying it in an instant.

"Wow, this duel is just too easy!" Percy boasted. "If I can get another monster out, I can finish you on my next turn!"

Suddenly, the Rare Hunter started laughing in response.

"Huh?"

"It's been a fun duel while it lasted." giggled the Rare Hunter. "But my next turn will be your downfall."

With that said, he drew his next card.

"No way!" Percy cried out. "I clearly have the upper hand. All you've been doing is playing defense throughout."

"Really?" The Rare Hunter asked mockingly.

Percy felt nervous now. "What's that suppose to mean?"

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Rare Hunter (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Left Leg of the Forbidden One, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, and Exodia the Forbidden One

* * *

Looking at what the he drew, the Rare Hunter's eyes widened with glee.

"Can't you see?" asked the mysterious man. "I've been leading you right from the beginning!"

"What?" asked Percy.

Suddenly, the Rare Hunter laid all five cards onto the monster field slots on his Duel Disk.

"I call forth Exodia the Forbidden One!"

A large pentagon symbol appeared before the Rare Hunter.

"Did you say...EXODIA?!" Percy was really scared now.

Out of the pentagon came a large, orange, and muscular creature called Exodia. As of now, Red-Eyes Black Dragon was completely powerless to win the green-haired boy the duel.

"No... NOT EXODIA!" Percy screamed in terror. "That's the most powerful monster in the whole game!"

"Exodia... OBLITERATE!" commanded the Rare Hunter.

Exodia obeyed and shot a blast of energy at Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the remaining Sheep Tokens.

"This can't be..." Percy whispered.

The blast destroyed all of the green-haired boy's monsters and then struck and sent him flying back into a wall (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: The Rare Hunter wins!**

* * *

Percy laid on his back in pain from that massive blow. The three Rare Hunters loomed over him menacingly.

"You've lost, kid." sneered one of the Rare Hunters (second).

The Rare Hunter (third) that had defeated Percy then picked up the green-haired boy's dropped Red-Eyes Black Dragon card.

"I'll be taking that now." The mysterious man said cruelly. "Guess this is my lucky day."

"My Red-Eyes..." said Percy weakly. "How did you get your hands on something as rare as Exodia?"

"How?" spoke another Rare Hunter (first), and then burst into laughter.

The other Rare Hunters also broke into laughter.

"Should we tell him?" laughed the third Rare Hunter.

"As Rare Hunters, we thrive on taking rare cards from players." explained another Rare Hunter (first). "That includes the legendary Exodia."

The group leader then held up...three complete sets of Exodia.

"But we also collect extra copies." he said with a demented look on his face. "Like how I possess three complete sets of Exodia!"

Percy weakly looked up. "T-Three sets?!" he gawked.

"That's right." cackled the Rare Hunter leader. "Many thanks for the Red-Eyes. With a card this rare, we could end up retiring sooner than we expected."

The Rare Hunters then left the alley way while laughing.

"My Red-Eyes... my..." Percy gasped in pain, but also felt too weak to try and get up.

And thus, the green-haired boy finally passed out. Well, that certainly was not a good thing. How's James doing in his duel? Let's go see, shall we?

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in town, a monster known as Elemental HERO Flare Neos had destroyed three monsters known as Cosmo Queen and two Skull Knights in a single attack (mainly Cosmo Queen, but the other two monsters being destroyed was done for dramatic effect). The three monsters belong to a Rare Hunter, who was the leader of a smaller squad of Rare Hunters who had ambushed Gordon, Henry, and James.

"How could I lose?" asked the Rare Hunter in shock (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Hughes wins!**

* * *

"All right!" cheered James. "I've won!"

"Now get out of here and never bother us again!" Gordon commanded to the three Rare Hunters.

The three Rare Hunters looked angry, but complied, running away into the distance.

"Good riddance." huffed Henry.

"Think we'd better call the police on them in case more come?" asked Gordon.

"Let's do that later." answered James. "We have to go meet with Thomas and the others."

"You sure?" Henry asked with concern.

"Yeah, they're waiting for us at the theater."

And the three teenagers took off down the block.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, outside the Knapford Theater; Thomas, Toby, Edward, and Emily were all waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.

"It's 7:15." Toby remarked. "What could be keeping them?"

"I hope they're alright." said Emily, sounding worried.

"Me too." Edward agreed.

"HEY!" called the voice of James.

The four looked over and saw Gordon, James, and Henry each walk up. They looked like they were out of breath.

"Where were you?" asked Toby.

"We ran into a bit of trouble." answered Gordon.

"Remember those Rare Hunters Ishizu told us about?" Henry added. "Well, we kinda ran into a trio of them while on our way here."

"They tried to take my Elemental HERO Neos." said James. "But I won in the end."

"But what about Percy?" asked Thomas, now sounding worried. "They might have gone after him too!"

"So, does this mean the movie is off?" questioned Toby unhappily.

"I'm afraid so." confirmed Emily. "We'll have to split up and find Percy before those Rare Hunters do."

With that said, the friends split up and raced off to try and find Percy.

(elsewhere...)

In another part of town, Thomas and Emily were both looking around a street.

"Not here." sighed Emily.

Thomas pointed nearby. "Let's check that alley."

They ran into the alleyway... and saw Percy lying on his back, weak, injured, and ashamed.

"PERCY!" Thomas and Emily both cried out, racing over to their fallen friend.

"Red...Eyes..." mumbled the green-haired boy repeatedly.

"Percy!" Thomas exclaimed. "Percy! Wake up!"

The green-haired boy slowly came to his senses - managing to find Thomas and Emily both looking at him in concern.

"Are you alright, Percy?" asked Emily. "We were so worried about you when James mentioned the Rare Hunters."

"They went after James, too?" Percy whimpered.

"Yes, but James managed to beat one of them."

Percy listened on, but then looked away from his two friends in shame...

"Percy?" asked Thomas in confusion, yet also concern.

"I wasn't so lucky." murmured Percy sadly. "I lost my Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"What?" quizzed Emily.

"I said I lost my Red-Eyes to those creeps!" Percy shouted in anguish, bursting into tears. "I just couldn't win! I tried, but I failed! I couldn't win! I just couldn't..."

"It'll be okay, Percy." said Emily, hugging her sobbing friend in comfort. "We'll help you get your Red-Eyes back."

Thomas watched the sad scene grimly before going into his thoughts.

"Those creeps have already started their hunt." he thought to himself. "They've already gotten Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon...who knows who will be targeted next?"

Either way, with exams coming in about a week, as well as the biggest Duel Monsters tournament in the week after that, who knows what Thomas and his friends might encounter by then?


	9. Let Battle City Begin! (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It had been the two weeks since the announcement of the Battle City tournament, and exams at the high schools had gone by without any problems. That meant one thing... it was finally the big day for all of the signed up duelists on the Island of Sodor (or rather Knapford City)... the Battle City tournament was beginning today.

Early that morning, Emily was walking down the street towards the Billinton residence in order to meet up with Thomas. She had gotten a call from her blue-haired friend an hour earlier, with him asking her to meet him there to discuss a few details. Emily could only wonder what they were.

"I sure hope things will be alright." The dark green-haird girl said to herself. "Thomas has been pretty upset ever since Percy lost to one of those Rare Hunters and his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card was taken from him."

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room within the Billinton residence, the blue-haired boy was sitting at his desk looking over the new deck he had built for the big new tournament. In addition, Thomas also looked very tired (there were even bags under his eyes), almost like he had been up all night.

"Today's the big day." Thomas said to himself, holding back a yawn. "It took me all night, but at last my new deck is ready."

A gentle knock came at his door.

"Thomas, Emily's here." came the voice of Mrs. Billinton.

"Thanks, Mom." Thomas replied sleepily.

The door opened and the dark green-haired girl walked in.

"Hi, Thomas." greeted Emily, before gasping. "Wow, you look tired."

Thomas yawned in response. "I've been up all night."

"I can see that." The dark green-haired girl nodded, managing a small smile. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You remember the Rare Hunters Ishizu told us about, as well as James and Percy both getting ambushed by some of those guys that night ago, right?"

Emily nodded. "How could I forget? Percy lost his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card to those jerks."

"Well, they're sure to also come after me and my Dark Magician." said Thomas. "So I've been up all night working on this deck to make sure they don't win. We'll get Red-Eyes back and make those thieves pay."

Emily then had another question. "Thomas, is there another reason why you've entered this tournament?"

"Huh?"

"Knowing how unfair it is to give up your rarest card if you lose." continued Emily. "What reason would you have to enter besides the Rare Hunters?"

Looking quiet for a moment, Thomas decided to explain his reason...

"I want answers." Thomas answered at last.

"Answers?" Emily quizzed. "You don't mean-"

"Answers to that vision." continued Thomas. "If Atem and Seto were cousins, then why were they fighting? What more will happen?"

"I...see." Emily mumbled slowly. "I guess what Ishizu showed us in the museum has been pretty unsettling for you, right?"

Thomas nodded. "It sure has."

"What did your parents say when you told them what we saw?"

Thomas gave an annoyed look. "They complimented me on having such a creative imagination and suggested that I make a book out of it." The blue-haired boy complained in a joking manner.

Emily giggled. "In other words; they didn't believe you?"

"That sums it up." Thomas sighed.

"Why is it that parents hardly take their children seriously?" asked Emily jokingly.

"Another riddle of the life time."

The two teenagers shared a laugh over that little tidbit.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, inside Percy's room at the Avonside residence; the green-haired boy was seated in the middle of the room and still in a tizzy over losing his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card.

"I can't believe I lost my Red-Eyes to those Rare Hunters." he complained. "I gotta win it back... Hopefully my new deck can help me do so."

Looking it over for a few minutes, Percy eventually tossed it upward in a fit of frustration, scattering all the cards onto the floor.

"Aw, who am I kidding?! That deck will never work for me!"

Just then, Percy heard his cellphone ring.

"I wonder who that could be." he said, picking up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi, Percy." came the voice of Lady Stone on the other line.

"Lady!" Percy smiled, feeling a bit better hearing from his girlfriend. "What's up?"

"Nothing too much. I heard about what happened and I'm really sorry you lost your Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"Yeah." agreed Percy, sounding gloomy once again.

"Don't worry, I know you'll get it back." Lady reassured. "I'll be rooting for you in the tournament even though I'm also participating."

"Well, good luck to you." Percy said encouragingly.

"Thanks. I love you."

"Love you, too." Percy hung up and gave a sigh.

Yes sir, this was one tournament that he (or rather everyone) would see as a great challenge.

* * *

 **Title: Let Battle City Begin!, Part 1**

* * *

An hour later, there were duelists all around Knapford City. The five American duelists all couldn't believe their eyes.

"Amazing." said Zack. "There must be hundreds of duelists around here."

"This is going to be good." added James R..

"It's a shame we're not competing." sighed Matt. "A good Duel Monsters tournament would've been great for us with what time we have left on the island."

"Unfortunately, we would have cleaned everyone out." Michael added, sounding a bit arrogant.

The others just rolled their eyes.

"Right." retorted Carlie, sounding annoyed. "Just like in the last tournament we competed in. When you said that, Matt ended up beating you in a very close match."

Michael scowled while everyone else gave some chuckles to that little comeback. Over near the clock tower, Thomas, James, and everyone else was waiting for Percy to arrive.

"Here we are." began James.

"Another big tournament." added Edward.

"Best of luck to you both and Percy." said Toby encouragingly.

"We'll all be around to cheer you on." Mavis added.

"Well, here's hoping the first duel of the tournament doesn't involve Diesel trying to kidnap or harm you in any way, Mavis." Thomas stated, speaking to the blonde-haired girl.

"Don't remind me. That experience is something I'm not gonna forget any time soon."

"Speaking of that no good liar-" said Henry. "-I wouldn't doubt he'd enter this tournament and try to cheat."

(elsewhere...)

As expected; nearby was Diesel (who was indeed competing in the tournament), and he was currently speaking to Arry, Bert, and Dennis.

"What did you say, Diesel?" asked Dennis, sounding very interested. "You say you have a new secret weapon?"

"That I do, Dennis." smirked Diesel. "A secret weapon that will make my deck even more powerful."

"Ooh, that sounds awesome." oozed Arry deviously.

"You're not gonna kidnap your former girlfriend again, are you?" Bert asked curiously.

"Of course not." denied Diesel, shaking his head. "That's why I lost the last time - I'm gonna play it really smart this time."

(elsewhere...)

Back with Thomas and the others, they were still waiting for Percy to arrive...but he was still a no show.

"Where is he?" asked Emily.

"He said he'd meet us here." added Toby.

"Well, I was talking to Lady earlier today, and she told me that Percy hadn't been himself lately." stated Edward.

"Can you blame him?" questioned Thomas. "It's because of those Rare Hunters!"

Before anymore discussion could take place, a new voice echoed the area...and a familiar one at that.

"Greetings, fellow duelists."

"Spencer!" Gordon exclaimed.

The silver-haired boy's face was being shown on a large view screen attached to a huge blimp.

"Welcome to Battle City." began Spencer proudly. "As you know, this is a new tournament sponsored by both Boxford Corp and Industrial Illusions."

"Industrial Illusions?" Emily blinked.

"Discord actually sponsored this with Spencer?" asked Edward.

"I shouldn't be surprised." James stated. "Considering that their companies do work together and such."

"Now, in case you are all wondering, this tournament will follow the rules that have always been used in the game." Spencer went on. "Your deck must have at least a minimum of 40 cards to be able use in a duel. The max amount of cards you can use in a deck is 60 cards. No more, no less."

"Seems simple." scoffed James.

"However!" Spencer suddenly spoke again, now holding up all three copies of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon monster cards. "There are a few changes to the game rules. In addition to new list of card limitations, there is also an Ante rule. It's where you must give up your rarest card to the winner of a duel."

"We're already aware of that." Thomas grunted, still unhappy of having to wager his Dark Magician.

"Now, you all must recall receiving a special card when you all registered for the tournament a few weeks ago." Spencer was now holding up one of those clear cards. "You also must wager these in every duel you take part in."

"What purpose are they?" asked James, looking at his card.

"They are called Locator cards." said Spencer, as if he had heard the question before. "You need exactly six to be in the semifinals. Once you get six, they will reveal the location of the Battle City Finals. Run out, however, and you would be ejected from the tournament."

"I see." Thomas mumbled, looking at his Locator card.

Spencer suddenly smirked. "And do note that you're also allowed, and if you're foolish enough, to challenge me as well since I'll also be competing in the tournament, too."

"Sweet!" said James, now smiling. "I've got a score to settle with Spencer, anyway."

"Too bad for most of you, there's only one duelist out there I want to face." Spencer went on still. "...and I know he's down there somewhere... Thomas Billinton"

Thomas looked fiercely up at Spencer. By now, he was getting LOTS of stares from the other duelists and some wandering civilians alike.

"You're on." Thomas said quietly.

Smirking, Spencer gave one final message... "And now...let the Battle City tournament begin!"

Suddenly, fireworks were shot into the sky.

"It's starting!" cried a random duelist.

"Let's get out there and show them who's the best!" whooped James, racing off.

"James, wait!" Gordon exclaimed, but was too late. "Bother!"

"We'd best go after him." sighed Henry. "We'll see you later..."

Gordon and Henry both took off after James. Leaving Thomas, Edward, Toby, Emily, and Mavis behind.

"That ego of James's is going to get him in trouble one day." sighed Mavis.

"Tell me about it." Emily agreed.

"Well, anyway, Mavis and I are going to check out some of the duels." Toby spoke up. "I hope you guys don't mind."

"Not at all." insisted Edward, smiling. "You two enjoy yourselves."

"We will." nodded Mavis.

With that said, the couple left, holding hands. The rest of the group of friends watched the two teenagers leave.

"Those two are perfect for each other." Thomas smiled, folding his arms proudly.

"Like Thomas and I." thought Emily, as she cuddled closer to her blue-haired friend.

"Um, Emily?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

The dark green-haired girl broke out of her trance and blushed. "I-I-I was just a bit sleepy."

Before anything more could be said by anyone, an angry voice could be heard from nearby.

"Where is he?! I'll show that stuck-up jerk!"

"That sounds like Percy." said Edward, looking around.

(elsewhere...)

Indeed, it was Percy. He was looking around for someone... or should I say... a certain Rare Hunter.

"He's got to be around here somewhere!" The green-haired boy growled. "When I find him, I'll beat him and get my Red-Eyes back!"

Meanwhile, the Rare Hunter in question was sitting outside a cafe sipping a latte while looking on a laptop computer. He was reading the dueling statuses of all the duelists that were in the Battle City tournament.

"Let's see..." he said to himself. "Lady Stone - Harpies' Feather Duster, Diesel Horwich - Insect Queen... Hmm, how interesting..."

"HEY, YOU!"

The Rare Hunter raised an eyebrow as he noticed Percy walking over looking very cross.

"Well, well, well." The mysterious man said cruelly. "Look who's come back for another humiliation."

"Can it, you creep!" snapped Percy. "You took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and I want it back! So I'm challenging you to a rematch!"

That demand was met with some harsh laughter from the villain.

"Me? Duel you again?" The Rare Hunter mocked. "Not a chance. I've already took your rarest card, so there would be no point in dueling you again!"

At that moment, Thomas, Emily, and Edward each came running in.

"What's the matter, Percy?" asked Thomas.

"That's the guy, Thomas!" Percy replied, pointing at the Rare Hunter. "That's the creep that took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! And now he's saying he won't duel me again."

"I've no need to duel a weak duelist like you again." said the Rare Hunter, sitting up and looking at Thomas with a look of evil in his eye. "I would, however, like to duel against the champion of the San Francisco tournament and take his Dark Magician from him."

"I accept." Thomas nodded firmly. "You are the trash contaminating the city!"

"Don't risk your Dark Magician like this, Thomas!" protested Percy. "Those Rare Hunters will do anything to win, even making fake rare cards to boost the power of their decks..."

But before Percy could continue, Thomas held up a hand to stop him.

"I have no right to know his method before the game takes place." The blue-haired boy said calmly.

"But, Thomas-!"

"I'd listen to him if I were you." The Rare Hunter added to that, holding the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card up. "If you say anything more, I'll tear your favorite card up and you'll never see it again."

Percy growled, but choose not to say anymore.

"That's better." The Rare Hunter smirked, before looking to Thomas. "I hope you're ready to lose your Dark Magician!"

"I won't lose to a thief like you." sneered Thomas. "A duelist who selfishly takes cards from others shall pay dearly for it!"

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and began drawing their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Time to duel!" Thomas and the Rare Hunter both exclaimed at the same time.

A crowd of people noticed the commotion and came to see.

"Thomas Billinton is in the first duel of the tournament!" cried one of the watchers.

"This should be good." replied another watcher.

"I'll go first." declared Thomas, upon drawing his opening hand.

"Go right ahead." smirked the Rare Hunter, who already had his hand all drawn.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Polymerization, Berfomet, Beta The Magnet Warrior, Light of Intervention, and Book of Secret Arts

* * *

"I'll summon Beta The Magnet Warrior in attack mode!" Thomas stated, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing to the field was the yellow magnetic creature (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600).

"Next I place one card facedown and end my turn." finished the blue-haired boy, sliding a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"My turn!" said the Rare Hunter, drawing his first card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Graceful Charity, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, Fusion Blocker(!), and Berfomet

* * *

The Rare Hunter's hand consisted of Graceful Charity, Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Gear Golem the Moving Fortress, Fusion Blocker(!), and the recently added Berfomet.

"For my move, I'll place one card facedown." announced the mysterious man, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized in front of him. Just then, Thomas motioned his hand out.

"Continuous Trap card, open!" he announced, causing the facedown card to flip up and reveal itself to be... "Light of Intervention!"

"What does that card do?" asked Percy.

"I think that card prevents the opponent from setting monsters facedown as long as it remains on the field." Emily stated, before looking to Edward. "Is that about right?"

"Yes." nodded Edward. "It's a good way to avoid flip effect monsters like Man-Eater Bug."

The Rare Hunter was less than impressed on the play, however...

"A worthless play!" he remarked, holding out another card. "I play Graceful Charity!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This lets me draw three cards and discard two." said the Rare Hunter, just as he drew his three cards. "Now I shall-"

"Thomas! Be careful!" called Percy suddenly. "That's exactly what he did to m-"

"Be silent, boy!" snapped the voice of the Rare Hunter, discarding two cards from his hand. "Or else say goodbye to your Red-Eyes!"

Percy scowled as he became quiet. The green-haired boy really wanted to let Thomas know what he was up against, but didn't want to risk losing his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. At that moment, Diesel and Paxton both saw the duel going on and decided to have a look.

"A duel is going on!" said Diesel, looking to Paxton. "This I want to see."

"Sure, Diesel." sighed Paxton. He really hated having to listen to Diesel, but right now he didn't have much of a choice.

The two boys got in a close as possible. From there, they saw who was dueling.

"Oh, look Diesel." smiled Paxton. "It's Thomas."

"Oh goody." groaned Diesel sarcastically. "Billinton's got the first duel of the tournament."

"Now I summon Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode!" said the Rare Hunter, placing his next card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

A large stone statue-like monster materialized (Level: 3/ATK: 300/DEF: 2000). The Rare Hunter looked to his hand and smiled...

"Currently I have three pieces to Exodia in my hand." he thought to himself. "Just two more and I'll claim victory!"

"My turn!" said Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Polymerization, Berfomet, Book of Secret Arts, and Skull Archfiend of Lightning

* * *

The blue-haired boy added his drawn card to his hand and took another card from it.

"I'll sacrifice my Beta to summon Berfomet in attack mode!" Thomas declared, just as his only monster vanished in a blue streak.

A fiend-like monster materialized in Beta The Magnet Warrior's place (Level: 5/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1800).

"Because Berfomet was normal summoned, Thomas can now add a Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts from his deck to his hand." Edward said to both Percy and Emily.

A card slid from Thomas's deck and into his hand.

"Next I activate the Spell card Polymerization!" continued the blue-haired boy, holding the mentioned Spell card out. "I fuse Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts with Berformet!"

Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts briefly appeared before merging with Berfomet.

"I fusion summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!"

The twin headed beast with a snake tail appeared roaring (Level: 6/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1800). The Rare Hunter, however, was ready.

"I play the Trap card Fusion Blocker!" he announced, as his facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Now your newly summoned fusion monster can't attack the turn it was summoned!"

Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast felt itself growing numb from a shock from the Trap card.

"That's not fair!" objected Emily.

"I'm afraid I have no other options." sighed Thomas. "I end my turn."

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, Giant Soldier of Stone, and Graceful Charity

* * *

Holding his drawn card up, the Rare Hunter immediately slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot of his Duel Disk.

"I play a second copy of Graceful Charity! And I'm sure you know what it does, right?"

Thomas merely grunted a response.

"I guess that means yes." snickered the Rare Hunter.

He went ahead and drew three more cards and discarded two from his hand. Then the Rare Hunter looked at his hand and rejoiced even further...

"Four pieces! Just one more and I'll win!" he thought to himself gleefully. "But just in case he tries something..."

The Rare Hunter took another card from his hand.

"I summon Gear Golem the Moving Fortress in defense mode!"

A large creature made of gears appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 2200).

"Now your Chimera won't be able to touch me." smirked the Rare Hunter.

"So you say." retorted Thomas.

Diesel and Paxton were both watching the duel.

"Thomas won't win." said Diesel bluntly.

"Why do you say that?" asked Paxton, sounding offended.

"Because whoever this guy is-" answered the devious black-haired boy in a ' _matter-of-fact_ ' tone. "-he obviously has something planned."

Percy, Emily, and Edward were watching the duel... and the green-haired boy was growing more and more distressed.

"Thomas has no idea what he's up against." he thought to himself. "I want to warn him, but I can't risk losing Red-Eyes forever."

"Don't you see, boy?" taunted the Rare Hunter. "Your only monster can't even touch me! Do you even realize that?"

"I do." agreed Thomas. "But I'll get through it one way or another!"

Finally, Percy couldn't hold it in any longer and decided to speak up.

"Stop the duel!" The green-haired boy shouted. "I won't let you risk losing your Dark Magician, Thomas! What's the point of playing with Rare Hunters?"

"I'm going to finish the duel and play honestly." insisted Thomas. "A True Duelist never cares about who he's playing with."

"I don't care!" Percy argued. "These guys are nothing but bad news!"

"I warn you!" frowned the Rare Hunter. "One more word out of you and your Red-Eyes is as good as gone!"

"Do what you want! I won't standby and let you mock my best friend just because you beat me. Thomas, please, just stop this duel before he summons-"

"SHUT UP, PERCY!" shouted Thomas suddenly.

Everyone, even Percy, was taken aback by Thomas's outburst.

"Thomas..." Percy whispered hurtfully.

Calmly, the blue-haired boy looked to his best friend. "You mustn't tell me the Rare Hunter's strategy. Believe me, I will defeat him."

"But-!"

That was when Emily spoke up to help back Thomas's words up...

"He's right, Percy." she said wisely. "We have to trust Thomas that he will win."

And right around then Edward also began to speak up...

"He's also fighting to win back your Red-Eyes, Percy." he added. "Remember how much that card means to you since you got it from Dennis?"

Percy nodded slowly. "I do..."

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A flashback to him winning Red-Eyes from Dennis was shown, followed by his various duel successes using the card were then shown while he narrated them.

"Ever since I got that Red-Eyes Black Dragon-" Percy narrated. "-I felt like I had become a much better duelist than I had started out as."

One flashback showed Red-Eyes fusing with Summoned Skull in forming the Black Skull Dragon. Another showed Percy using the Red-Eyes Black Dragon against James in the semi-finals of the San Francisco tournament.

"It was as if my soul had been ignited by the card's drive." Percy went on.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended and Percy continued to think.

"Red-Eyes has been there for me ever since." he thought to himself. "Now Thomas has to be there for me to get it back."

With new-found faith in his best friend, the green-haired boy looked to Thomas.

"Okay, I'll let you handle it."

Thomas smiled and looked back the smirking Rare Hunter firmly in his thoughts...

"I'm going to defeat this Rare Hunter one way or another."

The Rare Hunter was also in his thoughts...

"The poor fool doesn't realize that I've already won." The Rare Hunter thought to himself. "I already have four pieces of Exodia in my hand and only need one more."

Thomas remained in his thoughts over the situation...

"I'm fighting to protect Percy's card," The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "All this guy cares about is taking rare cards. He seems almost as crazed as the guy Spencer dueled with the Exodia deck..." Suddenly, Thomas something important... "Wait a minute, Exodia! This Rare Hunter must be using an Exodia deck due to the insane drawing power and defensive monsters!" Suddenly he spoke aloud. "I'm onto you, Rare Hunter."

"Huh?" The Rare Hunter looked puzzled.

Thomas pointed forth dramatically. "You're planning to summon Exodia the Forbidden One!"

The Rare Hunter screamed in shock. "NO! HOW DID HE KNOW?!"

"An Exodia deck?!" demanded a surprised Diesel.

"Isn't Exodia one of the most powerful monsters in the game?" asked Paxton naively.

Percy felt pleased that now his friend knew what was happening. The Rare Hunter then recovered from his shock to gloat...

"You may have figured out my strategy." he stated. "But you'll still never be able to defeat the mighty Exodia!"

"I know someone who already did." said Thomas, remembering his own rival. "If Spencer Gresley can beat Exodia, then so can I!"

Everyone in the crowd looked worried (except for Diesel) that Thomas could possibly lose to this man with the Exodia deck.

"Do you think he can win?" asked a civilian, referring to Thomas.

"I doubt it." said another civilian. "Exodia's the best monster in the game."

Diesel, however, was far more blunt. "He's done." he remarked. "That guy probably has at least four parts of Exodia in his hand right now. Thomas has no chance."

"That boy is right." thought the Rare Hunter. "All I need now is Exodia's left leg, and this duel is mine."

Thomas remained confident. "Don't think I know what you're thinking, and you are completely wrong. I WILL win this duel."

"You can't win!" declared the Rare Hunter. "On my next turn, this hunt will be done! Your Dark Magician will belong to me, and you will be removed from the tournament! It's over!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	10. Let Battle City Begin! (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up inside Boxford Corp headquarters, some of the communication girls were typing away on their computers to keep a track on the duels going on in Knapford City. Skiff was present to help them out.

"Master Skiff." said one of the girls. "The duels for the Battle City tournament are all underway."

"That's good to hear." Skiff replied pleasantly. "My brother will be pleased to hear that."

On cue, the nearby doors opened and the silver-haired boy entered the bridge.

"Well?" he asked immediately.

"The two duelists appear to be Thomas Billinton and a man we're not familiar with." said another girl.

Spencer looked at the data screen with interest. "That must be one of the Rare Hunters." he thought to himself.

"His name is Seeker, and he didn't exist in our database until about a week ago." explained another girl "He must have hacked in and entered himself into the system."

"But that's illegal!" protested Skiff.

"The Rare Hunter's cards aren't even registered." Another girl pointed out. "They may be fake cards."

"Hacking into our database is bad enough." Skiff said angrily. "But using counterfeit cards? That makes it worse! He should be disqualified!"

"Hold on, Skiff." interrupted Spencer calmly. "I'm interested to see how Billinton can handle against an Exodia deck... Let them continue."

"Are you sure?" The younger boy asked, looking really surprised.

Spencer nodded in confirmation. "Yes. It's to see if he truly has what it takes to beat the strongest monster in the whole game."

"Alright then." said Skiff reluctantly, looking back to the screen containing Thomas and the Rare Hunter's duel. "I sure hope you know what you're doing, big brother."

"I was rather hoping the same thing." thought Spencer to only himself, still watching the duel.

* * *

 **Title: Let Battle City Begin!, Part 2**

* * *

Back in Knapford, Thomas and the Rare Hunter were both locked in a staring match as their duel continued.  
-Thomas (LP: 4000) only had Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast on his field.  
-The Rare Hunter (LP: 4000) had two monsters and a face-up Trap card in play.

"You may have figured my strategy out-" said the Rare Hunter. "-but it's still too late to try and stop me!"

"We'll see about that." retorted Thomas, drawing his card. "It's my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Book of Secret Arts, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, and Time Seal

* * *

He added the card to his hand and went into the battle phase immediately.

"Go, Chimera!" The blue-haired boy pointed forth. "Destroy the Stone Statue with Pulverizing Pounce!"

Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast obeyed and pounced onto Stone Statue of the Aztecs, destroying it in an instant. The entire crowd cheered in response.

"Finally, I'll place this card facedown." Thomas finished, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized behind Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast.

"My turn is over."

"And my turn shall begin!" laughed the Rare Hunter. "Once I draw the final piece of Exodia, your Dark Magician will be mine!"

He reached to his deck when...

"Not so fast!" shouted Thomas immediately, raising his hand up as his facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "I activate my set Trap card - Time Seal!"

"Not Time Seal!"

Thomas then explained his card's effect. "Now you must skip your draw phase for this turn."

The Rare Hunter grumbled in annoyance. "So you've saved yourself for now. Big deal! My Gear Golem can still withstand your Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast's attack."

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, Right Leg of the Forbidden One, and Swords of Revealing Light

* * *

"For now, I'll end my turn without playing a single card."

"Thomas was able to stop that guy drawing the final Exodia piece this turn." said Paxton. "Isn't this exciting?"

Diesel snorted. "Not really... I wanted to see Billinton get his butt stomped by Exodia..."

"Oh, Diesel..."

Percy, Edward, and Emily each also had some words to say about Thomas surviving the turn...

"It was lucky he was able to stop that Rare Hunter from drawing Exodia." said Edward. "But unless he does something before the Rare Hunter's next turn, he'll be done for."

"Isn't there a way for Thomas to at least get rid of one of the pieces in that Rare Hunter's hand?" Emily asked in an upset tone.

"If he draws the right card now, then yes."

"Come on, Thomas." whispered Percy. "You can do this."

"Make your final move, kid!" The Rare Hunter demanded.

Thomas braced two fingers onto his deck.

"This is it." he thought. "If I don't draw the correct card now, then Red-Eyes will remain with this Rare Hunter, I will be out of the tournament, my Dark Magician will be taken from me, and I'll never find the answers I seek. Please, Heart of the Cards, grant me your strength..."

He drew his card, slashing a colourful wave in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Book of Secret Arts, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, and Lightforce Sword

* * *

Looking at his card, Thomas made his big play...

"I activate the Spell card Lightforce Sword!"

The mentioned Quick-Play Spell card materialized face-up.

"Lightforce Sword?" The Rare Hunter blinked.

"This allows me to remove one card in your hand from play for about three turns." explained Thomas. "And I'm aiming for a piece of Exodia you currently hold!"

The Rare Hunter smirked in response, bringing his hand up without showing what the cards are.

"Too bad the card is picked randomly."

A sword materialized out of Thomas's activated card.

"If I choose the wrong card, then it will all be for nothing." The blue-haired boy thought to himself.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Boxford Corp, Spencer and Skiff were both watching the duel.

"Think Thomas will pick the right card?" asked Skiff.

"I have confidence that he will." Spencer replied, looking dead serious. "Because if I can beat Exodia, then so can Billinton."

Skiff nodded to his big brother and resumed watching the duel.

(elsewhere...)

Back in Knapford City, Thomas finally made the command...

"FIRE!"

The sword from the Lightforce Sword card fired off towards the Rare Hunter's hand. Everyone braced themselves as the sword struck a card. The Rare Hunter screamed in outrage at what card was pierced.

"You've pierced Exodia's Right Arm!" The man cried out.

The card was locked down on the ground near the furious Rare Hunter, who cast a glare of hate towards his opponent.

"You've saved yourself again!"

Everyone in the crowd (except for Diesel) breathed a sigh of relief.

"And now to deal with your Gear Golem." continued Thomas, holding up another card. "I sacrifice Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast to summon the Skull Archfiend of Lightning!"

Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast vanished in a blue streak, and appearing in its place was a monster resembling the Summoned Skull! ...but it looked darker and a bit meaner, too (Level: 6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1200).

"The Skull Archfiend of Lightning?" Percy blinked.

"Doesn't that monster resemble Thomas's Summoned Skull?" Emily asked, looking at Edward.

"Yes it does." nodded the intelligent blue-haired boy. "But this one seems to be a bit more powerful."

"Skull Archfiend of Lightning-" commanded Thomas. "-destroy Gear Golem with Archfiend Lightning!"

The Skull Archfiend of Lightning obeyed and charged itself in yellow lightning before firing it off. The lightning struck and destroyed Gear Golem the Moving Fortress.

"Now you're defenseless!"

"Geez, Billinton has got more lives than my cat." complained Diesel.

"I didn't know you have a cat, Diesel." Paxton responded in an absentmind-like tone.

"With that, I end my turn." said Thomas, feeling satisfied.

"You'll pay for that!" growled the Rare Hunter, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, Swords of Revealing Light, and Left Leg of the Forbidden One

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : 3 Turns

* * *

As expected, the drawn card was a piece of Exodia (Left Leg).

"I've drawn the Left Leg, but with the Right Arm out of play I can't declare an automatic win." The Rare Hunter thought unhappily. "But I'll still win this duel."

"So what will your action for the turn be?" asked Thomas. "With the Right Arm out of play for the next three of your turns, you cannot summon Exodia."

"That may be, but I can still save myself!" retorted the Rare Hunter, sliding a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk with a laugh. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Not the swords!" cried Thomas.

On cue, several light swords strike the ground around Thomas's field.

"Now you can't attack me for three whole turns." grinned the Rare Hunter. "Which will give me lots of time to wait out for your Lightforce Sword to wear off."

"Oh no!" cried Emily, sounding distressed.

"I'll find a way around your swords." insisted Thomas firmly, as he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Book of Secret Arts and Chain Destruction

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : Three turns

* * *

It was then the blue-haired boy took a small life point hit (LP: 3500).

"In order to keep my Skull Archfiend of Lightning out on the field, I HAVE to pay a total of 500 life points every one of my standby phases."

"A pricey monster you have there." joked the Rare Hunter.

Thomas ignored the comment and took a card from his hand.

"I'll set one card facedown-" The blue-haired boy sighed, slotting his card into his Duel Disk. "-and end my turn."

(elsewhere...)

Back in Boxford Corp, Skiff spoke to Spencer again.

"Will Thomas lose?" he asked worriedly.

"Looks like it." said Spencer bluntly. "Further more, this Rare Hunter has three sets of Exodia, so all he needs to do is draw another Right Arm and he'll still win."

"Oh..." Skiff looked disappointed, and began to resume watching the duel.

"However!"

"Huh?" The younger boy looked back over to Spencer.

"Billinton has pulled off a few miracles as we've known." continued the silver-haired boy. "Maybe he'll surprise us with something."

His eyes were mainly staring at the facedown card Thomas had set earlier.

"And maybe that set card will be that one miracle."

(elsewhere...)

Back in Knapford, it was the Rare Hunter's turn.

"And now it ends!"

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, and Change of Heart

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : 2 Turns

* * *

"Not what I need, but still should be helpful." The Rare Hunter thought, holding held his card out. "I'll activate the Spell card Change of Heart!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"With this, I can take control of your Skull Archfiend and use it against you!" said the Rare Hunter, cackling wickedly. "Prepare to be attacked by your own monster!"

But Thomas was not gonna let that happen... "I activate my Archfiend's special ability!"

A dice appeared.

"What?!" cried the Rare Hunter.

"If this dice lands on either a 1, 3, or 6-" explained Thomas. "-then my Archfiend will negate your card and destroy it. Go dice roll!"

The dice was launched into the air before landing on the ground. Thomas watched anxiously while the Rare Hunter watched gleefully. Finally, the rolling stopped and landed...

...on a six.

"It's a six!" cried Thomas. "Skull Archfiend, counter!"

The Skull Archfiend of Lighting obeyed and fired some lightning at the Rare Hunter's Spell card, destroying it.

"Grrr!" The Rare Hunter growled. "You've saved yourself again!"

"Agreed." Thomas nodded. "Just in time for my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Book of Secret Arts and Pot of Greed

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : Two Turns

* * *

The blue-haired boy looked at his drawn card as he took another life point hit (LP: 3000).

"I have two turns to take Exodia down." he thought to himself. "Maybe this card will help me get a way to truly do so."

Thomas held his new card out.

"I activate Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two additional cards from my deck."

With that said, he drew two new cards, showing relief at what they were.

"A good start." Thomas thought, before taking one of them and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "I'll set this card facedown-" A facedown card materialized beside the first facedown. "-and then finally-" He placed a monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "-I'll summon Alpha The Magnet Warrior in attack mode!"

Appearing beside Skull Archfiend of Lighting was the green-hued magnetic warrior (Level: 4/ATK: 1400).

"Thanks to my swords-" reminded the Rare Hunter. "-you still can't attack me."

"Don't count me out just yet." Thomas retorted. "My strategy to destroy Exodia will not even require me to attack at all!" He the smirked. "...besides, you have so many Exodia cards in your deck that drawing the one piece you'll need to win will be quite hard."

Despite looking confident that he would do so, the Rare Hunter knew Thomas was right. He had three copies of each Exodia piece, thus making it difficult on drawing the exact piece he needed.

"It's my turn!" The Rare Hunter said, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Rare Hunter (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Right Arm of the Forbidden One, Left Arm of the Forbidden One, Exodia the Forbidden One, Left Leg of the Forbidden One, and Exodia the Forbidden One

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : 1 Turn

* * *

The drawn card was shown to be another Exodia part (Head).

"Another head." The Rare Hunter thought to himself. "I could still just hold out until my next turn so that the Lightforce Sword will wear off and I get the Right Arm back." He then got a worried look. "But... what if that Thomas kid does indeed have a plan to end my Swords of Revealing Light card before then? I'll be wide open for a direct attack! What do I do?"

Emily, Edward, and Percy each noticed that the Rare Hunter was looking nervous.

"Looks like Thomas has him on the ropes." said Percy. "He can't think of a way out."

"I suppose I could summon a piece to defend me." The Rare Hunter thought to himself some more. "They count as monster cards, after all."

"Well?" asked Thomas in a mocking tone. "I'm waiting."

The Rare Hunter look a card from his hand a placed it sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Exodia's Head in defense mode!" he declared. "Now I have a monster to protect my life points!"

Appearing to the field was Exodia's head coming out of part of a pentagram (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000). Unfortunately for the Rare Hunter...

"Gotcha!" yelled Thomas, pointing forth. "You've activated the Trap card of your demise - Chain Destruction!"

Thomas's first facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"What does that card do?" asked the Rare Hunter.

Edward smiled. "Oh, he's so gonna regret asking that question."

"As you've summoned a monster-" explained Thomas. "-Chain Destruction destroys every card in your hand and deck with the same name as the one on the field!"

A large spiked chain came out of the card and went right through Exodia's Head until it hit the Rare Hunter's hand and deck.

"My Exodia heads!" gasped the Rare Hunter.

"Now all of the monster cards with the name ' **Exodia the Forbidden One** ' in your hand and deck are sent to the graveyard!" Thomas declared. "Meaning there is no way you can ever hope to summon Exodia now!"

The Rare Hunter was horrified to learn of this. "This isn't possible!" he thought to himself. "That boy managed to defeat the unbeatable Exodia!"

"But I'm not done." continued Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Next I reveal my other facedown card - Dust Tornado!"

The other facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This card will destroy any Spell or Trap card you have on the field. And the one that will be destroyed is your Swords of Revealing Light!"

The swords were shattered, freeing Thomas's monsters.

"No!" wailed the Rare Hunter. "You couldn't have done it! No one has ever been able to beat Exodia before!"

"As I said before-" Thomas pointed out, drawing his card. "-I know somebody who did already. It's my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Book of Secret Arts and Monster Reborn

* * *

He grimaced as he took a life point hit (LP: 2500). Right now, however, it didn't matter...

"Now I play my final card card!" Thomas took his newly drawn card from his hand and slid it into an empty Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Monster Reborn!"

Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast reappeared.

"I'll use it to revive my Chimera from the graveyard!"

"Now he's got three monsters while that Rare Hunter only has one!" exclaimed Emily.

The Rare Hunter screamed in despair as he was about to lose the duel.

"Alpha The Magnet Warrior!" commanded Thomas. "Destroy Exodia with Magnet Sword Slash!"

Alpha obeyed, charging forward and slashing through the Exodia head.

"With your last monster gone, you are wide open." boomed Thomas fiercely. "Chimera, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, attack the Rare Hunter directly!"

The two monsters obeyed and attacked at once... The Rare Hunter didn't know what hit him and was quickly thrown onto his back (LP: 0)...

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

Diesel watched in shock. "He actually did it." he muttered in disbelief.

The holograms disappeared as everybody else began cheering for Thomas.

"Thomas actually beat Exodia!" cheered Oliver.

"And he didn't even need the help of his magicians, Mr. Oliver." added Toad, Oliver's younger brother.

While everybody was cheering for Thomas, none of them noticed Diesel sneaking up to the Rare Hunter.

"You won't be needing these anymore." The devious black-haired boy grinned deviously, while beginning picking up the man's dropped Exodia pieces.

Thomas then approached and picked up a card lying on the ground. It was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon monster card.

"I'll be taking Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back." The blue-haired boy said sternly.

The Rare Hunter was too stunned to reply back. Just then, Diesel's angry voice could be heard...

"HEY! THESE CARDS ARE FAKE!"

Everybody looked in Diesel's direction.

"What do you mean, Diesel?" asked Paxton.

"I mean these cards are fakes!" snapped the devious black-haired boy. "This guy never even had Exodia in the first place."

Thomas walked over and Diesel handed him the cards. After looking over them and rubbing his fingers on the surface of the cards, he gasped in anger and shock.

"He's right." exclaimed Thomas. "They feel rather like cheap newspaper. These cards ARE fake!"

Everyone was shocked and disgusted to learn that the Rare Hunter guy never had three sets of Exodia and merely cheated by using fakes.

"He cheated!" shouted a random voice.

"He should be ejected from the tournament!" came another voice.

Angrily, Thomas immediately tore the fake Exodia cards up into pieces and let the wind carry them away.

"Now no one can use these fake cards again!"

"You, sir-" said Edward to the Rare Hunter, while motioning the index finger of his right hand in a scolding gesture. "-are nothing more than a thief and a cheater."

Thomas walked back over and took the Rare Hunter's only Locator card.

"Also part of Battle City Rules indicates that I also take the loser's Locator card." he said firmly.

Suddenly, the Rare Hunter started going mad. "N-No, master! Please don't be angry!" he cried, holding onto his head in pain.

"What's going on?" Paxton asked nervously.

"I don't know-" gulped Diesel. "-but I'm getting out of here!"

The two boys quickly raced off as the Rare Hunter continued to go mad.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, sounding scared.

"I've seen this happen before." mumbled Thomas, easily recalling the same thing happening to Diesel 10.

Suddenly, the Rare Hunter gave a laugh (with a mix of voices).

"We meet again, Thomas Billinton." said the voice of Marik Ishtar.

"I had a feeling it might be you again..." Thomas seethed. "Tell me who you are!"

The possessed Rare Hunter chuckled. "Very well, my name is Marik."

"What do you want with me?!"

A holographic image of Marik materialized, scowling. "Revenge."

"Revenge?" asked Thomas, sounding confused and angry. "Revenge for what?! What did I ever do to you!?"

"Not just against you." Marik replied. "Against your whole bloodline!"

"What's this clown talking about?" Percy asked, walking over.

"You would never understand the pain my family had to endure." sneered Marik, before returning his attention to Thomas. "But soon you will. I am the holder of a Millennium Item, just like Ishizu Ishtar. One of the three Egyptian God cards is already loose on Sodor. If you're foolish enough to come up against it, you will die by his hands."

"Egyptian God cards?" Thomas blinked, that was something Ishizu never told him about.

Marik smirked. "I see you've never heard of them before."

"Ishizu never mentioned something about a God card." Emily stated. "What exactly are they?"

"Only the three most powerful monster cards ever created." explained Marik. "I already have two of them."

"What are they?!" Thomas demanded. "How were they created?!"

"Like I would tell you." Marik taunted. "You'll just have to find out for yourself!"

"You creep!" Emily exclaimed angrily.

"Let the games begin." grinned the Rare Hunter leader. "I so look forward to playing with you and your friends, Thomas Billinton."

With that said, amid evil laughter, Marik released control over the Rare Hunter, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

"That was so creepy." whispered Edward, before looking at the Rare Hunter. "He's still alive, but we'd best let the police know about this."

Percy nodded before a card was shown to him.

"Here you go, Percy." Thomas said. "Red-Eyes is yours once again."

But to his surprise, Percy shook his head no.

"It isn't mine to take, Thomas." he said quietly.

"What?" Emily quizzed. "But, Percy-!"

"Let him talk, Emily." Thomas interrupted. "What do you mean, Percy?"

"I can't take it right now." explained Percy. "If I were to take it back that easily, I won't be a True Duelist. And Red-Eyes wouldn't accept it, either. You and James are both True Duelists—though you are one moreso. When I dueled James back at the San Francisco tournament, I was fighting for mainly myself. That's why I came here. You guys always play honestly with any opponent. You really gave me a lesson—what I lacked is the player's self-esteem."

Emily and Edward both smiled as Percy went on with his passionate speech.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon has always been my special card." he said. "He is and always will be my partner. That's why I can't take it now. If I did, then Red-Eyes wouldn't be happy. Thomas, you can have the card temporarily. Besides, I've prepared a new deck for the tournament. With these cards, I'm still qualified to participate. Just in case, I still have both the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard both to wager." As he spoke, he looked at his Duel Disk and drew the top two cards from his deck, holding them both up to Thomas, Emily, and Edward, revealing them to be the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard monster cards respectively. "They are my last rare cards. I want to become a True Duelist like you, Thomas. In Battle City, I must show you — when I win in this tournament... When I become a True Duelist, please accept a proper duel with me."

"Oh, Percy." Emily began, smiling as tears fell from her eyes. "That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard you say to anyone."

"Agreed." Thomas nodded, also smiling. "I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card for the time being."

Percy smiled as he and Thomas shook hands, sealing the deal.

"You are the best friend I could ever ask for." Thomas stated.

"Like wise." Percy agreed, turning around. "Well, I'm off to find me some duels."

"Good luck." said Thomas.

With that, Percy headed off.

"So, what do we do now?" Emily asked, seeing that it was now only her, Thomas, and Edward remaining after the green-haired boy had left the group to go find some duelists of his own.

"I guess find some duelists willing to challenge me or accept my own challenge." Thomas replied. "I still need four more Locator cards to qualify for the finals."

(elsewhere...)

Inside Boxford Corp headquarter's bridge, Spencer and Skiff both finished watching the scene with Thomas and Percy on the big computer screen when the latter began to speak to the former.

"Thomas actually got to beat that Rare Hunter!" cheered Skiff.

"Not that I'm surprised." Spencer replied coolly. "After all, those weren't really Exodia cards Billinton was facing." He then turned around to leave. "Alright, I'm off to join the tournament. Skiff, you go and scout around the city and make sure that no more cheaters are found."

"Right, Spencer." said Skiff. He then turned to the girls. "Be sure to notify us if anybody uses an Egyptian God card."

"Yes, sir." nodded one of the bridge girls. "We understand."

And thus, the two boys left the bridge. It was official; the Battle City tournament...had begun.


	11. Arrogance? Or a Weakness?

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Battle City was officially underway in the city of Knapford on the Island of Sodor. Duelists all around were dueling and trying to earn new cards as well as Locator cards. No one knew where the finals were, so they needed to earn six of those locator cards first.

Thomas had already won his first duel of the tournament, earning himself a Locator card and Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon in the process.

Percy, who declined to take his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back right now, had vowed to become a better duelist to the point of challenging Thomas when that time comes to see if he can truly earn his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back.

Somewhere with Gordon, Henry, and James, they were exploring and trying to find duelists for James to face.

"Come on...come on!" The red-haired boy called out. "Who wants a piece of me?!"

"Someone sounds confident." Gordon commented.

"Well, why shouldn't I be?" asked James. "With my Neo-Spacians, my deck is one of the strongest around."

"I really hate to say this, James, but you're not one of the best around here." Henry pointed out. "That would be Thomas. You've also lost quite a number of duels up to now, too."

James was upset to be reminded of that. He thought for sure he was one of the best duelists on the island, and would go and prove it to everyone.

"We'll see about that." he said. "I'll prove to everybody that I, James Hughes, am one of the greatest duelists on the Island of Sodor!"

Gordon and Henry both sighed. This was gonna lead to trouble for certain. They just know it.

* * *

 **Title: Arrogance? Or a Weakness?**

* * *

Somewhere in the city, Molly was roaming around admiring much of the duels going on.

"Oh, wow." she said. "So many duels going on. Spencer had really gone all out to make this great. Too bad I'm not competing though. I wouldn't last long in something like this."

"Hey, Molly!" called a male voice.

The voice belonged to a boy about 16-years old. He was tall, had short orange hair, and very well built. It was Murdoch Riddles, a gentle-hearted young man who was also taking part in the tournament.

"Hello, Murdoch." Molly greeted, smiling kindly. "How are you doing so far in the tournament?"

"I'm doing alright so far." said Murdoch bashfully.

"How many Locator cards do you have so far?" asked Molly.

The orange-haired boy took two see-through cards out of his pocket.

"I've just won my first duel." he said. "Along with the one I started with, I have two so far."

"That's great." smiled Molly. "Did you hear about Thomas's duel with some Rare Hunter?"

"I've heard." Murdoch nodded. "I don't know what a 'Rare Hunter' is, and frankly I don't want to know. They sound like bad news to me."

"Me too."

As the two teens talked, Gordon, Henry, and James were walking into the area.

"Man, I need a duel!" James complained.

"Hey, isn't that Molly talking with Murdoch over there?" Henry pointed out.

Gordon took a closer look and nodded. "It is them." he smiled. "Why don't we go over and say hi?"

The two teens then noticed James staring at Molly and Murdoch in silence.

"Um, you okay, James?" asked Henry, sounding and looking a bit nervous.

James was still staring at the two teens in the distance. The way they were chatting and laughing made it seem like they were enjoying each other's company. The red-haired boy was seething in anger and jealousy at the sight.

"Hey, you!" he finally shouted at Murdoch. This got the two teens's attention.

Murdoch, not knowing that James was mad, smiled. "Hi, guys!"

"Hello, everyone!" Molly added, waving to James, Henry, and Gordon.

Just then, without any warning, James lunged forth and tackled the bigger boy onto the ground. Molly was shocked to see this.

"James!" she cried. "What are you doing?"

"How dare you!?" shouted James to Murdoch.

"What'd I do?" Murdoch demanded, looking surprised but not angry.

"You tried to take her away from me!" snapped James.

"What're you talking about-?"

Quickly, Gordon and Henry both ran over and managed to pulled James off of Murdoch.

"James!" Gordon said angrily. "What on earth is with you?!"

"Yeah, they were just talking!" added Henry.

"I bet!" James retorted, looking towards Murdoch in anger. "You just want Molly all to yourself!"

Murdoch and Molly both looked surprised, the former shook his head.

"Molly and I are just friends." insisted Murdoch. "That is all."

"Shut it!" snapped James, activating his Duel Disk. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"James, what is with you?" Molly asked, trying her absolute hardest to not get angry. "You attacked Murdoch, and then challenge him to a duel just because he was talking to me?"

"He was trying to flirt with you!" protested James.

"James, that's not-"

"I accept your challenge." Murdoch interrupted, still not sounding or looking angry...but instead smiled. "This should be a good duel. I get to face one of the runner-ups of that San Francisco tournament."

Once Murdoch had activated his Duel Disk, the two drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Time to duel!" They both said at once.

Gordon, Henry, and Molly each stood nearby to watch the duel happen.

"Why is this happening?" Molly asked, sounding upset.

"James thought Murdoch was flirting with you or something." said Gordon. "I'd say he's a little nuts."

"I think nuts is a little bit of an understatement." Henry commented.

Molly blushed in embarrassment.

"I'll go first." announced James.

* * *

 **Turn One** : James Hughes (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Elemental HERO Sparkman, E - Emergency Call, A Hero Emerges, Elemental HERO Bladedge, and Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone

* * *

The red-haired boy smirked. "Not too shabby if I say so myself."

Taking a card from his hand, he placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack mode!"

The hero in the blue suit with the visor appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400).

"Next I play the spell card E - Emergency Call!" James added, sliding the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "This lets me add another Elemental HERO from my deck to my hand."

The card materialized face-up. James then took his deck out of his Duel Disk and searched it for what he was looking for.

"Ah ha!"

Taking the monster card in question from his deck, James added it to his hand, shuffled the deck, and then reinserted it into his Duel Disk.

"My turn is over now." he said. "Let's see what you can do, Murdoch."

"Very well, James." said Murdoch, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Murdoch Riddles (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Sogen, Reinforcement of the Army, Reinforcements, Kojikocy, Sword Hunter, and Exile of the Wicked

* * *

"Not the best opening hand, but just about enough to give James a run." he thought to himself.

"So, what are you gonna play?" James called out, sounding impatient.

"First I play the Field Spell Sogen!" declared Murdoch, as the Field Spell part of his Duel Disk opened up.

James was puzzled. "Sogen?"

The Field Spell slot closed up. Suddenly, the town square suddenly morphed itself into a meadow of some kind.

"Sogen is a Field Spell card that benefits warrior and beast-warrior monsters." Murdoch explained. "Giving them an extra 200 attack and defense points."

Sparkman's attack and defense rose thanks to the field (ATK: 1600 - 1800/DEF: 1400 - 1600).

"Before you say anything..." Murdoch went on. "Yes - I'm aware it also affects many of your own monsters too." He took a card from his hand and held it up. "But I have my own monster to handle yours. So now, meet my Kojikocy!"

A warrior monster with a sword, shield, and white beard materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1500 - 1700)

"Too bad it's much weaker than my Sparkman." James chuckled.

"In that case, I also play the Spell card Reinforcement of the Army!" said Murdoch, sliding the card into his Duel Disk. "This lets me add a level 4 or lower warrior monster from my deck to my hand."

A card automatically slipped from his deck, and the orange-haired boy took it before showing it to be a monster card called Marauding Captain.

"I'll now add Marauding Captain to my hand."

Suddenly, a facedown card materialized behind Kojikocy.

"Finally I'll place a card facedown and that will be it for me." said Murdoch.

"My turn!" announced James, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : James Hughes (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): A Hero Emerges, Elemental HERO Bladedge, Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone, Elemental HERO Bubbleman, and Bubble Blaster

* * *

"Oh, you're in for it now." he snickered, taking and holding out a monster card from his hand. "I'll summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman in attack mode!"

The Aquatic hero appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 800 - 1000/DEF: 1200 - 1400).

"And I'll boost his strength with Bubble Blaster!" James went on, holding another card out.

A blaster materialized in Bubbleman's hand, increasing his strength further (ATK: 1000 - 1800).

"Now my monsters can destroy your monster and then attack you directly!"

"Looks like James will be getting ahead." said Gordon.

"Bubbleman!" ordered James. "Attack Kojikocy!"

Bubbleman obeyed, firing a bubble shot at the bearded warrior.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." sighed Murdoch, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "I play the Trap card Reinforcements!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This Trap card gives my monster an additional 500 attack points for the remainder of the turn."

Kojikocy grew stronger (ATK: 1700 - 2200).

"This doesn't look good..." James mumbled.

"Kojikocy, counterattack!" commanded Murdoch.

Kojikocy obeyed, slashing through the bubble before charging at Bubbleman himself.

"I play Bubble Blaster's other effect!" said James. "It takes the hit instead of Bubbleman and I take no damage!"

The sword slashed into Bubble Blaster, destroying it. But Bubbleman was still standing (ATK: 1800 - 1000).

"Not bad." smiled Murdoch. "That was something I did not expect."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." James replied. "I won't have Sparkman attack this turn."

Before ending his turn, the red-haired boy slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"My turn!" said Murdoch, just as he drew from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Murdoch Riddles (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Sword Hunter, Exiled of the Wicked, Marauding Captain, and Marauding Captain

* * *

"Okay, James." The orange-haired boy held out his drawn card. "Meet the Marauding Captain in defense mode!"

An armored warrior appeared to the field kneeling (Level: 3/ATK: 1200 - 1400/DEF: 400 - 600).

"And when he's summoned-" said Murdoch, holding up another card. "I can special summon another level 4 or lower monster from my hand. And I choose to summon another Marauding Captain!"

A second armored warrior appeared.

"So?" James scoffed. "They're both weak monsters"

"Attack points aren't everything." said Murdoch, motioning a finger out. "As long as Marauding Captain is out, he will protect his fellow warrior comrades by being the only one you can attack. But as there are two out, you can't attack any of my monsters at all."

"What?!"

"Ooh, tough break." Gordon commented. "Unless James can get something out that can wipe out at least one of those captains, he's a sitting duck."

Molly didn't say a single word.

"Kojikocy!" commanded Murdoch, "Attack Bubbleman!"

Kojikocy obeyed, charging at Bubbleman with his sword.

"I don't have anything to save my monster." James thought to himself.

Bubbleman was struck by the sword of Kojikocy and was destroyed.

"There goes your Bubbleman!" declared Murdoch.

James scowled as he took damage (LP: 3300).

"Not off to a good start, is he?" Henry asked about James.

"Doesn't look like it." said Gordon.

"You'll pay for that!" yelled James, while he drew from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : James Hughes (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Elemental HERO Bladedge, Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone, and Hero's Rule 1: Five Freedoms

* * *

"Nuts!" thought James. "This won't help me!"

With a sigh, he slid another card into another Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"Since your captains are out-" said James, as a facedown card materialized. "-I can't attack. So I end my turn."

Murdoch silently drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Murdoch Riddles (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sword Hunter, Exiled of the Wicked, Cost Down

* * *

"This will work quite well." he thought. "First I need to make my monster low enough in level."

"What's Murdoch up to?" asked Henry.

"I'm not sure." Gordon replied. "But I've got the feeling we're about to find out now."

And he was right. Murdoch took his drawn card and slotted it into his Duel Disk, causing the card to materialize face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Cost Down." he said. "By discarding one card, I can downgrade the levels of all monsters in my hand by two."

Murdoch sent one card from his hand to the graveyard.

"Now I sacrifice Kojikocy in order to summon my Sword Hunter!" Murdoch held up the last card in his hand.

James had a look of worry of his face. He knew this was about to get very rough indeed. The bearded warrior disappeared and in his place was a warrior armed with many swords (Level: 7/ATK: 2450 - 2650/DEF: 1700 - 1900)

"This is what happens when arrogance gets the best of you." Henry mumbled.

"I second that." agreed Gordon. "And think James would agree. Look at that monster!"

"Like my monster?" asked Murdoch. "Because not only does he have a high attack power, but a useful ability too. Everytime my Sword Hunter destroys a monster in battle, that monster gets equipped to him and he gains an additional 200 attack points. Now attack Sparkman!"

"Darn it, darn it, DARN IT!" James thought to himself in a panic.

Sword Hunter charged forward towards Sparkman until suddenly the red-haired boy remembered something.

"Hang on a second!" James said quickly, pressing a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Trap card A Hero Emerges!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"A Hero Emerges?" Murdoch blinked. "What does that card do?"

"This trap lets you select one card in my hand." said James. "If it's a monster, I can automatically summon it. If not, it goes to the graveyard."

He held up his two cards.

"I have two cards, so this means you have a 50/50 chance."

Gordon looked surprised. "What would the be point of that? Sword Hunter would destroy Sparkman anyway and get stronger in the process."

"Guess James is getting desperate to make a comeback." said Henry.

"Well, come on." James insisted. "Pick a card already. You have a 50/50 chance of choosing right or wrong, you know."

"One can't just rush into these things." said Murdoch. "I pick the card on the left."

James held the chosen card up, and revealed it to be...

"Congratulations..." James began. "You've chosen..."

It was Elemental HERO Bladedge.

"Bladgedge?!" cried Murdoch.

James placed the card on his Duel Disk, causing the metal wearing hero to appear (Level: 7/ATK: 2600 - 2800/DEF: 1800 - 2000).

"No matter." Murdoch recovered. "I'll still attack your Sparkman!"

Sword Hunter's attack continued, destroying Sparkman.

"Your Sparkman has fallen!" declared Murdoch. "And because my Sword Hunter destroyed a monster in battle, the beaten monster is equipped to Sword Hunter, granting my monster 200 extra attack points!"

Part of Sparkman's armor appeared on Sword Hunter, making it stronger (ATK: 2650 - 2850).

James scowled as he had taken even more damage (LP: 2450).

"I still don't see the point of why James summoned Bladedge." Gordon complained.

"I just hope he has a plan." Henry stated. "Because if Murdoch destroys Bladedge, then James will be out of the tournament."

"Not to sound rude." said Murdoch. "But don't you think now would be a good time to surrender? I've got an unbeatable defense, and a powerful monster. Why continue?"

James snorted. "Me? Surrender to you? Just so you could have Molly to yourself?!"

"Again with that?" Murdoch sighed. "Molly and I are just friends."

"Liar!" snapped James. "My turn!" He fiercely drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : James Hughes (LP: 2450)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I'll play Pot of Greed!" The red-haired boy held his drawn card out. "Now I draw two cards."

He drew his two cards, and then slotted one of them into his Duel Disk.

"I'll place one card facedown now."

A facedown card materialized behind Bladedge. James then took his final card from his hand.

"Finally, I'll summon Elemental HERO Avian in defense mode!"

The avionic wearing hero appeared in defense mode (Level: 3/ATK: 1000 - 1200/DEF: 1000 - 1200).

"My turn," said Murdoch, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Murdoch Riddles (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (1): Goblin Attack Force

* * *

First I'll switch my two Captains into attack mode!"

The two Marauding Captains stood up into a battle position.

"Sword Hunter, strike down Elemental HERO Bladedge!" The orange-haired boy commanded.

Sword Hunter obeyed, charging at James's hero.

"I activate my Trap card!" declared James, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Edge Hammer?!" cried Murdoch.

"That's right!" said James. "By tributing Bladedge, I can destroy your Sword Hunter and dish out damage to you equal to his attack points! Bladedge, go get him!"

Elemental HERO Bladedge obeyed and turned himself into a beam of light, lunging and striking Sword Hunter, destroying both him (Sword Hunter) and himself (Bladedge).

"And since Sword Hunter had 2850 attack points-" James continued. "-say goodbye to that many life points!"

Murdoch yelled as he lost life points (LP: 1150).

"Wow, James did some big time damage." Gordon said in amazement.

"But he's not out of danger just yet." Henry reminded. "Those two Marauding Captains are in attack mode and haven't struck yet."

"Marauding Captain!" said Murdoch. "Destroy Avian now!"

One of the Marauding Captains obeyed and slashed his sword on Elemental HERO Avian, destroying him.

"Now James is defenseless." Molly thought to herself.

"Now my second Marauding Captain will attack you directly!" said Murdoch.

The second Marauding Captain went and slashed James with his sword, making the red-haired boy yell in pain as he took more damage (LP: 1050).

"James!" called out both Gordon and Henry.

Panting, James looked up. "Is that the best you've got?"

"You're more stubborn than I thought." said Murdoch, sighing unhappily. "Now will you surrender before you embarrass yourself?"

"Not a chance." James replied. "I was in the top three in the San Francisco tournament. There's no way I'll let someone like you beat me!"

"Alright." Murdoch moaned. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : James Hughes (LP: 1050)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sabatiel - The Philosopher's Stone and Card of Sanctity

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, James smirked.

"I'll begin by playing Card of Sanctity."

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"This lets us both draw until we have six cards in our hands." explained James.

Both players drew new hands.

Looking at what he drew, James took his first card and held it out.

"I'd like you to meet my good friend, Winged Kuriboh!" he grinned.

The winged ball of fluff appeared on James's field (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 200).

"Hey, Henry." Gordon spoke up. "You recognize this action, right?"

"I sure do." nodded Henry. "This is the same move he used against Sledge."

Murdoch, meanwhile, thought James had lost it at this point.

"Why on earth would you summon a monster like that against me?" he asked.

"You'll just have to see." said James, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Murdoch merely gave a grim look.

"As you wish." he sighed, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Murdoch Riddles (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Goblin Attack Force, Collected Power, Axe of Despair, Monster Reborn, Enraged Battle Ox, and Judge Man

* * *

"I begin by playing Monster Reborn!" Murdoch began, holding his mentioned card out. "And I'll use it to revive my Sword Hunter from the graveyard."

The mighty Sword Hunter returned to the field.

"It's all over for him." thought Molly about James.

"I'll also add the Enraged Battle Ox to my attack force." Murdoch continued, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing to the field was what looked like a tougher looking Battle Ox (Level: 4/ATK: 1700 - 1900/DEF: 1000 - 1200).

"As much as I want to congratulate you on getting this far-" said Murdoch regretfully. "You were way in over your head. Now watch as one of my Marauding Captains slays your final monster!"

James merely grunted.

"Marauding Captain, destroy Winged Kuriboh now!" commanded Murdoch, pointing forth.

Marauding Captain obeyed, charging forward.

"I don't think so!" declared James, poking a button on his Duel Disk after discarding two cards. "By discarding two cards from my hand, I activate Transcendent Wings!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before getting surrounded by a celestial light of some sort.

"Transcendent Wings?" Murdoch blinked.

"That's right." nodded James. "This spell evolves my Winged Kuriboh into Winged Kuriboh Lv.10!"

The ray of light covers Winged Kuriboh. When the light died down, there was Winged Kuriboh in its most supreme form (Level: 10/ATK: 300/DEF: 200).

"No real change though." Murdoch commented. "In either case, I'll send Sword Hunter to attack instead! Wipe out Winged Kuriboh Lv.10 and end this duel!"

Sword Hunter obeyed, charging at Winged Kuriboh Lv..10.

"That's what I was hoping for." grinned James.

"Why do you mean?"

"I play Winged Kuriboh Lv.10's special ability!" declared James. "When he's attacked, I can tribute him and destroy all your monsters, dealing damage to you for the combined attack of them all!"

"What did you say?" Murdoch cried out.

"You've heard me." James replied. "Say goodbye to all of your monsters!"

Winged Kuriboh Lv.10 became engulfed in light as it grew, all of destroying Murdoch's monsters before a shock-wave came and struck him causing him to fly back and yell as he lost the rest of his life points (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Hughes wins!**

* * *

"And that's game." James stated, while all of the holograms vanished.

"Wow!" gasped Henry.

"I guess he won after all." added Gordon.

Molly then rushed forth. James turned and saw the black-haired girl running towards him.

"Hey!" The red-haired boy smiled, opening his arms out.

But then...the black-haired girl rushed past him.

"Huh?"

Molly had instead run over to see if Murdoch was okay.

"Murdoch!" she cried. "Oh, Murdoch, are you okay?"

The orange-haired boy grimaced and rubbed the top of his head.

"That attack did hurt." he groaned. "But I'll certainly make it."

"Oh come on!" pouted James. "I'm the one who won, not him! Besides, those were holograms, so they shouldn't hurt at all!"

"Um, James?" Gordon started. "Maybe you should cool it..."

But James wouldn't listen and just kept on ranting.

"You're supposed to be paying attention to ME!" he went on. "I was in the top 3 of the San Francisco tournament for crying out loud! Why is it that every time I try to hang with you, you make up some excuse to ditch me? It's not fair!"

"James?" Henry tried to speak up.

Still, James didn't stop with his ranting.

"I mean Murdoch's not even that great of a duelist! Why are you always avoiding a chance for us to hang out?"

Unfortunately, by that point, sweet-natured Molly Russell had had enough of James's arrogant and conceited attitude.

"Stop it." she said suddenly.

James let his sentence hang. "Wha-?"

Molly stood up, turned around, and gave the red-haired boy a very dangerous stare that made him hush up in an instant.

"He's dead." whispered Gordon and Henry to each other.

After a moment of silence, Molly began speaking. And she sounded dead serious too.

"James Hughes!" she said acidly. "You are by far the most arrogant and self-centered boy I have ever met. You brag to everybody thinking that you are the greatest thing since sliced bread even though you're not. You, for instance, back in middle school, bullied Emily to the point she became a bossy brat, which also got her to briefly bully me. Not to mention you even had the nerve to scare Percy and almost cause him to leave Sodor forever! To be honest, I don't care at all for your arrogant nature! Why can't you be a better person like Thomas?"

James completely flinched upon hearing that. But did Molly stop there? Don't bet on it.

"Ever since we met-" she went on, "-I've been wondering to myself what was wrong with you. Why is it that you're always trying to show off and make people think you're the best instead of thinking about other people's feelings? You didn't even show any concern for Murdoch when he got hurt at the end of your duel! I don't like a guy that's arrogant and doesn't care for those around him, James Hughes."

Gordon and Henry were both amazed that someone so soft-spoken and nice like Molly could house quite the temper when pushed too far.

"Whoa." muttered Henry.

"Remind me to never make her mad." Gordon agreed.

James, having never seen or heard a girl say that to him...well, let's just say he didn't take it (more like the rejection part seemingly) very well to say the least. He began to speak right back.

"I think I understand perfectly on what you're saying, Molly." he said, trying to sound as calm as possible yet with hints of anger. "What you're saying is that you have ALWAYS DESPISED ME!" His calmness was immediately replaced with great anger, frightening Molly a bit. "All this time you've been lying to me, making me THINK you cared about me when all along you were feeding me false hopes to make me think that one day we'd be a couple, only to rip my heart out and crush my dreams just to satisfy your sadistic fantasies!"

"James?!" Henry, Gordon, and even Murdoch all gasped.

"James?" Molly added, all of her own anger was gone in an instant.

Unfortunately, James, with angry tears, still didn't stop there.

"I can't believe I wasted nearly five years trying to get a selfish, heartbreaking witch like you to notice me!" he continued, causing Molly to fearfully back up into a wall. "If you never intended on being my girlfriend at all, then you should have at least have the decency to just come out and say so instead of waiting to break my heart! If you want nothing to do with me, then I want nothing to do with you! I hate you, Molly Russell! Do you hear me?! I HATE YOU! I never want to see or talk to you ever again!"

With that said, James walked away in a terrible mood. Molly, meanwhile, slowly slumped down onto the ground as she felt her heart break.

"James..." she whispered, while starting to tear up.

Gordon, Henry, and Murdoch each approached the black-haired girl. They felt terrible for what they just witnessed James said to her.

"Are you okay, Molly?" asked Henry.

He never got an answer, as poor Molly finally broke down to cry. James may have won the duel...but at the same time, he lost.

Lost his friendship with Molly Russell that is.


	12. The ESP Shtick (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Gordon and Henry both had met up with Thomas, Edward, and Emily for lunch at a cafe. The two older teenagers had been telling their three friends the situation with James, Molly, and Murdoch...especially what happened at the end of the duel. Needless to say, after Gordon and Henry both had finished telling them exactly what had happened, Thomas, Edward, and Emily were each very much shocked...for the lack of a better word.

"Poor Molly." said Emily sympathetically. "How could James break her heart like that?"

"He took her words wrong and thought she hated him." said Henry.

"We knew this would happen eventually." Gordon pointed out. "We tried to stop him before he went too far, but he didn't listen."

"I'd like to bash his face in for saying such hurtful things to such an innocent girl like that." said Thomas crossly. "He should apologize to her!"

"Now, Thomas." Edward scolded. "Wanting to hurt someone just because of what someone did to another person won't make matters any better."

"Molly didn't deserve to be yelled at like that." argued Thomas. "Can't someone talk sense into James?"

"Thomas, you forget that James can be a VERY difficult person to talk some sense into." Gordon pointed out. "The only way he'll see sense..."

"...is if someone were to beat it into him?" suggested Emily, still angry that James would go and break Molly's heart.

"No." Edward shook his head. "Is if he were to learn a personal lesson on it."

"Somehow-" grumbled Thomas. "-that won't be easy."

"Where's Molly now?" asked Emily. "Think we should go talk to her?"

"Murdoch took her home." Henry explained. "I think we should just leave her alone for a bit."

"Also, when we see James again, Murdoch wants us to give him this." Gordon held up a Locator card. "James forgot to take it when he stormed off."

"He doesn't deserve one at all." snorted Thomas.

"That's enough, Thomas!" Emily snapped. "I know you're mad at James right now, but acting like this...you're becoming almost as bad as him!"

Thomas realized that his dark green-haired friend was right.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "But hearing what James said to Molly almost reminds me of when he used to bully you."

"It's okay, Thomas." said Emily soothingly, as she gently took her blue-haired friend into a hug.

"Here's hoping things get better soon." Henry said hopefully.

"Me too." added Edward.

* * *

 **Title: The ESP Shtick, Part 1**

* * *

Over in another part of Knapford, Percy was still searching around for a duel. It had been a good two hours so far, and he hadn't found someone who would challenge him.

"Man, why doesn't anybody want to duel me?" he asked. "Is it so hard to ask for a duel nowadays?"

Just then, he happened upon a large crowd.

"A duel." Percy thought, and decide to go check it out.

Once he pushed through the crowd, he saw two monsters facing off against each other. One was a Tri-Horned Dragon (Level 8/ATK: 2850) and the other was a humanoid machine-type wearing a helmet of a sort (Level 6/ATK: 2400 - 3200).

"Wow! A Tri-Horned Dragon and a Jinzo!" Percy said excitedly. "I wonder who owns those monsters?"

Taking a closer look, Percy could see the Tri-Horned Dragon was being used by Dennis.

"Dennis?" he blinked.

The other duelist was a boy with cyan colored hair, who also wore a black t-shirt and pale white pants. Percy seemed to recognize him too.

"Is that Samson?" he thought.

"Your Tri-Horned Dragon is no match for the might of my Jinzo, Dennis." taunted Samson. "And thanks to my psychic powers, I was able to predict you'd use that monster. That's why I had my Mesmeric Control ready."

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"Not that card!" cried Dennis.

"Now your dragon becomes 800 attack points weaker!" smirked Samson.

A large watch used for hypnotizing appeared, waving in front of Dennis's dragon, making it weaker (ATK: 2850 - 2050).

"Destroy his weak dragon, Jinzo!" called Samson. "Cyber Energy Shock attack!"

Jinzo obeyed, firing a blast of Cyber energy at Tri-Horned Dragon, destroying it.

"Aw man!" groaned Dennis, as he lost the last of his life points (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Samson wins!**

* * *

"And that's another win for me!" said Samson proudly, before walking over. "Hand over your dragon and Locator card."

Scowling, Dennis handed Samson his Tri-Horned Dragon and his locator card.

"Just don't get it damaged." he grumbled.

Looking at the card, Samson pocketed it and the Locator card.

"That card isn't worthy to be in my deck." he stated haughtily. "But it will come in handy as a little something for my cold drinks."

Dennis growled in annoyance as he heard the cyan-haired boy say that.

"I could have sworn he cheated." he muttered. "Oh, listen to myself, I cheated back in the San Francisco tournament."

"So which of you guys would like to face me next?" Samson dared, looking to the large crowd around him.

"Um...I'll pass." said a duelist nervously.

"I left my deck at home!" came the excuse of another duelist.

"What's going on here?" asked Percy, walking over.

"Percy?" Dennis was surprised to see the green-haired boy.

"You there!" Samson pointed forth.

"Me?" Percy gestured to himself.

"Yes you. I challenge you to a duel here and now."

"Percy, I wouldn't challenge him if I were you." Dennis warned.

"Why's that?" Percy asked.

"Because that guy's got ESP." Dennis explained.

"Does that mean he's crazy?" Percy quizzed rather naively.

Dennis face faulted. "No, you lunkhead! That means he can see into the future! He'd know every card in your hand!"

"Psychic, huh?" Percy said thoughtfully, recalling Thomas's duel against Sailor John. Once he snapped out of his thoughts, he gave a smirk. "Then I'll challenge him."

"You're crazy!"

"There's no way he'll be able to beat me." insisted Percy.

"And how, pray tell, do you know that?" Dennis asked, not sounding convinced at all.

"Thomas was able to defeat someone who could predict every card in his hand." said Percy. "So why can't I?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Percy, huh?" Samson walked forth. "I know you. You were one of the duelists from the San Francisco tournament a few months ago."

"That's right." smiled Percy proudly. "I even got to win Red-Eyes Black Dragon from Dennis here."

"Don't remind me." Dennis mumbled unhappily.

"I also get the feeling you know who I am too, right?"

"You're Samson." Percy stated. "If I remember corrected, you attend Sodor High School like me and Dennis here."

"That would be me." Samson nodded. "Samson at your service!"

"Well, I hope you're ready." said Percy. "Because it's time to duel!"

"Before we begin, I'll tell you what I'll wager." Samson interrupted. "I'll wager my Jinzo!"

"And I'll stake my Time Wizard!" Percy threw in.

"Wait a moment!" Dennis interrupted. "What about Red-Eyes?"

Percy explained about the Rare Hunter incident and how Thomas got the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back.

"I promised I wouldn't take Red-Eyes back until I became a True Duelist and faced Thomas after this tournament's over." he said honestly.

"That is all fine and dandy." Dennis replied, just before raising his voice angrily. "BUT I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LOST MY RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!"

"It wasn't my fault!" protested Percy. "That Rare Hunter used counterfeit cards and cheated!"

"Excuse me?" Samson asked impatiently. "Are you two finished squabbling over there? I have a duel to win!"

"Bring it on!" dared Percy, looking away from Dennis.

The two boys activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

While he was still a bit angry. Dennis knew this was gonna be an interesting duel.

"I'll go first." said Percy, looking to his hand.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Graceful Dice, Swordsman of Landstar, Flame Swordsman, and Battle Warrior

* * *

"Not too shabby if I say so myself." he smirked confidently, just before looking at his opponent. "Huh?"

Samson seemed to have both his hands by the sides of his head.

"Oh, mighty cosmos, grant me your power and knowledge!" he chanted.

"He's gone nuts." Percy cracked.

"With my psychic powers-" said Samson. "-I can see every card in your hand!"

"Yup, he's batty." Percy sighed. Well, until...

"Such as, I know you have a Cyber-Tech Alligator in your hand! As well as a Swordsman of Landstar!"

Percy gasped. "How did he know?" he thought.

"That's exactly what he did to me!" Dennis pointed out. "He'll know every card you have."

"We'll see about that." said Percy, taking a card from his hand. "I summon Battle Warrior in defense mode!"

A fighter wearing blue materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 3/ATK: 700/DEF: 1000).

"That's it for me." Percy finished.

"My turn." said Samson, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Samson (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Cyber Raider, Amplifier, Remove Trap, Mind Control, Stop Defense, and Ground Attacker Bugroth

* * *

Looking at his hand, Samson smirked to himself.

"The idiot doesn't know what is happening." he thought.

Up on the rooftop of a nearby building, there were some kids looking down on the duel. One of them was holding some binoculars and the other one had a headset.

"Looks like that Percy guy also has a Flame Swordsman in his hand." The boy looking through the binoculars said.

"Did you get that, Samson?" asked the boy, speaking into the headset.

Down below, Samson spoke again.

"That Flame Swordsman in your hand won't do much to stop me." he said.

Percy felt himself growing quite nervous.

"Maybe he does have ESP." he thought.

Still smirking, Samson took a card from his hand.

"Meet my Cyber Raider!" he declared, placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

A robotic fighter appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1000).

"Now to make sure you take damage." Samson took another card from his hand and held it out. "Stop Defense will shift your monster into attack mode!"

Battle Warrior was forced into a battle position. Percy gulped nervously.

"Destroy his Battle Warrior!" commanded Samson.

Cyber Raider obeyed, charging and punching Battle Warrior, destroying him and causing Percy to take damage (LP: 3300).

"Man, Percy is doing pretty lame." Dennis said to himself. "I guess it was all luck that he managed to beat me."

"You were doomed ever since you accepted my challenge, Percy." smirked Samson. "Never go against someone who is psychic."

Percy merely grimaced. Meanwhile, up on another building's rooftop near the duel, Thomas, Emily, and Edward had each just arrived.

"Why are we up here, Thomas?" asked Edward.

Thomas sighed. "I needed something like this to help me cool off. I'm still a bit angry with James over what he said to Molly."

"Yeah, we can tell." Emily nodded understandingly.

Suddenly, Edward could be heard calling out to the two teens.

"Hey guys, look down there!" he called.

Thomas and Emily both joined Edward near the building edge, seeing the duel going on below.

"Is that Percy down there?" asked Emily, looking down below at the crowd.

"I believe so." said Thomas. "Looks like he's dueling Samson."

"Samson?" Emily blinked.

"He goes to our school, too." explained Edward. "Rather a proud showoff kind of bloke, he is."

"Oh."

"Either way, he seems to have the upper hand at the moment." Thomas stated.

Suddenly, Emily looked over and noticed something else nearby.

"Look over there!"

Thomas and Edward both turned around to look at what their dark green-haired friend was pointing at. Standing at a short, yet still tall, building's rooftop, there were four kids watching the duel also.

"Who are those kids?" asked Edward.

"I'm not sure." said Thomas. "But it looks like one of them's got a pair of binoculars."

"Let's watch them and the duel and see what happens." Emily suggested.

And that's what they did. Down below, Samson was still gloating on how he was winning so far.

"If I were you, Percy, I would surrender." he said proudly.

"We're only a few turns into the game and you think you've won?" Percy asked firmly. "This duel isn't close to being over."

"Okay." Samson shrugged. "Your funeral."

Percy grunted with agitation before drawing his card. Back on the building roof, the kids were continuing to spy on Percy's hand.

"He has a Graceful Dice in his hand." said the boy with the binoculars. "And I think he might have drawn a second copy of it."

"HEY YOU!" shouted a voice.

The boys turned around in fright and saw Skiff confronting them.

"Uh-oh!" cried the boys.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Skiff demanded.

The boys quickly raced off, dropping the binoculars and headset in the process.

"Come back here!" shouted Skiff as he grabbed their fallen objects.

Just before the boys could make an escape, they were met by Thomas, Emily, and Edward, who had gotten wise to what was going on.

"Not so fast, you four." Emily said firmly, with both hands placed at her hips.

"Oh boy..." whispered a boy in fear, just as Skiff came walking up to him and his brothers.

"So this was Samson's strategy?" he asked crossly, holding up the dropped binoculars and headset. "By having you spy on his opponents's hands and telling him what they were while pretending to be psychic? That's cheating! I'm disqualifying him for this."

He was just about to radio Spencer about the misconduct when another boy stopped him.

"No! Please don't!" he begged.

"Why shouldn't I report him?" asked Skiff harshly. "He's breaking the rules."

"Just hear us out." another boy stated.

Skiff folded his arms. "I'm listening."

Down below, Percy took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Graceful Dice, Swordsman of Landstar, Flame Swordsman, and Skull Dice

* * *

But before he could even take a card from his hand, the green-haired boy heard Samson saying all of that mumbo jumbo like from before.

"Mighty Cosmos, show me his hand and grant me the power!" he said.

Percy only sweatdropped. Finally, Samson spoke up once more.

"I see you have a Graceful Dice card in your hand." he said. "And you've drawn a second copy of it, too."

"A second copy?" thought Percy, looking to his hand. "That can't be right. Unless..." Suddenly, the green-haired boy came to a realization. "Samson's not really psychic." Suddenly he spoke out loud. "I think I've clued in on your strategy, Samson. But first, I place two cards facedown and summon the Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode!"

Two facedown cards materialized, before being followed by a small, cartoon-like warrior monster with a sword and shield (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).

"And I bet both of those facedown cards are the Graceful Dices, too." Samson stated. "Well, too bad you can't use two of them on the same turn."

Percy just smirked to himself. "He's in for a surprise." he thought.

"My turn!" announced Samson, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Samson (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Amplifier, Remove Trap, Mind Control, Ground Attacker Bugroth, and The Fiend Megacyber

* * *

"I sacrifice my Cyber Raider to summon the Fiend Megacyber!" Samson declared, holding up his drawn card.

Cyber Raider disappeared and in its place was the large warrior with black and yellow armor (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"Attack his Swordsman of Landstar now!"

The Fiend Megacyber obeyed and lunged forth, but Percy had expected this immediately.

"You've triggered Graceful Dice!" he said, motioning a hand out and causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself.

A tiny winged person appeared with a large blue dice.

"Now whatever result the dice roll is-" said Percy. "-multiplies my Swordsman's attack points. Go dice roll!"

The little person threw the dice. The rolled and rolled...

...and came up with a 3.

"Aw, too bad." snickered Samson. "You only got a 3."

Swordsman of Landstar's attack was tripled (ATK: 500 - 1500).

"Now I activate my other facedown card!" announced Percy.

"You can't use two Graceful Dice cards in the same turn!" protested Samson. "Weren't you even listening to me?!"

"You're not psychic at all!" accused Percy, as he poked a button on his Duel Disk. "If you were, then you would have seen that the card I drew was not a second Graceful Dice, but rather..."

The card rose to reveal itself as...

"A Skull Dice card?!" gasped Samson.

Yes, it was the Skull Dice Quick-Play Spell card.

"Skull Dice is similar to Graceful Dice, but it targets the opponent's monsters." explained Percy. "Instead of multiplying their attack strength, it lowers the attack stat depending on the roll of the die."

Out of the card came another little figure. This one was dressed in darker clothing and held a red dice instead of a blue one. It threw the dice into the air and it landed on a 5.

"That's a five!" cheered Percy. "Now your Fiend Megacyber has its attack strength divided by 5!"

Fiend Megacyber groaned as it became weaker (ATK: 2200 - 440).

As Swordsman of Landstar was now stronger, it was able to counter attack, destroying Fiend Megacyber with his sword.

"Take that, you ESP fraud!" Percy declared.

Samson grimaced hard as his life points took a large hit (LP: 2940). Up on the rooftop, Thomas, Emily, and Edward each cheered that their green-haired friend made a comeback.

"Nice one, Percy!" came from Emily.

Down below, Percy then spoke to Samson.

"When you incorrectly guessed that I drew a second Graceful Dice card-" he said. "-that meant only one thing; that somebody was spying on my hand from far away and telling you what cards I had through a headset. That's how you won against Dennis! You're not a psychic, Samson. You're just a big fake!"

The whole crowd, as well as Dennis, was furious to learn of this spec of info.

"Did you hear that?" asked Timothy to Marion. "Samson was cheating this entire time!"

"Oh, how awful!" Marion huffed angrily.

"So you didn't win fairly!" Dennis accused. "Only I can lie and cheat! ...but since I didn't this time, I'm in the right!"

Samson looked worried at first, but managed a smile after a few minutes.

"Are you that jealous of me?" he asked snidely.

"Jealous?" asked Percy. "Why would I be jealous of a cheater?"

"Your move was just a lucky shot." Samson stated. "My psychic abilities have never let me down before and they won't now!" He took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized. Up on the rooftop, Skiff was still speaking to the four young boys.

"So..." said Skiff. "Is that why you have been helping Samson cheat?"

"Yes." answered one boy.

"We just can't bear to deal with those bullies any longer." added another boy.

"By pretending he was psychic-" threw in a third boy. "-Samson would scare the bullies into leaving us alone."

"When did you first meet Samson?" Skiff asked, raising an eyebrow.

"After our parents died in an accident at the circus." said the older boy.

"We were taken in by two very nice people shortly afterward." The second boy added. "But even then, we were frequent targets by our classmates. ...until that one day we met Samson when he was on his way home from school."

"He scared off the bullies and we've looked up to him ever since." continued the third boy.

"So please don't disqualify him!" begged the fourth boy. "Otherwise, we four will be dead meat if the bullies learn of this!"

Skiff felt sorry for the boys.

"Alright." he said, sighing. "I'll let it slide this once."

"Oh, thank you!" said three of the young boys happily.

"Samson may not be psychic, but he's still a great duelist!" The fourth boy mentioned.

Down below, Percy was beginning his turn.

"Here we go!" he said, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I'll begin by using the Spell card Pot of Greed!" Percy slotted the card into his Duel Disk and causing it to materialize face-up. "Now I draw two cards."

He drew both Alligator's Sword of Chasm of Spikes.

"Now I'll follow up by summoning Alligator's Sword in attack mode!"

The armored alligator-like warrior appeared while branishing its sword and shield (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200).

"Attack Samson's life points directly!" commanded Percy.

Alligator's Sword obeyed and slashed Samson, causing him to yell (LP: 1440)

"Now go to it, Swordsman of Landstar!" Percy went on.

Swordsman of Landstar obeyed, charging at Samson with his own sword.

"Since Swordsman of Landstar's attack boost didn't go down from Graceful Dice-" said someone from the crowd. "-he could win!"

But Samson obviously wasn't gonna let that happen.

"If you think I'm gonna eat a second direct attack like that, then you're delusional!" he sneered, motioning a free hand out. "I play the Trap card Mind Control!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"What's the deal with that card?" Percy asked.

"As I'm about to be attacked a second time this turn-" explained Samson. "-this Trap lets me take control of your Swordsman of Landstar."

Swordsman of Landstar halted his attack and immediately fell under Samson's control.

"Bother!" groaned Percy, just before holding another card up. "I'll just lay this little number facedown then."

A facedown card materialized behind Alligator's Sword.

"If he tries to bring out his Jinzo-" thought Percy. "-then my Chasm of Spikes should be able to stop it."

"My turn!" said Samson, drawing. "And it's showtime!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Samson (LP: 1440)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Amplifier, Remove Trap, Ground Attacker Bugroth, and Jinzo

* * *

"I sacrifice your Swordsman of Landstar so I can summon Jinzo!" he announced almost immediately, while holding his drawn card up.

Swordsman of Landstar disappeared and the mighty android Jinzo appeared (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500). But did Percy look worried in seeing it? Not at all.

"Come on, buddy." he thought. "I've got a Trap card all setup for you!"

Well, it was then Samson spoke up.

"That facedown card of yours won't help you." he said. "Jinzo, why don't you demonstrate your special ability?!"

Jinzo obeyed and fired off a laser beam from its eyes. The laser struck and destroyed the facedown card.

"HEY!" cried Percy. "What gives?!"

"Thanks to Jinzo-" said Samson, "-all your Trap cards are useless. This duel is mine!"

Up on the rooftop, Thomas, Emily, and Edard were watching the duel looking rather grim at the situation Percy was in.

"I guess Samson is a good duelist." Thomas mumbled.

"It'll take a miracle for Percy to win." said Edward. "Especially with that Jinzo out."

"Let's hope Percy has what it takes to beat it." Emily added.

Sadly, it was gonna be easier said than done, I'm afraid.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	13. The ESP Shtick (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the middle of the city square, Percy was in his first Battle City duel. His opponent was Samson. A boy who claimed to have ESP...until the green-haired boy managed to expose him as a fraud...with some unknown help from Skiff.

Unfortunately, Samson continued to pretend he had ESP and quickly managed to summon forth his ace monster, Jinzo. So long as that monster was out, Percy was unable to use any of his Trap cards.

"So long as my Jinzo remains on the field-" Samson taunted. "-you can use none of your Trap cards!"

Percy grimaced as he looked to his hand.

"These cards won't help me now." he thought. "And my Alligator's Sword is about to become history."

Samson then took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"But before I attack your monster, I'll first go and play this Equip Spell card." he stated, as the card materialized face-up. "Amplifier!"

A metallic helmet appeared on Jinzo's head.

"What does that do?" asked Percy nervously.

"It gives my Jinzo an additional 500 attack points." Samson explained. "But that's not all."

Jinzo grew stronger (ATK: 2400 - 2900).

"There's more?" Percy gasped, not liking this one bit.

"Jinzo also gains an additional 300 attack points on every one of my standby phases from now on."

"That was one of the move's he used against me!" Dennis called out. "Samson is just too much for you to handle!"

Now Percy knew he was in big trouble.

"Jinzo!" ordered Samson. "Send his Alligator's Sword back to the swamp with Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo obeyed, charging an orb in between his hands and fired it.

* * *

 **Title: The ESP Shtick, Part 2**

* * *

The orb soared forth until it truck Alligator's Sword, knocking him down until he shattered into pieces.

"My Alligator's Sword!" cried Percy (LP: 1900).

Up on the rooftop, Thomas, Emily, and Edward were still watching the duel, but then they were joined by Skiff and the four younger boys.

"Come on, Percy!" called Emily. "You can do it!"

"I don't think he can hear us." Edward stated.

"Then let's get down there!"

Emily and Edward both started to run for the exit...but then noticed that Thomas, Skiff, and the boys remained where they were.

"Aren't you coming, Thomas?" asked Emily.

"No." Thomas shook his head. "If I was down there to cheer Percy on, it might weaken his will to want to become a True Duelist. Regardless, he knows I'll be there with him in spirit."

"I understand." said Edward.

With that said, the two teens exited the rooftop. This left Thomas, Skiff, and the four boys alone.

"Thomas." Skiff spoke up. "Percy will win, right? I mean, if he loses, then he'll be out of the tournament."

"As long as he believes in the Heart of the Cards." said Thomas. "I'm sure he'll win."

"But I'm also confused." Skiff continued. "How would you being there to cheer Percy on weaken his will to be a True Duelist?"

Thomas didn't say a word at first. But after a full minute, he finally spoke and explained what he meant.

"Percy wants to become a True Duelist." he started. "In order for him to do so, I can't be there by his side to cheer him on all the time. If I did, he would keep relying on me to become better, and would never do so on his own."

Skiff and the boys were amazed.

"Wow." said the first boy.

"That's...really deep." Skiff added, before looking back to the crowd down below. "But he will still need as much support as possible to make it through this duel."

Back to the duel, Percy was thinking on the situation.

"The strongest monster I have in my hand is Cyber-Tech Alligator." he thought. "But thanks to that Amplifier, not even he's strong enough to deal with Jinzo. I'll have to think up another idea." The green-haired boy then turned to Samson. "My turn!"

Percy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, and Roll of Fate

* * *

He drew a Spell card. It was Roll of Fate.

"Hey, this could be the ticket for me to turn this duel around." Percy thought, smiling, before looking up. "Okay, Samson, this duel is about to go back into my favor!"

Samson frowned, watching as Percy slotted his drawn card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell card Roll of Fate!" Percy announced.

The card then materialized face-up.

"Another dice card?!" Samson gawked. "You seem to run a gamble deck of a sort."

"Mostly around luck." explained Percy. "Now I roll the dice and then draw cards equal to the value I roll. Then I have to banish the top cards of my deck for the value of that role too. Go dice roll!"

The dice was summoned and thrown into the air. Once it landed, it was shown to have landed on a three.

"Percy's dice landed on a three." Marion whispered to Timothy.

"Now he gets to draw an extra three cards." said Timothy.

Percy drew three cards and then banished the top three of his deck. Looking at what he drew (Scapegoat, Time Wizard, and Baby Dragon), Percy now had a plan to win the duel.

"Time to show him just how effective my Time Wizard can be." he thought, before taking a card from his hand. "All right, you ESP fraud, I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was the young orange dragon (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700). Upon seeing the new monster, Samson burst out laughing hysterically.

"You call that a monster?" he laughed. "I don't know whether to attack it or give it a bottle."

"You won't be saying that for long." retorted Percy, holding up another card and showing it. "Now I play Time Wizard!"

"Time Wizard?!" gasped Samson. "But that's a monster card! You can't play two monsters in one turn!"

"Wrong again." Percy rebuffed.

"What?!"

"Time Wizard can also be played as a Spell card." explained the green-haired boy. "And with it, I'm going to take down your Jinzo!"

The Time Wizard materialized beside Baby Dragon.

"And now, go Time Roulette!"

The hand on Time Wizard's staff began to spin.

"If this doesn't work, I'll be in more trouble than I already am." Percy thought to himself in worry.

Eventually, the arrow slowed down...and landed on a time machine.

"Alright!" cheered Percy. "Go Time Magic!"

"Time Magic!" wailed the Time Wizard.

Very quickly, Baby Dragon evolved into Thousand Dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).

"Now your Jinzo will become scrap metal!" Percy said proudly. "And with that, I'll send Thousand Dragon to attack!"

Thousand Dragon began to breath out a stream of fire.

"Say farewell to Jinzo!"

"Take a closer look!" Samson replied back.

Percy looked and gasped.

"What the-?!" he cried. "Why didn't Jinzo rust?"

Yup, Jinzo was still standing with its stats completely untouched.

"You're an idiot!" laughed Samson. "Jinzo is made out of special alloy that will NEVER rust in around 10,000 years!"

"Aw man!" complained Percy. "That was my secret weapon!"

"And since you've just ordered an attack, my Jinzo will intercept and counterattack!" Samson pointed forth. "Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo obeyed, firing another energy blast. The blast struck and destroyed Percy's Dragon and making him take damage (LP: 1400).

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, somewhere across town, James's Elemental HERO Neos had just destroyed a random duelist's Gorz the Emissary of Darkness.

"No! I've lost!" cried the duelist (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Hughes wins!**

* * *

James didn't seem to be smiling even from winning.

"Well you've won." said the duelist, handing over his Locator card and rare card.

James gruffly took the locator card, but declined taking Gorz the Emissary of Darkness.

"Keep it." he said coldly.

The duelist was a bit puzzled as to why James wouldn't take his rare card, but shrugged in response.

"Wonder what that guy's deal is?" he said to himself, as he walked away now out of the tournament.

As you can see, James was still in a very bitter mood over what happened between him and Molly.

"Why did she have to lie to me?" he said to himself. "Had she just said she wasn't interested in being my girlfriend when we first met, that would have been different. But no. So waits until now to say so."

Of course Molly DIDN'T even say that, but James was so cross right now that he wasn't thinking properly.

(elsewhere...)

Speaking of Molly...at the Russell residence, there was some sobbing coming from her room on the second floor. Inside the room, the poor black-haired girl was lying on her bed still crying her eyes out over what had happened.

"Why?" she sobbed. "Just why did he say those things to me?"

Molly had only wanted James to see the error of his ways after scolding him for his behavior. But she never thought he would snap at her like that and say he hated her. Just then, there was a knock on her door.

"Molly, sweetie." called her Mother's voice. "Can I come in?"

Molly's quiet sobs signaled that it was okay. The door opened, and Mrs. Russell walked inside. She had heard what happened between Molly and James from Murdoch, Gordon, and Henry, and thus felt sorry for her daughter.

"I'm so sorry about what that boy said to you." said Mrs. Russell, hugging her daughter. "It'll be okay though."

Molly only continued to cry softly.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the duel between Percy and Samson, Samson was still at it with the gloating..

"I just defeated your best move." boasted Samson. "What are you going to do now?"

"I activate the Spell card Scapegoat!" Percy replied, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

The card materialized face-up and created four sheep tokens.

"A weak last ditch effort!" Samson scoffed. "According to my ESP, you're out of options!"

"You are not a psychic!" argued Percy.

"Say whatever you want. And now, it's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Samson (LP: 1440)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Remove Trap, Ground Attacker Bugroth, and Reflect Bounder

* * *

Samson had drawn a monster card called Reflect Bounder.

"And I've draw the one card that will seal the duel in my favor." he continued, looking at what he drew.

"What is it?" Percy asked nervously.

"I summon Reflect Bounder in attack mode!" announced Samson, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Reflect Bounder?" Dennis thought to himself. "I have that card in my deck, too."

Appearing to the field was what looked like an armed mirror with a cape (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

"And don't forget my Amplifier." Samson went on. "Now Jinzo gains an additional 300 attack points."

Jinzo grew even stronger (ATK: 2900 - 3200).

"What is that monster?" asked Percy. "I've never heard of Reflect Bounder before."

"Reflect Bounder will destroy any monster attacking it and inflict damage to the owner of the destroyed monster for its attack." explained Samson. "Jinzo, destroy his Scapegoat token!"

Jinzo fired off another orb, which destroyed the red sheep token.

"Now destroy another token, Reflect Bounder!"

Reflect Bounder fired an energy orb, destroying the blue sheep token.

"You're finished!" Samson declared. "On my next turn, I'll have a new monster summoned to the field, and you'll be finished!"

Percy put on a brave face, but deep down he knew he couldn't win.

"He's right." he thought. "I'm done for. I did so much better when Thomas was around to cheer me on. Perhaps I should just surrender."

Just before he could lay a hand atop his Duel Disk to signal a forfeit, Edward and Emily both came in.

"Percy!" Emily called.

"Wait!" came from Edward.

Percy heard his friends and looked back.

"Emily? Edward?"

"Don't give up, Percy!" Emily stated. "We know you can beat this cheater!"

"Hey, who are you calling a-" Samson began, but when he saw Emily, he grinned widely. "-oh la la, who's this pretty lady?"

The dark green-haired girl was not amused in the slightest with Samson flirting with her like that.

"Shut up, Samson." she said indignantly.

"Emily's right." Edward said to Percy. "You can beat this guy, Percy. We believe in you."

"But where's Thomas?" The green-haired boy asked curiously.

"He isn't here." Emily stated.

"What?!" Percy felt rather upset that his best friend wasn't there. "Why isn't he here to cheer me on? Aren't we suppose to be best friends?"

"Aw, missing your best friend?" taunted Samson. "What a big baby you are!"

"Don't listen to him, Percy!" Edward called out. "He's still here with you! In spirit."

"Spirit?"

"Yes." replied Edward. "He couldn't come down to cheer you on in person because he was afraid it would weaken your will to become a True Duelist."

Percy knew Edward was right. If Thomas was here, he would rely on his best friend to help him win a duel. He had to win this duel and prove he can win without Thomas's help.

"You're right." he said finally. "I can't give up now. I'll win this duel without my very best friend's help!"

With that, he reached for the top card of his deck.

"I only have one shot left." Percy thought. "But I know I can do this."

Up on the rooftop, Thomas continued to watch his best friend about to make what could possibly be his final turn.

"You can do this, Percy." he thought.

Down below, Percy finally made his move.

"All right, Samson, check this out!" said Percy, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, and Roulette Spider

* * *

His eyes widened as he saw what he drew. It was exactly what he needed to win the duel.

"Yes!"

Quickly, Percy slotted the card into his Duel Disk.

"Behold the Spell card; Roulette Spider!" announced the green-haired boy.

"Roulette Spider?" asked Samson.

The Spell card materialized and a spider with an arrow on its back jumped out and attached to Jinzo's face.

"My Jinzo!" cried Samson. "What have you done?!"

And so, Percy began to explain his card's effect.

"Roulette Spider attaches itself to one of your monsters and spins it around rather like a roulette." explained Percy. "Then when it stops, it must attack whatever it's facing whether it be a monster or one of us."

"HUH?!"

"Of course, I'll have to give up half of my life points first." Percy went on (LP: 700). "And only you can tell it to stop."

A roulette board materialized below where Jinzo was standing, and the monster itself was moved to the center of the board.

"All right, time to spin the roulette!"

Jinzo began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

"Once again, only you can tell it to stop." reminded Percy. "And when you do, it will target either you, me, or any of the monsters on the field."

Samson looked very nervous.

"Well, Mr. ESP? What are you waiting for?"

Everybody waited and watched Samson. At last, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Jinzo!" he called. "Stop!"

Slowly, Jinzo's spinning began to stop until it was pointing towards...

"My Reflect Bounder!" gasped Samson.

Once the spider vanished from Jinzo's face, the android monster fired off a Cyber Energy Shock attack towards Reflect Bounder.

"Hey, Samson!" called Dennis. "I know what will happen now!"

As predicted, Reflect Bounder reflected Jinzo's blast back towards it, destroying it as well.

"N-no!" Samson wailed. "How could this have happened?"

"You wanna know, huh?" Percy smirked. "Let me do the math for you: Jinzo had 3200 attack points, subtract 1700 from Reflect Bounder... and you lose 1500 life points!"

Samson grimaced (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Percy Avonside wins!**

* * *

"And that means you're finished, and this duel is over!"

Everybody cheered for Percy's victory. Then they noticed that as Samson wailed, a headset fell from behind his ears.

"Is that a headset?" asked one person.

"Then he really was cheating!" Another person claimed.

"What a failure!" laughed yet another person. "Just like when he got fired for collecting things other than scrap!"

Samson felt very ashamed of himself. Percy walked over looking more sympathetic than how everyone else was currently treating Samson.

"It was a tough duel." he said honestly. "But since I've won, time to hand over your Locator card and Jinzo."

"And while we're at it-" added Dennis, walking over. "-I want my Tri-Horned Dragon and Locator card back since you cheated!"

Samson, who was now crying out of shame, looked up.

"No..." he sobbed. "I just can't."

"What?!" growled Dennis, looking ready to go over and teach Samson a lesson.

"What do you mean you can't?" asked Percy calmly.

And so, Samson decided to confess why.

"I only pretended to be psychic in order to keep my four little friends from being bullied." explained Samson through his tears. "But now that everybody knows I'm a fake, they'll get picked on again!"

"What four little friends?" Dennis rebuffed. "What kind of excuse is that suppose to be? The only one around here is you!"

"As much as I hate to agree with him, Dennis does have a point." Percy added. "The only one around here is you."

It was then Emily and Edward both spoke up.

"Samson's telling the truth!" explained Emily. "We saw them on the roof. They were the ones spying on Percy's hand."

"And they're right here, too." The voice of Skiff added to that.

Everybody looked over and saw Skiff with the four young boys.

"Hey, Samson." said the older one. "We think you did great."

"You dueled your best and without cheating." said the middle aged one. "I bet if Percy didn't use Roulette Spider, you would have won."

"We four are very proud of you." said the second youngest boy.

Samson couldn't help but smile through his tears.

"Oh...well come here!" he cried, his arms opened up.

The four boys joined Samson in a hug. Everyone thought this was very heartwarming indeed.

"Oh...I feel so moved!" sobbed Percy, who was in comical tears.

Too bad someone didn't seem to think so...

"Ack!" coughed Dennis, sounding like he was gagging. "Too sappy. Gimme my Locator card and Tri-Horned Dragon back now!"

Everyone else shot the Smelter Teen a dirty look, shutting him up immediately. Samson, however, approached and complied.

"Here you are, Dennis." said Samson, handing the Tri-Horned Dragon card and a Locator card back to Dennis.

"Thank you." And he ran off.

A few minutes later, it was now sunset and Samson was handing over to Percy a Locator card and his Jinzo monster card.

"Here, Percy. My Jinzo and Locator card."

"Thank you." said Percy, taking them.

Samson's smiling face turned solemn. "Look, I'm sorry I cheated in our duel."

"It's fine." Percy replied. "You weren't the first cheater I've faced."

Samson felt better. "Perhaps one day we can duel again." he suggested.

"Maybe one day." Percy stated, turning around. "For now, I have a promise to keep."

"He wants to win the tournament." Emily explained to Samson. "So that he has the chance to challenge Thomas."

"What for?" asked one of the four boys.

"He wants to become a True Duelist." explained Edward. "So that he and Thomas can have a real duel and he gets the chance to win his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back."

"I see." smiled Samson. "Well I hope you succeed in your goal."

"Thanks." Percy replied. "Until then, I still have a long way to go."

"You only need four more Locator cards." Emily pointed out.

"Then let's go see who else we can find before the sun goes fully down."

Percy then started walking off with Emily an Edward both behind him. Back on top of the building, Thomas had watched Percy's victory.

"Great job, Percy." he thought. "You're now one step closer to becoming a True Duelist."

With that said, the blue-haired boy turned around and left the rooftop.


	14. The Black Rose

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It was the middle of the first day of the Battle City tournament. Duelists were still at it with their duels to earn the all the Locator cards they needed to qualify for the finals! ...well, wherever it was.

However, there were a number of duelists who were not competing in the tournament and were merely watching the duels going on. And those duelists were...

"Man, these duels are really awesome!" James R. said to his friends.

Yup; Matt, James R., Carlie, Michael, and Zack were the ones who were not competing.

"You can say that again." agreed Michael. "Too bad we can't take part in that tournament."

"Unfortunately, we only have so much time left on the island before we have to return home." Zack pointed out.

"Too true." Carlie agreed.

"Maybe next time." James R. added to that.

* * *

 **Title: The Black Rose**

* * *

As the five friends (or siblings) walked down the street, Matt saw someone running down the street.

"Hello." he said. "Who's that?"

Unfortunately for Matt, the running boy wasn't actually looking where he was going. Just before any anyone could even speak up about it...

*BAM!*

The boy ran right into Matt, knocking both teenagers down onto the ground.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" said the boy in a daze.

"That was your fault!" protested James R.. "You weren't watching where you were going!"

The boy got back up, while both Zack and Michael helped Matt back up. The boy was shown to be 17-years old. He had short blue hair like Thomas, Edward, and Gordon, but was also very tall and muscular. He also wore a sleeveless shirt and splash pants, and carried a Duel Disk.

"Sorry about that." The boy apologized.

"It's fine." sighed Matt, rubbing the top of his head a bit. "Just try to be more careful next time."

"I will."

The boy, named Hank, then noticed the five teens from America.

"Hey, are you guys duelists?" The muscular, blue-haired boy asked curiously.

"Well Zack here isn't." said Carlie. "But the rest of us are."

The moment the brown-haired girl spoke up, Hank turned towards her and started blushing at how pretty she looked.

"Wow..." he whispered.

James R., with a raised eyebrow, immediately noticed this.

"Are you getting a crush on our sister?" he asked, trying to not sound antagonistic.

"If you are, let me say this clearly and as nicely as possible; our sister is off limits!" said Zack firmly.

"Wait, sister?" Hank blinked, snapping out of his love daze. "You guys are all related?"

"We are." Michael confirmed.

"But not by birth or blood." Matt added. "You see, we were all adopted... though not at once."

"Really?" asked Hank. "How did that happen?"

"It was a pretty long time ago." Zack began. "When we were all around 8-9 years old."

"Matt, James, and Zack here were all living separate lives with their parents... but lost them in different ways." Carlie continued.

"I lost my parents when I was actually 12-years old." Matt sighed. "I've mostly been living on the streets in Vancouver - British Columbia."

"Both my parents died in a card crash." James R. said sadly.

"I lost both my parents and home in a big fire." Zack added. "James and I actually met while we were living in an orphanage."

"And that's when they also met me." Carlie added to that.

"How did you end up at the orphanage?" Hank asked. "A girl as pretty as you should never had to live at one."

"It was for the best." said the brown-haired girl sadly. "See, my parents were rather afraid of me because I had, and still do now, psychic powers that would allow me to make real damage when playing Duel Monsters. They felt like they wouldn't do a very good job of raising someone like me and wanted me to be adopted by someone who would be able to understand and handle my powers."

"Wait, back it up a bit." Hank interrupted. "Psychic powers? What do you mean by that?"

"I have the ability to literally bring Duel Monsters to life when I duel." explained Carlie. "But unlike the regular holograms, these monsters were real."

"Those powers were so great that Carlie was given the nickname ' ** _The Black Rose Witch_** ' by lots of the people for not only for those extremely dangerous abilities, but also for her deck type." Michael added. "Not to mentioned she was bullied by lots of the other kids from the orphanage."

"I was one of the people who witnessed those powers in action first hand." Matt spoke up grimly. "It was before I was adopted into the family. At the time, I was in a Duel Monsters tournament in America, and Carlie was my opponent."

As Matt told the story, many people came around to listen to the story.

"At first, the duel was going well for both of us." The dirty blonde-haired boy explained. "However, after a while...it happened."

"What...happened?" Hank asked nervously.

Carlie looked ashamed with herself as she started to tell what happened.

"I had suddenly snapped. I then activated a card that inflicted damage to Matt." The brown-haired girl admitted sadly. "And the damage was so real that it actually injured him quite badly."

"And that was when Carlie's dark side was unleashed." James R. added. "It changed her so much that she became an extreme sadist who enjoyed inflicting pain on others."

The whole crowd gasped in horror upon hearing that. Even poor Carlie lowered her head in shame at what she had done years ago.

"The duel became so much more fierce after that." Zack stated. "But in the end, Matt defeated and freed her from the darkness. And overtime, she learned to control her psychic powers more properly."

A flashback to two years ago began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Within a duel stadium in the United States, Carlie controlled two monsters called Black Rose Dragon and Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis both on the field. Matt, meanwhile, controlled a monster Stardust Dragon, an Equip Spell card called Prevention Star activated, and a facedown card on his side of the field.

"Listen to me, Carlie." said Matt slowly. "You have to stop this sadistic enjoyment in hurting others. It will bring you nothing but more heartache!"

Carlie merely laughed scornfully at the demand, causing the dirty blonde-haired boy to scowl a bit.

"After all the pain I had to endure for years? Not before I make everyone else suffer... including you!" The brown-haired girl said savagely. "So now, I'll activate my Black Rose Dragon's special ability! By tributing it, it will go and destroy every card on the field! Go forth, Black Rose Dragon, and clear the field!"

Black Rose Dragon obeyed, letting out a fierce roar before being to glow a bright purple. If this worked, the whole field would be cleaned. Matt, however, was ready for it this time around.

"I don't think so!" he shouted. "I activate my Stardust Dragon's ability! By tributing my dragon, I can negate your own dragon's effect and destroy it!"

With that, Stardust Dragon wrapped its arms around Black Rose Dragon, glowing white. Soon enough, the two Synchro-like dragons had vanished.

"You fool!" Carlie called out. "Because of your move, your Equip Spell card's effect has been rendered useless! Meaning I can now use Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis to attack and defend again. And the moment I switch it into attack mode, I'll use it to attack you directly and win the duel!"

She place two fingers to her monster card when...

"Reveal Trap card!" Matt announced.

Carlie stopped her action in an instant. The dirty blonde-haired boy's facedown card then flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Cosmic Blast!"

"Cosmic Blast?" Carlie reeled back.

"Yes." nodded Matt. "Since Stardust Dragon went to the graveyard, I can inflict life point damage to you equal to its attack points!"

A powerful shockwave erupted from the Trap card and struck Carlie hard, causing her to scream as she flew back a bit and landed on the ground (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Matt Fudo wins!**

* * *

All of a sudden, the dark aura around the defeated brown-haired girl faded away as the announcer of the duel spoke.

"And the winner of the duel is Matt Fudo!"

Without wasting a second, Matt hurried over to the downed brown-haired girl.

"Are you okay?" The dirty blonde-haired boy asked immediately, just before stopping and gasping. "What?"

Carlie was shown to be crying her eyes out. Between the painful bullying she endured in the orphanage, being separated from her parents and brother at a young age, and nearly hurting Matt severely in the duel due to her completely losing it... It had all just became too much for her to bear.

"Help me..." weeped Carlie, looking up towards her victorious opponent.

Matt slowly bent down to Carlie. The sight of her being in tears really made his heart ache.

"I don't have to be your enemy, Carlie." he said calmly. "I could be your friend. Wouldn't that be better than hurting people?"

The poor, broken, brown-haired girl only wrapped her arms around the dirty blonde-haired by as she continued to cry as the whole crowd in the stadium booed and screamed insults at her.

"Yeah, you deserved that loss, witch!" exclaimed one person.

"You're nothing but a disgrace!" called another person. "You tried to kill that guy!"

About the only ones in the crowd who felt terrible for Carlie was James R., Zack, and Michael, her adopted brothers. At last, James. R stood up and directed his anger towards the crowd.

"Hey, shut your traps!" he snapped at the rude crowd. "You have no right to insult her just because she's different! If I hear anymore complaints about her, I am going over there to bash somebody's skulls in! Do you understand?!"

James R.'s outburst made everybody go quiet—save for a couple of scattered insults, curses, and boos.

"That's better." James R. huffed. Now, he really didn't like getting mad, but when someone close to him was being picked on, he could and would definitely get mad.

Back in the stadium center, Matt continued to comfort Carlie when he met ' _him_ '...

"Thank you, son." said a familiar voice.

The man walking towards the two teenagers...was Discord.

"Who are you, sir?" asked Matt politely.

"I am Discord J. Crawford." said Discord. "Head of Industrial Illusions."

"Industrial Illusions?" The dirty blonde-haired boy blinked. "I've never heard of that company before."

"Oh?" Discord raised an eyebrow.

"You see, I've lived in Canada most of my life. A street urchin in Vancouver you may say."

The creator of Duel Monsters raised an eyebrow. "But then how did you learn to play Duel Monsters so well?"

"Some of the local neighbor kids would sometimes come down and teach me how to play." explained Matt.

Discord stared long and hard at the dirty blonde-haired boy for what seemed like forever before he held out his hand.

"That dragon card you've used in the duel... Could I please see it for a minute?" he asked.

Matt blinked. "My Stardust Dragon?"

"Yes."

The dirty blonde-haired boy took out his Stardust Dragon monster card and handed it to Discord.

"Oh my... Hmm..." The jolly man muttered in admiration.

Matt waited patiently for what seemed like forever before the man handed the card back.

"I've never created anything like this before." Discord stated. "This must be a one-of-a-kind card."

"You're the creator of Duel Monsters?" Matt asked in amazement.

"That I am. Tell me; what type of monster card is this?"

"A Synchro monster." answered Matt.

"Ah, yes. I know that summon sequence quite well." Discord nodded. "Carlie's Black Rose Dragon is also a Synchro monster. You, my lad, are a very special duelist, who has what it takes to become one of the best. In addition, I-"

But before he could finish, he overheard Carlie continuing to cry in shame and depression. Discord, feeling sorry for his adopted daughter, took his coat off and put it on her.

"I'm sorry, but we will have to finish this discussion another time. Right now, my daughter needs some rest."

"Your daughter?" asked Matt.

"Yes." Discord nodded. "Not my real daughter, but rather adopted."

With that said, the man began to lead the poor girl out of the stadium. Matt watched this with a sad look on his face.

"Carlie..." he whispered.

In the stands, James R., Zack, and Michael each felt sorry for Carlie, too.

"Poor girl." Zack sighed.

"Yeah..." agreed James R..

"I wish there was a way we could help her." added Michael.

Back over with Discord escorting Carlie out, the brown-haired girl had only one thought on her mind...

"Thank you, Matt... For freeing me from my darkness..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, as Carlie closed her eyes in shame.

"And that's it." she sighed. "That's how I overcame my inner darkness. As Zack had said; overtime, I've learned to control my psychic abilities to the fullest."

"Well, that's good to hear." said Hank, smiling.

"Even then, it still haunts me to this day." Carlie went on, her eyes welling with tears. "Being separated from my family, being bullied at the orphanage... you get the picture. If I had no one else in my life, I'd..."

The brown-haired girl felt very sad by remembering all of her bad, or terrible, times... but just then, her brothers all comforted her with a hug.

"You're not alone anymore, sis." James R. pointed out.

"Right... you have us." Zack added.

"And nothing will ever change that." Michael threw in.

"Never." Matt finished.

"Thank you, everyone." Carlie finally said with a happy tear in her eye, just as she returned the group hug.

The crowd all went "Aww..." at this heartwarming sight. Just then, a clapping sound could be heard coming from someone.

"How very touching." said a familiar voice.

Walking into the area...was Discord, Matt, James R., Zack, Michael, and Carlie's adopted Father.

"Oh my gosh! It's Mr. Crawford!" came a female voice from the crowd.

"Dad!" Matt exclaimed, surprised to see him.

"What brings you down here?" asked Zack.

Discord chuckled. "Well, I am helping Spencer-boy sponsor his tournament after all. But, I was bored and decided to take a walk..." His smile then faded away. "...when I overheard everything."

"We're so sorry to hear about Carlie's tragic past." said Hank, looking sad.

"I know." sighed Discord. "It was definitely the hardest part of her life to go through. Plus, I also know that she misses her parents and brother terribly." Then he smiled once more. "But maybe this bit of news will help cheer her up."

He reached into his coat pocket and took out a letter. Carlie looked puzzled.

"A letter? For me?"

"Yes." said Discord kindly.

"But who's it from?" asked Carlie, as she began to open it.

The brown-haired girl began to read the letter. Once she finished, she nearly burst into tears once more.

"This...is from my brother, Ben." she whispered.

"Really?" James R. asked in shock. "What does it say?"

Carlie read the letter aloud to everyone. This is what it said:

* * *

 **Dear Carlie, how are you doing, sis?**

 **Mom and Dad have really missed you for quite some time since they were forced to give you up. Mr. Crawford told us that you were visiting Sodor for a while. So, while Mom and Dad can't come, I'm actually coming over to Sodor and visit you in person. I can't wait to see you after around 7-8 years.**

 **Sincerely, your brother Ben.**

* * *

Everyone (except Discord) in the area was shocked to the core. Carlie honestly felt like crying right now! ...but out of pure joy instead of sadness.

"My brother is coming to visit me." she sobbed happily. "The greatest brother I have ever had...is coming here!"

"That's wonderful news!" smiled Matt.

"I'd say this calls for a celebration." added James R..

"There will be time for a celebration later." Discord interrupted. "We have to get to the harbor now."

"What?" Carlie blinked. "But...won't it be days before Ben gets here?"

"Not quite." Thee jolly man grinned. "I got this letter from him days ago... but I waited until now to give it to you."

Carlie's eyes widened as she smiled big. "Then that means-!"

"That he is coming in today."

The whole crowd started cheering for the brown-haired girl, who couldn't be feeling any happier than she was now.

(elsewhere...)

A while later, Discord had taken Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and Carlie with him to the big harbor. While she was very, very excited, Carlie was also feeling very, very nervous.

"I can't believe I'm about to actually see my brother for the first time since around seven-to-eight years." she said to herself.

"It's okay, Carlie." said James R. reassuringly. "We're right here with you."

Carlie only continued to fidget nervously. Just then, a new voice was heard calling out to her.

"Is that you, Carlie?"

The brown-haired girl looked up and gasped.

"Is that him...?"

Standing nearby was an 18-year old boy with short black hair and glasses. He was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans. This was obviously Ben.

"Ben?" Carlie whispered, starting to tear up.

"Hello, sis." smiled the boy.

That had done it; the flood gates had been opened. Without wasting another second, Carlie raced towards Ben and threw her arms around him in a hug while crying.

"Ben! Oh, Ben..." she sobbed extra hard. "You have no idea how much I've missed you!"

"And I missed you so much too." The boy replied, while also crying.

Carlie's adopted brothers, as well as Father, couldn't help but shed tears at this heartfelt reunion... although Discord's cries were more comical in nature.

"This is awesome." James R. smiled.

Once the two siblings finished embracing, Carlie took Ben over to see her friends.

"Ben, I'd like to introduce you to my adopted brothers and best friends." She gestured to James R. first. "This is James. He is the owner of the Blackwing deck."

"Hi." James R. greeted.

Carlie then gestured to Zack.

"This is Zack." she went on. "He's not a Duel Monsters player, but he knows the game inside out like my adopted Father."

"Hello." greeted Zack.

"Hello right back." smiled Ben.

Carlie then gestured to both Michael and Matt.

"These two boys are Matt and Michael." she said. "They are the two best duelists in all of America."

The two boys smiled and began to speak their respective catchphrases...

"Who's the Master of Faster? Who rules the Duel? That's right, it's me, Michael Crawford!" Michael said, in a rather dramatic (or arrogant) tone of voice.

"All I can say is this..." Matt started, before smiling and punching a fist forth. "Let's rev it up!"

Ben was very impressed to say the least. "I'm very pleased to meet you all."

"Very much likewise, Benny-boy." Discord spoke up.

Ben looked up to the man and shook his hand. "You must be Mr. Crawford." he said, remembering the letter he sent to Discord.

"Please, call me Discord." Discord insisted.

"Okay, Discord."

"Now, Ben, currently there's a big Duel Monsters tournament being held here on the Island of Sodor." The creator of Duel Monsters explained. "It has been created by the Boxford Corporation with help from my company, Industrial Illusions."

"That sounds like fun." said Ben happily. "Is Carlie participating?"

"Not this time." The brown-haired girl pointed out. "And neither are James, Matt, and Michael."

"W-Why not?" Ben asked, sounding disappointed.

"For one, it wouldn't be fair for everybody else to lose to us that easily." explained Matt seriously. "Besides, we don't have that much time left on Sodor before we have to go back home to San Francisco."

Ben nodded understandingly and turned to his sister. "Anyway, Carlie, I'm so happy to see you again after so long."

"I know!" Carlie agreed. "We have so much catching up to do."

The black-haired boy then felt his stomach grumble as he smiled sheepishly.

"Umm, ha ha..." he chuckled nervously. "Is there a good place around here to grab a bite to eat? I haven't eaten anything on the boat since dinner last night."

"I know one good place." said Michael. "Let's go."

And so, the group left the harbor to go find a place in the city of Knapford to grab a bite to eat. Thanks to Michael, they all went to easily the best pizza joint in the city. Carlie and Ben both did a lot, and I mean a lot, of catching up in the process, and they even played a friendly game of Duel Monsters while doing so...and Carlie also took Ben for a ride around the city on her Duel Runner.

Yup, Carlie would never, ever forget this day. It would be one of her most treasured moments in her whole life. No question about it.


	15. The Master of Magicians (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It was near the end of the first day of the Battle City tournament. The duels were all finishing up and such...but there was one duel going on that was a bit unfair to a person in it.

Within an alleyway, one 12-year old duelist had lost to a 17-year old duelist. Let's just say that this 17-year old duelist was a bit of a bully.

"I've won." he grinned arrogantly. "Now give me your rarest card now."

"Very well." sighed the younger duelist, handing over his rarest card and Locator card.

Unfortunately, the bully didn't seem very impressed with his prize and merely spat in disgust.

"That's it?" he snorted, the moment the bully saw what the card was. "This card's useless! I've already got three copies of it!"

"That's how Battle City rules work." said the younger duelist. "You only get my rarest card and Locator card."

"Well, I'm making my own rules!" retorted the bully menacingly. "Now the loser has to give me £50 or something just as valuable."

"Are you serious?"

"You heard me!" shouted the bully, beginning to walk over. "Fork over whatever else you've got!"

Suddenly, the bully stopped walking because he was interrupted by the sound of a whistle.

"Stop right there!" called out a new voice. It was Skiff, and he looked cross with the bully. "You're violating the rules of the Battle City tournament!"

"Stay out of this, junior." warned the bully. "Not unless you wanna get beaten up, too!"

"I wouldn't talk to me like that if I were you." Skiff warned right back. "Not unless you want to get kicked out the tournament for unneeded misconduct."

"Says who?"

"Says me." spoke a cold voice.

The bully instantly froze with fear when he heard who said that. Walking into the alleyway was Spencer, and he didn't look too happy with what he was seeing.

"Big brother!" said Skiff happily.

"Uh-oh..." gulped the bully.

"When you disrespect my little brother-" began Spencer. "-you also disrespect my tournament and the entire Boxford family, and I have very little patience for bullies. It's time someone taught you a little lesson."

With that, Spencer set his metallic briefcase on the ground and opened it, turning it around to face the bully.

"What are you-?" The bully began.

"I'm challenging you to a duel." Spencer answered. "However, just to be fair, I'll let you use all of the cards I have inside my briefcase. And if you win, you get to keep them in addition to a Locator card."

The briefcase was opened...and the bully's eyes widened with excitement.

"Look at all the rare and powerful cards!"

After taking as many rare cards as possible, the bully activated his Duel Disk.

"You're setting yourself up for a fall, Spencer Gresley!" he said, drawing his opening hand (LP: 4000). "With these rare cards and my skills, there's no way I'll lose to someone like you!"

Spencer (LP: 4000) merely drew his opening hand.

"I wouldn't flatter yourself, punk." he said right back. "And if you don't mind, I'll take the first turn."

"Whatever." replied the bully arrogantly.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Lord of Dragons, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"For my opening action, I'll play the Spell card Pot of Greed!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now I draw two more cards." Spencer drew his cards, showing them to be two copies of the Flute of Summoning Dragon. Smirking, the silver-haired boy selected his next card. "Now meet my Lord of Dragons!"

The dragon armored monster appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1100).

"Next I activate two copies of The Flutes of Summoning Dragon!" continued Spencer, holding out the two mentioned cards.

"Two copies?!" cried the bully.

The two Spell cards materialize face-up before creating two magic horns in both of the Lord of Dragon's hands.

"As you can tell, I can special summon up to two dragon-type monsters from my hand as long as I have Lord of Dragons on my field." Spencer's smirk widened. "But since I've played two copies..."

In an instant, he held out his remaining cards in his hand.

"I can call out three dragon-type monsters!" Spencer declared dramatically. "Come forth, my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

The three majestic blue and white scaled dragons appeared around their master with a loud roar apiece (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

The bully looked scared.

"With that I end my turn." finished Spencer. "So now, take your turn...unless you wish to just give up now."

The bully was not happy to being called a coward.

"F-forget it!" He drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Bully (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Millennium Shield, Heavy Storm, Millennium Shield, Mirror Force, Gate Guardian, and Pass Off(!)

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, the bully smirked.

"Hey, I've drawn a sweet card!" he boasted. "Get ready for it, Spencer."

Spencer merely looked on in amusement. The bully then went and made his so-called big play.

"Behold the Spell card Pass Off!" He slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "In exchange for letting you draw a card from your deck, I can special summon two monsters from my hand. And they will be the ultimate defense against your dragons!"

The Pass Off Spell card materialized face-up. The bully then selected two cards from his hand.

"I summon my two Millennium Shields in defense mode!"

Two shield-like monsters with a Millennium Eye symbol encrusted on them materialize side-by-side (Level: 5/DEF: 3000).

"HA! I'm invincible now!"

Spencer merely chuckled.

"Hey, I missed the joke over there." The bully said harshly.

"I just need one card to teach you a lesson." Spencer stated gleefully, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Enemy Controller and Obelisk the Tormentor

* * *

The drawn card was Obelisk the Tormentor; Spencer smiled grandly upon seeing it.

"Before I make my big play, I'll activate a Spell card called Enemy Controller!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now by spending 1000 life points, I can take control of any of your monsters for the rest of the turn." Spencer explained (LP: 3000).

A large video game controller appeared on the silver-haired boy's side of the field.

"Left, Right, A, B!" commanded Spencer.

The buttons on the control were pressed in the order Spencer wanted. Then a cable came out of the control and attached to one of the bully's Millennium Shields.

"Now I'll tribute my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons to summon something you've never seen before." Spencer declared menacingly, holding his final card up. "Come forth, Obelisk the Tormentor!"

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons vanished in a blue streak as a big light show began in the sky. The ground also began to shake.

"W-w-what's happening?" asked the bully.

Within an explosion of light came a huge, blue muscular monster, roaring loudly (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000). The sight of this monster nearly made the bully wet himself.

"If you think my monster is scary now." Spencer smiled sadistically. "Wait until you get a look at his special ability!"

Obelisk the Tormentor took hold of both Lord of Dragons and Millennium Shield.

"By sacrificing my remaining two monsters-" he said. "-Obelisk can destroy all your monsters and dish out 4000 points of damage to you! Go, Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk the Tormentor finished absorbing both monsters and let out a massive roar before winding a fist up and punching it forth. The fist collided with the last Millennium Shield...but the monster just vaporized in an instant.

"My monster!" cried the bully, before seeing the fist coming for him now. "AUGH!"

The blast struck and knocked the bully off his feet and into a wall as his life points instantly hit zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Spencer Gresley wins!**

* * *

The bully's deck had completely spilled out of his Duel Disk. Spencer walked over and picked up a Locator card.

"Keep your rare card." he said. "But I'll be taking my other cards back...in addition to one of your Locator cards."

The silver-haired boy then looked over to the young duelist.

"Thank you, Mr. Spencer, sir." The boy bowed politely.

"Think nothing of it." said Spencer gruffly, as he turned and walked away with Skiff behind him.

* * *

 **Title: The Master of Magicians, Part 1**

* * *

Somewhere else in the city, Toby and Mavis both were at a diner enjoying some dinner together before calling it a night.

"Thank you for taking me out to dinner, Toby." said Mavis sweetly. "It was really nice of you."

"Hey, you know I'll do anything for you." Toby replied, staring in his girlfriend's eyes with a love struck look.

Mavis smiled. "Oh, Toby."

The two teens slowly moved in to share a kiss...when Mavis suddenly stopped when she saw something behind Toby's shoulders.

"Hey, isn't that Thomas outside?"

Toby looked over to where Mavis was looking.

"Hey, you're right." he said. "That is Thomas. What's he doing out so late?"

"He must be trying to find one last duel before turning in for the night." Mavis stated. "Why don't we go and help him find one?"

Toby nodded. "Sure."

After paying for their meals, the couple left the diner and went to follow Thomas.

"Hey, Thomas!" called Toby.

Thomas looked back and saw his two friends approaching.

"Toby, Mavis." he smiled with surprise. "Why are you two still out?"

"We were having some dinner." said Mavis. "What are you doing out?"

Thomas couldn't explain it, but decided to try.

"I sensed something in the park." he said. "I...can't really explain it, but I feel something there...is expecting me to be there."

"Could it be one of those Rare Hunters?" asked Toby.

"Possibly." shrugged Thomas.

He then started to tell his two good friends about his duel with one and how he got Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon card back.

"But why didn't Percy take the card back?" asked Mavis.

"Because he wants to become a True Duelist first." explained Thomas. "And I gave him something to fight for."

Toby and Mavis were rather confused before Thomas spoke again, taking out the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card.

"This card I'm holding onto for Percy is his courage." he said. "And Percy's fighting to get his favorite card back. That's why he'll show his true strength as a duelist."

"Well, I'm sure it will help you in this tournament." Mavis stated positively. "Now, if I may change the subject: If you think something is going at the park, shouldn't you go check it out?"

"That's what I'm gonna do." Thomas nodded. "You two are welcome to come with me, but try to be careful."

With that, the three friends made their way to the park.

(elsewhere...)

Upon arrival, Thomas and his two friends noticed something.

"What the-?" came from Mavis.

It was...a circus tent?

"Is there a circus in town?" Toby questioned. "Because I didn't see anything in the newspapers about that."

"It might be a trap." added Thomas.

Just then, a clownish laugh echoed through the area.

"Welcome, my friends!"

Thomas, Mavis, and Toby each turned and saw a clown dance right on in.

"Is that Mr. Bubbles?" Toby asked.

"I don't think so." Thomas answered.

"Oh, I don't know a Mr. Bubbles-" chortled the clown. "-but what I do know is that my master is here waiting for you."

"Your master?" Thomas quizzed.

"Why yes." said the clown. "He's waiting for you behind this door." He pointed over to a magician's box.

"That looks like a magician's prop." Mavis commented. "But do you guys think it's safe?"

"I suppose we'd better find out." Thomas started to walk over.

"Thomas, wait a moment!" Toby called.

The blue-haired boy stopped in time and turned to face his brown-haired friend.

"What's wrong?"

"It might be a trap." said Toby. "What if we end up dead?"

"Oh, my master assures you that nothing bad will happen." The clown said, motioning a finger to his heart. "Cross my heart...and hope to die."

"Well, alright." said Thomas in a not so sure tone.

With that, the three Sodor High School teenagers walked towards the prop.

"Here's hoping that this clown is telling the truth." muttered Toby.

As soon as Toby, Mavis, and Thomas each entered the prop...the clown immediately shut the door before they could realize what was going on.

"HEY!"

Suddenly, with a bang, smoke came out from the cracks of the box before it fell apart... completely empty. They were gone!

"Oh, relax, kiddies." The clown chuckled. "You're all being sent to meet with my master."

(elsewhere in Egypt...)

Meanwhile, in an unknown area, Marik was currently along and thinking.

"All according to plan." he said to himself. "So Spencer Gresley has Obelisk the Tormentor, does he? This has Ishizu written all over it."

Marik's Millennium Rod started glowing as he scowled slightly.

"I should have known you would be behind this, sister." he said. "You've been trying to stop me ever since the day I decided to free our family from suffering!"

A flashback to when Marik tried to steal the Egyptian God cards began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It happened somewhere in Egypt shortly after Marik formed the Rare Hunters group. Marik had taken control of a man using his Millennium Rod to make the man open a vault containing an Egyptian God card.

"Open the vault." ordered Marik. "Inside is what I need for my plan of revenge."

Once the vault was opened, the man went inside and came back out in a minute. Once out, he handed Marik something, making him smile gleefully.

"Yes!" he cried, seeing the card was The Winged Dragon of Ra. "The second Egyptian God card!"

But just as Marik was about to leave...

"Stop right there, brother!"

Standing in Marik's way was Ishizu. She dept a calm, collected look on her face.

"Sister..." Marik growled.

"My Millennium Necklace warned me that I would be betrayed from with in." Ishizu stated. "I never would have imagined it would be you, brother."

"All I am doing is avenging our ancestors for the suffering they had to endure because of that Pharaoh!" protested Marik.

"But it is destiny that we sacrifice ourselves to our duty." said Ishizu. "Have you forgotten the Prophecy?"

Marik, growing angry and impatient, raised the Millennium Rod towards his older sister.

"I'm warning you!" he seethed. "Stay out of my way or you'll end up like our Father!"

Did Ishizu look frightened? Not even close.

"Would you really use your Millennium Rod on your own flesh and blood, Marik?" she asked.

"I will do what I must to break this myth using the power of the God cards, and dispel the curse on our family." said Marik firmly.

He turned to leave...but not before Ishizu went and dropped a bombshell.

"If you're going to go look for the third Egyptian God card...you'll never find it." she stated. "It's hidden somewhere not even I know, so your Millennium Rod is useless."

Marik growled angrily before his Millennium Rod began to glow brightly. Ishizu covered her eyes. When the light faded, Marik had vanished.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Marik continued to think about what had happened.

"Ishizu gave Spencer Obelisk because she knew he would start his tournament to lure the other two Egyptian God cards back." he said. "No matter. First I will go and kill that Thomas Billinton boy, and then I will focus on getting Obelisk the Tormentor back. And my next Rare Hunter should be able to do it."

(elsewhere in Knapford City...)

Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of Knapford, Thomas, Mavis, and Toby exited the magician's box prop and found themselves inside the locked up for the night mall.

"Are we in the mall?" Toby looked around.

"It looks like it." said Mavis. "But why are we here?"

Thomas could see a light coming from the card shop.

"Let's check the card shop!" He ran off towards the light.

"Wait up!" called Toby, as both he and Mavis both gave chase.

When they got to the entrance of the card shop, the three teens could see that the gate was not down.

"That's odd..." said Thomas. "If the store's closed, why isn't the gate down?"

Toby then saw that the computer was on.

"Hey, the owner's computer is on." he pointed out.

They walked in front of the computer and saw that on the screen was Thomas's dueling profile for the Battle City tournament.

* * *

 **Name** : Thomas Billinton  
 **Duel Rank** : 8/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Dark Magician

* * *

"Why is Thomas's profile showing?" Mavis asked, just before noticing something and gasping in fright. "G-grease and oil!"

"What is it?" Toby asked, touching and gripping onto his girlfriend's shoulders in concern.

"Take a look at Thomas's Dark Magician!"

The card on the screen was glowing purple. Suddenly, the card changed colour. The Dark Magician now sported silver hair, tanned skin, red robes, and a sinister smile on his face. It also came out of the computer as a hologram of a sort.

"What the-?!" cried Toby, reeling back. "The Dark Magician came out of the computer!"

"How is that even possible?" Mavis added.

"Welcome, Thomas!" (evil) Dark Magician greeted. "I've been expecting you!"

"Wait, you have?" Toby quizzed.

"Yes." said (evil) Dark Magician. "I knew from the start that you would come here. My master wishes to duel you. You see, you are not the only one with the powers of the Dark Magician in your deck, Thomas Billinton." He then motioned his scepter at Thomas in a threatening gesture. "And you are certainly not the best. It's time that you all met the TRUE master of the Dark Magician!"

Thomas smiled. "Okay, enough of these games. Come on out, Rare Hunter!"

Just then, there was a sinister laugh echoing throughout the shop. A man wearing a magician's suit, top hat, and white mask walked in from the door in the back of the shop.

"Greetings, Thomas Billinton." The man greeted greeted. He wore a Duel Disk on his left arm, which had a Dark Magician on a monster field slot and was in defense mode. In his right hand was another Dark Magician. "I am the illusionist known as Arkana, and I'm here to take you out of the tournament!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Mavis.

"Only a true magician like me deserves to wield the power of a Dark Magician." continued Arkana. "You will never understand its true potential!"

"That's enough!" snapped Thomas.

"I know it must be hard to imagine your favorite card in another player's deck." Arkana went on, as he walked closer towards the trio. "Well, I challenge you to a duel. The winner will take the loser's Dark Magician!"

Thomas blinked. "A duel?"

"Don't do it, Thomas!" Toby warned. "This guy must be one of those Rare Hunters."

"You two must be friends of his." Arkana spoke up, referring to Toby and Mavis.

"So what if we are?" Mavis replied harshly.

"It always pays to have a good audience in every performance." replied Arkana. "Especially when that audience witnesses me winning!"

"I accept your challenge, Arkana." Thomas spoke up bravely. "You must know that when a duelist builds his deck, he chooses out of a variety of favorite cards he trusts. But sometimes, a card can actually choose a duelist. The two are connected and the duelist can tap into the card's true hidden power because each is bound by the Heart of the Cards." While speaking on, he took his deck out and began shuffling. "And the Dark Magician has chosen me."

Once Thomas finished shuffling, he drew the top most card of the deck and showed it to everyone. It was revealed to be Thomas's Dark Magician. Just then, an image of (good) Dark Magician appeared to face (evil) Dark Magician.

"He has never let me down." continued the blue-haired boy. "I have complete trust in my Dark Magician."

"Well, your Dark Magician will soon have a new master...me!" Arkana retorted. "Once I defeat you, that is!"

"We'll see about that! For it's time to duel, Arkana!"

With that said, Arkana suddenly turned around. "As you wish. But first, I want you to follow me to our dueling arena."

"Dueling arena?" asked Mavis.

"Yes." nodded Arkana. "This shop is much too crowded for us. And so I've had a special arena prepared for us downstairs."

The three teens followed Arkana down a flight of stairs.

"Hurry." stated the masked man. "It's almost curtain time. My master, Marik, informed me that you might be stopping by, Thomas. So he wanted me to make our duel very exciting."

"You're working for Marik?!" asked Thomas. "Where is he now?"

"Unfortunately, not even I know." Arkana answered. "All I know is that I've only met him once in my life."

Eventually, everyone arrived in the basement...which was designed to be like a carnival stage for magicians.

"Here we are."

"You know, this area fits the duel like a clown in a circus." snickered Mavis.

"Make jokes all you want." Arkana replied. "But know that you're in my world now."

He and Thomas both walked over to a table in the center of the arena, while Toby and Mavis both stopped near the Duel Ring. Arkana took over one end of the table, and Thomas took over the other. When ready, both players began shuffling their decks...although Arkana's style was the way magicians usually shuffle their decks.

"Don't you know shotgun shuffling will damage your cards." Thomas commented, while shuffling his own deck properly.

"Sorry, but this is how I'm used to shuffling." replied Arkana, as he finished shuffling. "Besides, my cards don't mind being shuffled like this."

"I highly doubt that. But just be sure, I'll cut your deck."

The evil magician nodded politely. "By all means, go ahead."

Thomas took Arkana's deck and cut the cards into three separate stacks before stacking them back into a whole deck.

"You know, there's an old saying among gamblers." said Arkana grandly. "' _Trust your friends, but always cut the cards_ '."

"Really? But that's the thing." Thomas closed his eyes with a small smirk. "I don't trust you, and we're not friends."

"What a pity." chuckled Arkana, taking his deck back. "But now that we are both committed to dueling, allow me to show you something that will prove us both to be true Blood Brothers. Let the show...err...duel begin!"

Suddenly, the table sunk into the ground and both Thomas and Arkana were both moved to the opposite sides of the arena on a tram.

"Something is up." Mavis stated seriously.

The blonde-haired girl was right on the button. Suddenly, a pair of shackles snapped shut around Thomas and Arkana's legs!

"H-Hey!" Thomas cried out.

Arkana smiled insanely.

"What's-?"

"Oh, relax, Thomas." The evil magician said in a calm tone. "As you can see I'm shackled up, too. So none of us can escape until a winner is declared."

"What are you up to?" asked Thomas angrily.

"Now you will all witness the greatest show of the century," announced Arkana. "A little something I'd like to call... ' ** _Arkana's Daring Escape from the very Jaws of Death_** '!"

A very loud buzzing sound was then heard, making Thomas, Mavis, and Toby each gasp. From both edges (left and right) a buzz-saw came out spinning.

"Buzz-saws?!" Toby exclaimed.

"That's right!" cackled Arkana. "Those are 100-Tooth Carbide-tipped saw blades, just like they use when sawing a woman in half. This duel will use my house rules."

"Explain yourself!" demanded Thomas.

"Every time we take damage-" explained Arkana. "-the saw blade will get closer to us. The numbers written above the saw indicate life points. Once a player's life points hit zero, their legs will be cut off!"

"That's insane!" Mavis screamed out.

"You'd risk killing yourself just to win against Thomas?!" Toby added.

"I know I'll win." insisted Arkana. "Now look at the box below your feet."

Below Thomas's feet rose a small box with a count of 4000 marked on the cover.

"Inside the box is a key to unlock your shackle." Arkana continued. "Only when you defeat your opponent will your box unlock itself."

"What?!"

"Heh! Pandora's Box..." Arkana began to speak anew.

A flashback ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Images of the Greek Gods from many, many, MANY years ago were shown.

"The Greek God Zeus created a box containing all of the misfortune in the world." narrated Arkana. "But the moment a woman of the same name opened the box, all the evil escaped escaped, bringing about evil, suffering, and pain."

A treasure chest-like box was shown.

"However, a tiny bit of hope was left at the bottom of the box."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"The very key at the bottom of this box is our last hope!" finished Arkana, before he started laughing aloud in a sinister way.

"Of all the games I've played in the past, this one is pretty much a death trap." Thomas stated unhappily, before casting a sharp glance at the evil magician. "Are you some kind of demented madman?"

"I told you this match would be exciting. Especially since I will be the winner!"

"That's what you think!" The blue-haired boy shouted. "I'll take you to the very edge of your life, Arkana. It's time to duel!"

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks. Part of the stage then activated holographic-like projections. This signalled...

"The spotlight is on us." announced Arkana excitedly. "It's showtime!"

"Then draw your cards." Thomas dared, drawing his opening hand (LP: 4000).

"With pleasure!" Arkana accepted, as he drew his opening hand (LP: 4000).

Looking to his opening hand, the magician man noticed something that brought a smile to his face.

"There it is." he thought. "Exactly as I hoped it would be. MY Dark Magician. Luck is on my side."

In Arkana's hand was his own Dark Magician.

"But it wasn't just luck involved." thought Arkana. "As a professional stage magician, I know 1,000 techniques to cheat at cards. There are so many marking techniques to distinguish cards at the back such as Sanding the Edges, Waxing, Cut Out, Edgework, Spotting, and Pegging. But for this occasion, I have used a very simple technique called the Stripper Technique. All I had to do was shave the edges of certain cards to make them slightly smaller than the others. And since I shaved my Dark Magician cards, one of them landed on top when Thomas cut my deck. Now he'll learn not to mess with an Illusionist...especially when one's life is on the line!"

"If you don't mind." said Thomas, interrupting Arkana's thoughts. "I'll go first."

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Change of Heart, Berformet, Feral Imp, Multiply, and De-Fusion

* * *

"First I place one card facedown," He slotted a card into a spell/trap slot on his Duel Disk. "And next I summon Feral Imp in defense mode."

A cute green, furred fiend-type monster appeared with a soft growl (Level: 4/DEF: 1400).

"That will do for my turn."

"My turn." said Arkana, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Arkana (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Mystic Tomato, Mystic Guillotine, Invigoration, Metal Zoa, Dark Magician, and Legion the Fiend Jester

* * *

"For my turn, I'll just summon Legion the Fiend Jester in defense mode!"

Appearing to Arkana's field was a jester with yellow skin (Level: 4/DEF: 1500).

"Legion's special ability allows me to tribute summon a spellcaster-type monster in additional to making a normal summon." thought Arkana. "And now next turn, when I summon another monster, I'll sacrifice them both to summon my all-powerful Dark Magician!"

"You won't be smiling for long!" Thomas called out, as he began his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Berformet, Multiply, De-Fusion, and Card Destruction

* * *

Upon adding his card to his hand, the blue-haired fell into his thoughts...

"Okay, if I want to beat this trickster-" Thomas thought to himself. "I'd best think like a trickster." With that thought on hand, he spoke aloud. "Since I don't trust your hand, Arkana, I'll play this Spell card."

"Don't trust my hand?" asked Arkana, sounding offended.

"Take this!" Thomas then slotted a card into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Card Destruction!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up, and Arkana reeled back in horror at the sight.

"C-Card Destruction?!" The evil magician wailed. "Not that!"

"That's right." grinned Thomas. "Now we both discard our hand and draw the same number of cards we discarded. And judging from the horrified look on your face, I guess you DID have your Dark Magician in your hand."

"H-h-how?" gasped Arkana in worry, looking at his hand in dismay. "How could you have known?"

"Someone who shotgun shuffles their cards obviously doesn't care about hurting them." said Thomas seriously. "I knew you'd cut up your cards without thinking twice. Only a fool would duel an illusionist without taking precautions against cheating beforehand."

"So Thomas cut Arkana's deck even though he knew he was cheating?" asked Mavis.

"I guess our boy is full of surprises." Toby chuckled.

Angrily, Arkana discarded his hand and drew five new cards.

"You'll pay for that, Thomas!" he growled. "When this duel is over, you'll be ' _half_ ' the man you ever were!"

"I don't think so!" shouted Thomas. Once he had discarded his hand and drew three new cards, the blue-haired boy poked a button on his Duel Disk. "I now activate my facedown card, Change of Heart!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before activating.

"Now I gain control of your only monster for the remainder of the turn!"

"Oh no! No!" Arkana thought in panic.

Out of the card appeared an angel with half of her body looking darker. She flew over to Legion the Fiend Jester and into his body, causing him to go over to Thomas's field.

"My monster!"

"Now I will sacrifice your Fiend Jester and my Feral Imp!" announced Thomas.

The two monsters disappeared in a swirl of purple energy as the silhouette of a familiar figure was seen in it.

"Behold the power of MY Dark Magician!"

Yup, the (good) Dark Magician has come to the rescue (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100). (good) Dark Magician hovered in front of the frightened Arkana with a stern look on his face.

"This is what happens when you believe in the Heart of the Cards!" Thomas declared. "You get rewarded for it!"

Arkana was sweating profusely at the situation he was currently in.

"He was able to summon his Dark Magician before I could summon mine!" he thought with panic. "And now I'm wide open for a direct attack!"

"I'm going to teach you how your cards feel when you cut them up, Arkana!" continued Thomas, motioning his right hand out and thrusting it forth. "Dark Magician, show him some real magic with a direct attack on his life points! DARK MAGIC ATTACK!"

Dark Magician obeyed and twirling and charging up his staff, before firing off a magical blast that struck Arkana and making him scream in agony as the air all around him fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors (LP: 1500). One everything died down, Thomas spoke sternly to the weakened man.

"I've taken off more than half of your life points." he said. "And you know what will happen now."

Arkana gasped as he noticed the saw blade move closer to him.

"The saw-blade is getting closer!"

"Way to go, Thomas!" cheered both Mavis and Toby.

"Well, Arkana?" Thomas teased cheekily. "We're still waiting for this ' _ **Show of the Century**_ ' you were talking about earlier."

Arkana seethed in anger for getting mocked, but his anger quickly turned into glee.

"The poor fool doesn't realize who he's dealing with." The magician thought, just before speaking aloud. "That was just the opening act, Thomas! When this duel is over, your life will end and your Dark Magician will become mine! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	16. The Master of Magicians (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the middle of Knapford city, the tournament had just ended for the day. All of the competing duelists had gone home to rest up for the second day in the morning.

Inside Emily's room at the Sterling residence, the dark green-haired girl was in her night gown and getting ready for bed.

"It's sure been an eventful day." she said only to herself, brushing her long hair with a hair brush. "Can't wait to see what tomorrow beholds."

Unfortunately for Emily, the day was not over yet. Just before the dark green-haired girl could climb into bed, a knock came at her door.

"Emily, honey." called the voice of Mrs. Sterling.

"Yes, Mom?" asked Emily. "What is it?"

The door opened, and there was Mrs. Sterling (Emily's Mother) looking incredibly worried and upset.

"I have some terrible news." she began. "I've just got a call from Thomas's parents... Thomas, Mavis, and Toby are all missing."

"Missing?!" gasped Emily. "Where were they last seen?"

"We don't know." Mrs. Sterling replied. "All we do know is that Toby and Mavis went to grab some dinner before coming home...but that was the last we heard of them."

"The Rare Hunters must have gotten them!" cried Emily. "We'd better call the police!"

"Rare Hunters?" Mrs. Sterling blinked. "What on Earth are they?"

Emily explained to her Mother about the Rare Hunters and what they do.

"Then we'll definitely need the police." said Mrs. Sterling, immediately picking up and dialing the phone on her daughter's desk.

"I hope Thomas, Toby, and Mavis are okay." whispered Emily in a worried tone.

* * *

 **Title: The Master of Magicians, Part 2**

* * *

Back inside the Knapford mall, Thomas, Mavis, and Toby were still okay...well, maybe not Thomas.

Thomas and the magician-like Rare Hunter, Arkana, were locked in the middle of a duel for their live, and Thomas was actually doing extremely well so far. He had full life points and his Dark Magician out on his field, while Arkana was almost beaten.

"So far, Thomas is winning." Mavis said to Toby.

"But that Arkana shouldn't be taken too lightly." Toby pointed out. "If he shaved his cards to cheat, then who knows what else he has in store?"

Over in the middle of the arena...

"You shaved your own cards to cheat, Arkana!" snapped Thomas. "If that's your idea of tactics, then perhaps I'll shave a few inches off YOU! My Dark Magician has already taken out more than half of your life points. One more direct attack like that and that saw will turn you to mincemeat! If you want to give up and free us both, now's the time to do so."

Unfortunately for the blue-haired boy, Arkana just laughed maniacally in response.

"Give up?!" The evil magician cackled. "Never! This is much too fun! The taste of death! The tension! The frisson! Oh, how I wish you could taste it, too!"

Thomas scowled. This guy was just unbelievable.

"Think about it; we're in my domain, which means I can't ever lose!" Arkana continued. "And when I do win, not only will your precious Dark Magician belong to me, but I'll also have you killed!"

He resumed laughing like a madman.

"This guy's nuts!" Toby said in disgust.

"That's not the word I'd use to describe him." agreed Mavis.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance to save yourself." sighed Thomas. "I end my turn!"

"And I'll begin mine!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Thousand Knives, Mystic Tomato, Rogue Doll, Dark Renewal, Beckon to the Dark, and Nightmare Chains

* * *

The evil magician added the drawn card to his hand and selected another one.

"I'll summon Rogue Doll in defense mode!" he said, placing the card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing to the field was some sort of doll wearing a purple cloak (Level: 4/DEF: 1000).

"Next I place one card facedown and end my turn." finished Arkana, sliding a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"He summoned a weak monster." thought Thomas. "All I have to do is summon another monster to destroy it, then I can attack him directly with Dark Magician and win the duel."

"Come on, Thomas." thought Arkana. "Take the bait and summon a new monster. Once you do, I'll have a surprise waiting."

"Here's where it ends!" announced Thomas, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Magical Hats, Cursebreaker, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed!" The blue-haired boy declared, holding his drawn card out. "This lets me draw two fresh cards from my deck."

He drew two new cards and took one of them.

"Now I summon Alpha The Magnet Warrior in attack mode!"

The green-hued Magnet Warrior appeared ready for battle (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1700).

"Attack Rogue Doll now!" commanded Thomas.

"Not so fast, Thomas!" shouted Arkana in response.

"What are you-?!"

Arkana poked a button on his Duel Disk. "You've activated my Trap card!" he said, just as his facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Dark Renewal!"

A coffin rose from the ground in front of the Trap card.

"This card is activated when you summon a monster!" Arkana explained. "Now it will tribute the monster you summoned, and a spellcaster-type monster from my side of the field. In exchange, I can either revive from my graveyard, or special summon from my deck, a dark attribute spellcaster onto the field! AH HA HA HA HA!"

Toby and Mavis both realized what Arkana was up to.

"I exactly know what he wants!" exclaimed Toby.

"Me too!" Mavis added.

"You want your Dark Magician back!" Thomas growled.

"That's right!" laughed Arkana. "This gives me a second chance to win. Welcome back, my Dark Magician!"

The coffin opened up and sucked Rogue Doll and Alpha The Magnet Warrior inside before closing up. When the coffin opened up again, there he was... It was (evil) Dark Magician with his eyes closed. A few seconds later, he opened them and hopped out of the coffin to face-off against (good) Dark Magician.

"I guess you got your wish after all." sighed Thomas. "It's Dark Magician vs. Dark Magician."

Both Dark Magicians were tied in stats (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100) x2.

"Attacking would only destroy them both-" said Arkana. "-so now the real battle of wits begins. Whoever wins this duel will also earn the title Master of Magicians!"

"The only way out of this stalemate-" thought Thomas. "-is to outwit Arkana with Spells and Traps." Taking two cards from his hand, the blue-haired boy spoke aloud. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Two facedown cards materialized. Arkana grinned while drawing his card.

"So, he's choosing to hold out." he thought. "Well, two can play at that game."

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Thousand Knives, Mystic Tomato, Beckon to the Dark, Monster Reborn, and Mystical Guillotine

* * *

Taking two cards from his hand, Arkana slotted them into two separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

"I'll also place two cards facedown." The evil magician said, as two facedown cards materialized. "What now?"

"I'll show you." said Thomas calmly, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Monster Reborn and Gamma The Magnet Warrior

* * *

"I place one more card facedown." He slotted a card into a third Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"Brilliant move." Arkana praised sarcastically, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Mystic Tomato, Beckon to the Dark, Mystical Guillotine, and Nightmare Chains

* * *

"I will also place another card facedown." He copied Thomas's last turn once more.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Gamma The Magnet Warrior and Mystical Refpanel

* * *

"I'll set my last card." Thomas slotted another card into a fourth Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Mystic Tomato, Beckon to the Dark, Nightmare Chains, and Doll of Demise

* * *

"And so will I." Arkana said, once again copying Thomas's last turn.

Both players had a Dark Magician and four facedown cards. This was something Toby and Mavis both found quite interesting.

"They both have four facedowns and one Dark Magician." said Toby.

"I guess we'll see who picked the better strategy." Mavis added. "I just hope Thomas is the stronger one."

"Ready?" asked Arkana, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I'll play the Spell card Mystical Guillotine!"

The first set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, causing a large guillotine with a very sharp blade to materialize in front of the card.

"Say goodbye to your Dark Magician, Thomas!" laughed Arkana.

"I won't let you destroy him!" protested Thomas.

Thomas's Dark Magician was suddenly grabbed by the chains and placed on the stand. The blade was aimed directly for the magician's neck.

"Time to execute your magician!" Arkana declared, making a chopping motion with his right hand.

The blade stared to go down. Mavis screamed at the sight, shut her eyes, and looked away in terror. Thomas, however, was quick on the thinking...

"You'll have to find him first!" The blue-haired boy retorted, holding a hand out and making one of his facedown cards flip up and reveal itself. "Go Magical Hats!"

Four large hats materialized and the Dark Magician was quickly concealed inside one of them before the blade sliced the hat...but the destroyed hat was empty.

"Looks like you've missed."

Arkana wasn't finished yet and poked another button on his Duel Disk.

"I still have another Spell card!" he growled, as his next facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Thousand Knives!"

A barrage of knives appeared around (evil) Dark Magician.

"These magic daggers will help me detect and destroy your Dark Magician."

"I know what the card does!" Thomas snapped. He should know; because he owned a copy of the card.

"Then you should also know that your Magical Hats trick is useless now." Arkana pointed out.

(evil) Dark Magician looked around to see which hat contained (good) Dark Magician. Eventually, he stop looking as his evil smirk grew eviler...because he had just found his target.

Arkana also gave a laugh. "Found him!"

(evil) Dark Magician immediately fired the knives at the hat.

"I don't think so!" exclaimed Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I'll rescue him with the Quick-Play Spell card Cursebreaker!"

His second facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This card cancels out any and all face-up Spell cards!" Thomas explained. "Meaning your Thousand Knives and my Magical Hats are both cancelled out."

The knives and remaining hats vanished, revealing an unharmed (good) Dark Magician.

"Destroying my Dark Magician won't be easy, Arkana."

"We'll see about that!" Arkana exclaimed angrily.

All of a sudden, both Dark Magicians fired off a blast from their scepters.

"Dark Magician!" The two duelists called to their ace monsters. "Attack with Dark Magic!"

"But they'll destroy each other!" protested the voice of Mavis.

The blasts of black magic hit both Dark Magicians, destroying them in an instant.

"And now my Dark Magician shall return!" shouted the two duelists at once, each poking a button on their respective Duel Disks. "Monster Reborn!"

Two facedown cards flip up and reveal themselves. On Arkana's field, (evil) Dark Magician reappeared like he wasn't harmed.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Gamma The Magnet Warrior and Big Shield Gardna

* * *

Because Thomas activated Monster Reborn, (good) Dark Magician also reappeared like he wasn't harmed.

"Looks like we're back to where we started." Arkana commented.

"Yes, we are." agreed Thomas. "Stalemates. Why don't you just set us both free so we may finish this duel with honor?"

"I would...but that would be disobeying my master. Marik would be most displeased if I did that."

Just then, Toby spoke up... "What I'd like to know-" he began. "-is how you're working for someone like Marik?!"

"Yeah!" agreed Mavis. "What made you stoop to such a low as working as one of Marik's Rare Hunters?"

Arkana sighed. "Look at my face." The evil magician said, removing his mask.

Thomas gasped in horror at what he saw. Mavis and Toby both didn't look any better either.

"Oh my G-" Mavis gagged, trying to hold the contents in her stomach down.

"Y-Your face...!" Toby stuttered, pointing in shock.

"Once I was the greatest stage magician since Harry Houdini." explained Arkana, with his face unseen.

A flashback to two years ago began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

In Las Vegas - Nevada, Flashback Arkana was shown to have been a handsome and famous stage magician who knew all of the tricks and stunts.

"I was the envy of the magician world, and I loved every minute of it." Present Day-Arkana narrated, sounding happy. "I had it all; money, fame, and looks. But most importantly I had ' _her_ '. My sweet Catherine. She was my beautiful assistant, and we were in love."

A woman with long blonde hair took a bow with Flashback Arkana at the end of a magician show and they smiled at each other.

"We were going to be married." Present Day-Arkana narrated in a happy tone still, but his tone then took a dark turn. "Until that fateful day..."

(new scene...)

Flashback Arkana was chained up and placed inside a box, which was being lifted into the air by a crane while Catherine watched on in concern.

"It was a simple routine escape act I had done over a million times." Present Day-Arkana narrated. "But just as the box had reached its supposed height, something went horribly wrong!"

All of a sudden, the box exploded. Everyone, from the audience, stage hands, to Catherine, all gasped and/or screamed at what had just happened to the magic trick. The box landed on the ground in flames. Then, out of the flames ran Flashback Arkana, his arm covering his face as he screamed in agonizing pain.

"I lost my career and my movie star good looks that day." narrated Present Day-Arkana. "Then I lost Catherine's love."

(new scene...)

Following the accident, Flashback Arkana was taken to a hospital and his face was bandaged up. Inside his room, Flashback Arkana could only sink into depression despite Catherine vowing to never leave his side.

"I'm done." Flashback Arkana said in despair. "My career is finished!"

"Never mind your career." said Catherine in sympathy. "We still have each other, don't we?" She went over to hug Arkana in comfort, but he pushed her away.

"I don't want you to see me like this!"

"Arkana?" Catherine tried to reach over and touch her future husband's arm, but was refused.

"Just leave me!" Flashback Arkana screamed, tears running down his bandaged face. "You could never love someone who looks like this!"

Unable to do anything to help him, Catherine left the hospital room as Flashback Arkana sobbed in despair.

"I was a broken man." Present Day-Arkana narrated sadly. "I didn't want Catherine to see me this way. She stood by me and I badly hurt her. But then I realized that Catherine was more important to me than anything. By the time I realized it though, I was too late. She was gone! My life was over..."

(new scene...)

One day after leaving the hospital, Flashback Arkana wandered through an alleyway.

"And that's when I met him." Present Day-Arkana narrated. "Marik."

Standing in Flashback Arkana's way was Marik, wearing his cloak and holding his Millennium Rod with a grin on his face.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

As the flashback ended, Arkana put his mask back on his face.

"He made me an offer." he went on. "If I joined the Rare Hunters and helped him kill Thomas Billinton, then he would use the power of his Millennium Rod to help me win back Catherine's love."

Mavis shook her head. "You're just sad." she said aloud.

Arkana frowned, but didn't reply back.

"Working for Marik will only bring you more pain and suffering, Arkana." Thomas added as calmly as can be.

"Why don't you just track down this Catherine girl and tell her how you truly feel?" asked Toby. "I'm sure she'll trust you."

Arkana just laughed snidely in response to the brown-haired boy's suggestion.

"You're just a child that doesn't understand." The evil magician scoffed harshly. "Love and trust don't exist together. But Marik is a man of his honor, and I'm trusting him to bring back my Catherine for me."

Arkana then motioned to a nearby curtain. A light went on and showed a silhouette of a woman in a chair.

"Who's that?" Thomas asked.

"Behind that curtain-" Arkana smiled. "-is my beloved Catherine!"

"What?!" demanded Mavis.

"That's right!" Arkana confirmed. "She's right there waiting for me!" He then turned to the curtain with a gleeful smile. "Just give me a minute, darling. All I have to do is eliminate Thomas Billinton and we can be married at last!"

"You should know better than to trust Marik." said Thomas firmly. "You should really trust in yourself and in your cards."

"They're just cards! Nothing more than that."

"They're not just cards to me!" argued the blue-haired boy. "They're my friends! And I trust in them with all my heart!"

"Look, I know you rely heavily on your Dark Magician." Arkana pointed out. "That's why my deck was designed to specifically counter it...and take it away from you!"

(elsewhere...)

Over at the Sterling residence, Emily was dressed and in the kitchen. Also present was Percy, Lady, Edward, Gordon, and Henry. It was obvious the dark green-haired girl had called each of her friends for help.

"Thanks for coming, everyone." said Emily gratefully.

"Where's James?" asked Lady "Shouldn't he be here, too?"

"James got grounded for what he said to Molly." explained Henry.

"Yup." Gordon agreed. "His folks weren't too pleased when they were informed by Molly's Mother over what James said to her daughter."

"I bet James wasn't too happy to be grounded." said Edward. "But it did serve him right. Hopefully he'll think about what he's done and apologize."

"Focus!" Emily called everyone to order. "Right now, our three friends Thomas, Toby, and Mavis are all missing."

"We have to find them then." added Percy, stating the obvious.

"Unfortunately, we don't even know where to start looking." Gordon spoke up.

"Why don't we split up?" suggested Henry. "That way we'll increase our chances of finding them."

"Good idea." Lady agreed.

"Agreed." Edward nodded also.

The teens took some flashlights and jackets. After Emily told her parents what they were doing, the friends went out to begin their search.

"Please be okay." Emily thought to herself.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the basement of the Knapford Mall, Toby began speaking to Arkana once more.

"How do you know that's really Catherine behind that curtain?" The brown-haird boy asked. "For all you know, Marik could be lying to you."

"Nonsense!" insisted Arkana. "Right now we're all alone and no one, not even Spencer Gresley, knows where we even are."

The evil magician then began to take his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Mystic Tomato, Beckon to the Dark, Doll of Demise, and Ectoplasmer

* * *

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn!" Arkana slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

"Then it's my turn now!" Thomas drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Gamma The Magnet Warrior, Big Shield Gardna, and Giant Soldier of Stone

* * *

Thinking hard, the blue-haired boy made a decision.

"I'll end my turn without playing a card."

"Time to spice up the show." said Arkana, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Mystic Tomato, Doll of Demise, Ectoplasmer, and Malice Doll of Demise

* * *

Immediately, the evil magician poked a button on his Duel Disk.

"I reveal the Spell card Beckon to the Dark!" announced Arkana, as his facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "This card will be the end of your Dark Magician!"

"Will it?" Mavis asked her boyfriend.

"I hope not." Toby replied.

Dark Clouds formed above them as a giant red hand came out and went to grab (good) Dark Magician.

"I'm afraid not!" declared Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing his final facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "I activate the Trap card Mystical Refpanel! This will turn the effect of your Spell card against you and save my magician!"

The giant hand let go of (good) Dark Magician and turned to grab (evil) Dark Magician instead. Suddenly, Arkana laughed.

"You fell for it!" he said gleefully.

"What?" asked Thomas.

"Beckon to the Dark was merely a decoy to get you to activate a Trap card." explained Arkana, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I knew you'd take the bait, so now I can activate my own Trap card! Nightmare's Chains!"

The evil magician's final set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. All of a suddenly, a large slab appeared behind (good) Dark Magician...not that Thomas, Mavis, and Toby didn't notice it first.

"LOOK OUT!" They cried out at once.

But it was too late for (good) Dark Magician to get out of the way. Out of the slab came several links of chains, wrapping around Thomas's Dark Magician and forcing him to the slab.

"Not only is Beckon to the Dark negated, but these chains have also binded your Dark Magician." explained Arkana, "Putting him out of play, and leaving you open for a direct attack!"

"No!" Thomas cried out, watching his Dark Magician in horror.

Suddenly, (good) Dark Magician spoke telepathically to his master.

"I'm sorry, Thomas." he said. "As long as these chains bind me, I won't be able to protect you from that madman or his disillusioned puppet."

By ' _disillusioned puppet_ ', (good) Dark Magician was referring to (evil) Dark Magician.

"It wasn't your fault." replied Thomas mentally. "I'll just have to hold him off until I get find a way to free you."

Arkana then interrupted their little conversation...

"With your monster hung up on the sidelines for the moment, all he can do now is watch on helplessly as I destroy his master! Of course, you won't be his master for much longer, so it doesn't really matter. Soon he'll belong to Marik."

The evil magician then held out one arm in a dramatic fashion like a magician would.

"And now prepare yourselves!" he proclaimed. "It's showtime! Dark Magician, attack Thomas's life points directly with Dark Magic Attack!"

(evil) Dark Magician was more than happy to obey, firing off a powerful blast from his own scepter right at Thomas, striking and making him scream in agony as the air all around him fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors (LP: 1500).

"THOMAS!" Toby and Mavis both screamed out in horror.

(good) Dark Magician was taking it even worse. There was nothing he could do but watch Thomas suffer.

"This is turning into quite the performance." chuckled Arkana. "And now watch, my friends, as the saw-blade comes closer than ever to cut Thomas's legs clean off!"

The saw-blade on the right of the duel arena started to move in slowly.

"This is not good." Thomas thought while grimacing. "I have to win this duel before it's too late."

At last the saw-blade stopped at the 1500 mark.

"We're tied now." Arkana stated. "But I've done enough damage for now. So make your next play."

Thomas realized he was in a serious disadvantage.

"If I can't find a way to free my Dark Magician and turn this duel around-" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "-Arkana's got me!"

Slowly, he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Gamma The Magnet Warrior, Big Shield Gardna, Giant Soldier of Stone, and Altar of Restoration

* * *

Suddenly, a spirit of the mentioned female spellcaster appeared beside Thomas, showing great concern for her master's well-being.

"Dark Magician Girl..." whispered Thomas mentally, surprised to see his second ace monster appearing to support him.

"Once you're able to, play me, Thomas-" she said mentally. "-do so. I have what it takes to stop that madman."

"Not yet... I don't want to risk Arkana hurting you right now." replied Thomas mentally. "I'll just have to hold off his attacks until I can find a way to free your teacher from Nightmare's Chains." With that said, he took another card from his hand. "I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!"

The warrior wielding the big shield appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 100/DEF: 2600).

"A last ditch effort in staying alive." Arkana laughed. "That's just the way I like it!"

He drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Mystic Tomato, Doll of Demise, Ectoplasmer, Malice Doll of Demise, and Shadow Balance

* * *

The evil magician's drawn card was a Trap card called Shadow Balance.

"I'll begin by summoning the Malice Doll of Demise in defense mode!" said Arkana, as he held a card out from his hand to show Thomas.

Appearing to the field was a possessed doll with knifes on his fingers and a scythe in his other hand (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1700).

"Almost looks like Pinocchio's demented cousin." Mavis said in a deadpan tone.

"Tell me about it." Toby agreed.

But Arkana wasn't done yet. He held up a card in his right hand.

"And now for the one Spell card that will read your death!" The evil magician cackled, slotting the card into his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"The Ectoplasmer?" Thomas blinked.

"What's that card do?" Mavis asked curiously.

"Oh, I don't wanna hear this." Toby groaned, knowing it will be bad news for Thomas.

"I'm very glad the young lady asked." giggled Arkana wickedly. "Ectoplasmer is a Spell card that drains the very soul out of one of my monsters. This soul is then fired at my opponent, dealing damage to him equal to half the attack of the monster drained by this card."

"What?!" gasped Thomas. "If you drain your monsters's souls, they will die!"

"Like I even care! Once I win, Catherine and I will be together again, and I will no longer need my cards!"

(evil) Dark Magician overheard that and his evil smile turned into a look of worry. But did Arkana stop there? Not really...

"Did you hear that, Catherine my darling?" The evil magician called happily over to the curtain. "Just a little while longer then we're off to Paris, or Hawaii, or wherever you'd like!" He then looked back towards Thomas. "Say goodbye, Thomas Billinton. I'm about to kill you by killing my own monsters! But so you know, it's nothing personal!"

Thomas merely scowled.

"Now I'll drain the life force of my Malice Doll of Demise!" Arkana declared. "And use it to attack you directly, Thomas!"

Malice Doll of Demise let out a yelp as its life-force was drained into the card.

"Now fire at Thomas Billinton!"

The blast was fired, blasting through Big Shield Gardna (but not destroying him) and striking Thomas (LP: 700). (good) Dark Magician watched in horror as his master got struck by the blast.

"No..." The purple-haired, male spellcaster thought to himself. "I...can't let it happen again."

The spirit of Dark Magician Girl couldn't help but cry at the sight of Thomas hurting. To make matters worse, the saw-blade was getting closer.

"One more hit and it will be all over for me!" thought Thomas.

"I can't take it anymore!" said Toby angrily. "We gotta help Thomas out of there!"

Too bad Arkana heard the brown-haired boy say that...

"I wouldn't bother trying to break those shackles if I were you." The evil magician warned sternly. "The saw-blade has a trigger that will make your friend's life points immediately go to zero if the shackles are damaged. The only way to save Thomas is with the key, which won't come to him unless I lose!"

Toby cursed.

"You're a sick man!" Mavis shouted in anger. "What kind of lunatic enjoys play games like this?!"

Arkana ignored the blonde-haired girl and just looked over at Thomas once more...

"You've played well, Thomas. I'll give you that." he admitted. "But do you know why you and your beloved Dark Magician couldn't beat me? Because you're too soft! You lack the ruthlessness it takes to become a true Master of Magicians! In battle, monsters respond vast to fear. You have to make certain they are afraid of you! You will never command their respect with kindness and trust. Just look what happened to your favorite card the Dark Magician." Arkana pointed to Thomas's chained up Dark Magician. "You are the master, they are the servants. And they should ensure victory for you even if it means you have to destroy them to get there!"

(evil) Dark Magician slowly grew more and more frustrated with how his own master was saying that he (Dark Magician) and the other monsters in his deck were nothing more but just servants. (good) Dark Magician actually felt sorry for his evil counterpart, as did Thomas.

"And besides, it's MY show!" continued Arkana. "And MY Dark Magician knows that I am his master. He is nothing but my pawn."

(good) Dark Magician spoke mentally to Thomas again... "Ectoplasmer has another effect to it, Thomas." he explained. "If more than one monster of the same name or type is on the field when one is tributed, the other can be tributed as well. The moment Arkana sacrifices his own magician, sacrifice me to nullify the damage it'll inflict on you."

"Master..." whispered Dark Magician Girl mentally.

"I won't do it!" objected Thomas mentally, just as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm not a cruel monster like Arkana! I won't kill you just to protect myself!"

"And now for the Grand Finale!" exclaimed Arkana, breaking the blue-haired boy out of his thoughts. "Exctoplasmer, extract the soul of my Dark Magician!"

(evil) Dark Magician suddenly felt very weak, like his own soul was being ripped out of his body. His body eventually fell limb. Thomas could see the exact pain (evil) Dark Magician was in and couldn't help but pity him.

"Arkana..." The blue-haired boy said softly. "Your own monster is crying."

"I don't care!" shouted Arkana. "Fire the ectoplasm!"

The blast was fired, blasting through Big Shield Gardna (but not destroying him).

"Hehehehe! I win!" cackled Arkana.

"THOMAS!" Mavis and Toby both screamed out.

The blue-haired boy merely closed his eyes in defeat and braced for the impact. Dark Magician Girl covered her eyes as well. (good) Dark Magician, still chained up to the slab, finally couldn't take it anymore.

"I WILL PROTECT YOU, MY PHARAOH!" The purple-haired, male spellcaster suddenly screamed out.

Suddenly, Thomas opened his eyes in shock as Dark Magician began glowing.

"What?!" gasped Arkana. "What's happening?!"

"Dark Magician..." whispered Thomas.

(good) Dark Magician's soul suddenly came out of his own body and appeared in front of Thomas as a ghostly version of himself, blocking Arkana's attack, causing an explosion that also destroyed Ectoplasmer and Nightmare's Chains along with (good) Dark Magician's body.

"MASTER, NO!" screamed Dark Magician Girl mentally.

The ghostly image of the Dark Magician turned around to look at both his master and apprentice.

"I'm sorry, but I had to protect you and my apprentice, Thomas." The purple-haired, male spellcaster said apologetically. "Even at the cost of my own life. Now I leave the rest of this duel to the both of you. Farewell..."

The ghostly image faded away. Thomas continued to watch what had happened in complete shock. Toby and Mavis were both just as stunned.

"What just happened?" The blonde-haired girl asked.

"It looked like Thomas's Dark Magician just saved his master from losing." said Toby. "But how was that even possible though?"

Arkana continued ranting. "How?! You should have lost the duel!"

"If you weren't so busy disrespecting your cards, Arkana-" said Thomas bitterly. "-then you wouldn't have failed to use them properly. While Ectoplasmer drains your monsters souls and fires them at me, if there's more than one of the same monster on the field, they're all affected in the same way."

"But you didn't even command your monster to protect you!" objected the evil magician.

Thomas didn't say a word. He was too busy thinking in his thoughts over his Dark Magician's self sacrifice.

"Thank you, Dark Magician..." he thought softly. "I won't let your sacrifice be in vain." Then, changing his expression to rage, he faced Arkana. "You like being ruthless to your cards, Arkana? Well I'm about to be ruthless to YOU!"

"Save the small talk, Thomas!" Arkana snapped. "You're still one attack away from being sliced up in two!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	17. The Master of Magicians (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up inside the Knapford mall's basement, Thomas and Arkana were both still in the middle of their duel. While Mavis and Toby both were watching and cheering their blue-haired friend on...though, they were amazed and shocked to see Thomas's own Dark Magician give his own life up just to save his master.

"How did it happen?" Mavis asked in amazement.

"Thomas's Dark Magician saved him." said Toby, looking just as amazed. "It's like the card had a mind of its own."

Regardless of what happened, Arkana still took the opportunity to gloat on the matter.

"Your Dark Magician is gone! I told you I was the true Master of Magicians!"

"Your own magician is gone, too." retorted Thomas.

"Who said that was the only one?" asked Arkana. "Unlike you, I have three Dark Magicians in my deck! The first might be gone, but I have two more waiting in my deck to destroy you!"

"You've lost, Arkana!" Thomas said acidly. "You've lost the moment you agreed to work for a madman like Marik. Do you honestly think he'd reunite you with your lost love? If you're truly sorry for forcing Catherine to leave you, then you should tell it to her face."

The spirit of Dark Magician Girl reappeared alongside Thomas. She looked positively disgusted with how Arkana treats his cards.

"That madman doesn't deserve to call himself a Master of Magicians." The female spellcaster growled.

"No, he doesn't." agreed Thomas. "He doesn't even deserve to call himself a duelist. Together, we're going to avenge your teacher."

"Then summon me soon." Dark Magician Girl suggested. "I have more than enough attack points to finish him off."

Thomas gave his spirit monster a quick nod...however, it was then Arkana went and slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." he stated.

A facedown card materialized. Suddenly, the blue-haired boy felt a bit uneasy about playing his other ace monster right now.

"I don't trust his facedown." he thought to himself, looking towards Dark Magician Girl in concern. "If I summon her next turn to attack, she could be destroyed."

Dark Magician Girl, seeing the worried look on her master's face, sensed the danger ahead and gave him a nod.

"Very well." she said mentally. "I'll wait a bit longer."

Thomas nodded to his spirit monster and turned to face Arkana again.

"Arkana, I'll ask you again; is this really what you want to do? What would Catherine think or say if she knew what you were doing?"

Arkana looked over towards the curtain - he was looking a bit worried. What if Thomas and his two friends were right? What if Marik really was lying about getting him and Catherine back together?

"Could he...be right?" Arkana asked himself. Unfortunately, he shook his head stubbornly. "No! This boy is just messing with my head. I must kill him to please my master."

The evil magician then looked back over to Thomas with a psychotic smile.

"Your mind games can't trick me, Thomas." snickered Arkana. "I'm so close to victory I can taste it!"

"If you were a REAL Master of Magicians-" said Thomas angrily. "-then you would have heard the cries of your monster when you killed it uncaringly!"

"What's that, Thomas?" Arkana asked mocking, bracing a hand to one of his ears. "I can't seem to quite hear you. Ah, it must be the sound of the buzz-saws ready to slice your legs off!"

He started laughing at his cruel joke. Thomas merely sighed in defeat.

"I see I won't be able to get through to you." The blue-haired boy said unhappily, preparing to draw his card. "But I will warn you now; your cruel and underhanded strategy will come back to haunt you one day."

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Gamma The Magnet Warrior, Giant Soldier of Stone, Altar of Restoration, and Kuriboh

* * *

Thomas added the drawn Kuriboh card to his hand.

"Since your field is completely empty-" Thomas held up a monster card. "-I'll be able to attack you directly." He held out a card. "And I'll use Gamma The Magnet Warrior to do it!"

The pink magnetic warrior appeared on Thomas's field, ready to battle (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1800).

"He fell right into my trap!" Arkana thought with glee, poking a button on his Duel Disk and speaking aloud. "Activate Shadow Balance!"

His facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, creating a large machine of a sort.

"Shadow Balance?" Mavis blinked, looking to her boyfriend. "Do you know what that card does, Toby?"

"I don't know, but I don't like the sound of it." said Toby.

"This Trap makes the number of monsters on your field equal to the monsters on my field." explained Arkana. "And since I have none, then so shall you!"

The machine use its two...whatever they were, to grab both Big Shield Gardna and Gamma The Magnet Warrior and crush them into dust. Thomas was defenseless now.

* * *

 **Title: The Master of Magicians, Part 3**

* * *

Somewhere in the darkness of night, Emily, Percy, and Lady were each busy searching for Thomas, Mavis, and Toby to no luck.

"We can't give up until we find them." panted Emily.

"So far we've searched the school grounds, the town square, and all of the other places we usually hang out at." Percy recalled, rubbing his hands on top of his head. "AUGH! Where haven't we looked?!"

Lady, however, had an idea of her own... "Why don't we call Spencer and ask for his help?"

"Huh?!" Percy and Emily both stared at their beautiful blonde-haired friend like she was crazy or something.

"Spencer's technology is able to track and locate any Battle City duelist in the city." explained Lady. "Maybe he'll be able to find Thomas."

Percy shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

With that said, Emily took out her cellphone and dialed a number. After a few seconds of ringing, a voice picked up.

"Boxford Corporation, Spencer Gresley speaking." came the voice of Spencer. "Whoever it is, I'm a very busy man."

"Spencer, this is Emily calling." The dark green-haired girl stated.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want? It's nearly 10:00 pm."

"Thomas, Toby and Mavis have gone missing." explained Emily. "We need your help in finding them."

"Billinton's gone missing?" asked the voice of Spencer. "Sounds to me like the Rare Hunters got to him."

"We thought so, too." Emily stated. "Your computers can track all of the duelists still competing in the tournament, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"So do you think you'll be able to track where Thomas is?" Emily asked hopefully.

The three teenagers waited for what seemed like forever. Eventually, Spencer got back to them...but not in the way they had hoped for.

"For some reason, my computers can't seem to track down Billinton." The voice said at last. "Something or someone must be jamming the frequency."

"Oh man!" cried Percy.

"Wherever Billinton is-" continued the voice of Spencer. "-they must have him in a basement or someplace where not even my company's computers can track."

Emily sighed. "Well, thanks anyway."

"Hold on." The voice of Spencer interrupted. "Skiff and I are going to join the search."

"Thank you." said Emily, feeling relieved.

With that said, she hung up and looked to both Percy and Lady.

"Spencer and Skiff are both going to join us in the search." The dark green-haired girl announced.

"That was nice of him." smiled Lady.

"Yeah, sure." Percy huffed, still sounding a bit miffed with Spencer.

"Percy?" Lady looked to her boyfriend. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm still mad at Spencer for making me a level 1 duelist."

"Worry about your grudge later." Emily replied sternly. "We need to find Thomas, Mavis, and Toby before it's too late."

And thus, the three teenagers went to go meet up with Spencer and Skiff. They could only hope that Thomas, Mavis, and Toby were okay.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Knapford Mall's basement, Thomas was looking worried because he had lost his last two monsters to Arkana's Shadow Balance Trap card.

"Now both of our fields are empty." taunted Arkana. "And just after you summoned a monster, too."

"I end my turn." sighed Thomas.

"I've already got two monsters in my hand." thought Arkana, looking at his hand. "But I would find it to be far more fitting to crush Thomas with one of my remaining Dark Magicians just to spite him."

He then drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Arkana (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (21)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Mystic Tomato, Malice Doll of Demise, and Dark Magic Curtain

* * *

Looking at what he drew, the evil magician smiled.

"Exactly what I need to do it." The evil magician thought to himself. He then spoke aloud. "It has been fun, but the time has come to finish you off! And I'll use one of the remaining Dark Magicians in my deck to do the job!"

"But you can't!" Toby protested. "Even if you've drawn it, you need to sacrifice two monsters to summon it!"

"Well, this Spell card says otherwise!" retorted Arkana, showing them the card he had just drawn. "The Dark Magic Curtain!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up. Thomas knew what this meant...considering he used it a few times. Mavis and Toby both, however, despite seeing Thomas use it once before, were a bit confused.

"What does that card do again?" Toby asked aloud.

"So glad you've asked." grinned Arkana (LP: 750). "By giving up one-half of my life points, the Dark Magic Curtain allows me to special summon a high level monster, like the Dark Magician, from my deck without a tribute."

As the evil magician gave up life points, the saw-blade grew even closer to him, but that didn't really matter much to him right now. On cue, a large machine with a red colored curtained materialized upon the life points being paid.

"You're on, Dark Magician!" called Arkana, grinning grandly.

The machine took hold of the curtain and tossed it away. Upon the curtain being tossed away, there stood a second (evil) Dark Magician...only this one had an even more evil look on his face.

"This is it!" said Arkana in a very demented done. "The final performance of Thomas Billinton! Your life points are almost out and you have nothing left to protect you! Once my Dark Magician attacks, you're finished!"

Unlike the first (evil) Dark Magician, this second one was completely unaware of Arkana's true colors and views on his own monsters...or maybe he (Dark Magician) was well aware, but either didn't care or even shared the same views regardless.

"If Thomas gets attacked by that Dark Magician, he'll..." Mavis left her sentence hang on the last bit because she knew what would happen.

Toby held the blonde-haired girl close to him in comfort.

"Dark Magician!" ordered Arkana. "Attack Thomas Billinton directly and win me my Catherine back!"

(evil) Dark Magician obeyed and charged up a blast of magic from his scepter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Time for you to die, boy!"

(evil) Dark Magician finally fired the blast at Thomas.

"THOMAS!" cried out both Mavis and Toby.

Dark Magician Girl once again covered her eyes, as she couldn't bear to watch her master/friend die. But suddenly, before it was too late, Thomas quickly sent a card from his hand to the graveyard, and a wall of Kuribohs formed around him. The blast hit and caused an explosion and dust cloud to fill the blue-haired boy's side of the field.

"I've won!" Arkana laughed maniacally. "I've done what the other Rare Hunters were unable to do!"

Mavis and Toby both watched solemnly over their friend's seeming demise. ...at least until...

"Think again, Arkana!" came the voice of Thomas.

The cloud of dust faded away...and there was Thomas with a wall of Kuribohs defending him.

"What?!" gasped Arkana. "Where did those fuzzballs come from?"

"That's easy." smiled Thomas, holding up his Duel Disk. "When you sent your Dark Magician to attack me directly, I merely went and discarded the Kuriboh card from my hand to the graveyard. As a result, all battle damage I would have taken from your attack became zero."

Arkana growled angrily as (evil) Dark Magician was also shown to be very irritated that his attack had been blocked by a wall of weakling Kuribohs. Thomas merely looked at his Duel Disk while keeping his smile.

"You've saved me yet again, Kuriboh." he said softly. "Thank you."

"So you've managed to stop my attack." Arkana seethed, before smirking confidently. "Next turn, you won't be so lucky!"

"Wrong!"

Arkana spat in disgust. "And how do you figure that?"

"Unlike you, I have the trust of my cards on my side." said Thomas. "And together we're going to take you down!" He then looked at the cards left in his hand. "There's only one monster that can help me now." The blue-haired boy was looking at the Dark Magician Girl card in his hand. "I have to find a way to summon my Dark Magician Girl next turn or it's over for me."

Slowly, Thomas reached for his deck. When he began to hesitate, he felt the spirit of Dark Magician Girl place her soft hand over his own.

"We can do it...together." The female spellcaster said kindly.

Thomas, feeling better, nodded to his spirit monster before looking back to Arkana.

"This duel ends now!"

He drew his card, slashing a colourful wave from his deck (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : (21)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Giant Soldier of Stone, Altar of Restoration, and Spider Web

* * *

Looking at what he drew, Thomas gave a small smile of satisfaction and held his drawn card out to show Arkana.

"And I'll begin with the Spell card Spider Web!" The blue-haired boy announced.

The Spell card materialized face-up and shot a web into Arkana's graveyard.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"This Spell card allows me to take a Spell from your graveyard that you used last turn and use it as my own." explained Thomas, just as a selected card came out to his hand. "And I choose Dark Magic Curtain!"

"He took what?!" Toby and Mavis both gawked.

Arkana, however, took it even less than them. "But your Dark Magician is in the graveyard! That was your only Dark Magician!"

"Yes, that was my only copy of the Dark Magician in my whole deck..." Thomas agreed, but then began to explain something else... "However, he is definitely not the only Dark Magician-related monster. You see, in the world of Duel Monsters, the Dark Magician has an apprentice, whom he has taught all of his greatest tricks."

Mavis and Toby both suddenly grinned. They immediately realized who Thomas meant.

"Apprentice?!" Arkana exclaimed. "I never knew that!"

"Well, I'm about to show you!" Thomas declared, slotting his newly gotten card into his Duel Disk, causing the Dark Magic Curtain Spell card to materialize face-up. "I activate Dark Magic Curtain now!"

At the cost of half of his life points (LP: 350), the Dark Magic Curtain machine appeared from the card onto Thomas's side of the field.

"Say hello to Dark Magician Girl!" announced Thomas, showing the card before placing it on his Duel Disk.

The curtain was tossed aside. A female spellcaster (and dare I may say, a very pretty looking one) was shown. Her outfit composed of an off-the-shoulders garment that extends to her mid-thighs and ends up as a skirt. It was colored blue with pink trimmings and a few touches of yellow. Also, her hat is pointed, like Dark Magician's, except it was also blue, along with pink rings and a pink spiral on one side. She also wore boots reaching halfway up her thighs, and her wand, which was blue, had a spiral which was very similar to the one on her hat, except that it is yellow. She also wore pink and blue gauntlets. Her most prominent features, however, were the faint pink markings on her cheeks, long blonde hair, and emerald green eyes (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

Arkana couldn't believe his eyes. There really was a female Dark Magician, and it was one he had never heard of before.

"Then it's true!" The evil magician whispered. "There really is a female Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician Girl lowered down beside Thomas with her arms folded, glaring at Arkana in anger and hatred for all he had put her master through.

"You may have been right about that-" said Arkana, regaining his thought. "-but your girlfriend is much weaker than my own Dark Magician! In a head to head battle, my magician will destroy her!"

"Are you sure about that?" Thomas questioned.

"I am! Dark Magician! Attack Dark Magician Girl! Destroy her now and kill Thomas Billinton!"

(evil) Dark Magician obeyed, charging and firing off a magical blast of bark magic from his scepter. Dark Magician Girl, however, was ready for it and fired a blast of Dark Burning from her wand in response.

"Say goodbye!" laughed Arkana. "It's curtains for you and your monster!"

An explosion filled the duel arena, clouding it with a large amount of dust.

(elsewhere...)

Over with Gordon, Henry, Edward, and Skiff somewhere in Knapford City. They had been searching for nearly two hours, but still no sign of Thomas, Mavis, or Toby.

"There's still no sign of them." sighed Gordon.

"It feels like we've checked the entire city." Henry groaned.

"There has to be a place we haven't thought of." Edward added.

"What about the mall?" asked Skiff.

"The mall?" Gordon and Henry both looked to the younger boy.

"Skiff." Edward spoke up. "Could you try using your laptop to track Thomas, again?"

"Sure thing." nodded Skiff.

The younger pulled out his laptop and opened it up.

"Let's see..."

After a few minutes of typing, he got nothing.

"I couldn't get a lock on him." Skiff sighed.

"Ah ha!" Edward suddenly cried out, catching everyone by surprise.

"What?! What is it?" Gordon asked in surprise.

"Do you know if Thomas is there?" asked Henry.

"I have a hunch." Edward replied, looking to Skiff. "Could you bring up a map of the mall, Skiff?"

"Sure thing." The boy started typing away.

After Skiff was finished typing, a map of the Knapford Mall came up.

"There doesn't seem to be a basement around here." Skiff stated, but then he remembered something. "This is a blueprint of the building before it got that basement a month ago."

"That means Thomas must be down there." said Edward.

"Along with Mavis and Toby!" Henry added.

"Quick, call the others and get them to meet us at the mall!" Gordon ordered.

"Will do." said Skiff, watching as the other boys raced off.

Well, here's hoping that the other Tidmouth Teens aren't too late.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Knapford Mall's basement, the cloud of dust was still covering the field.

"I've won!" cackled Arkana. "Thomas Billinton is dead!"

"Oh really?" came a voice.

The smoke cleared. Dark Magician Girl was still standing and smiling in triumph. Meanwhile, (evil) Dark Magician...was fizzling out until he was completely gone.

"My Dark Magician has been destroyed!" Arkana cried out. He could not believe what he had just seen. "But how could that even be? He had 500 more attack points than she did!"

"Apparently you've thought wrong, Arkana." retorted Thomas. "My Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for every Dark Magician in the graveyard."

As he spoke, and Dark Magician Girl glared at Arkana, a image of (good) Dark Magician appeared beside his apprentice.

"The apprentice carries on her master's legacy." continued Thomas. "And he continues to watch over her!"

"But that wouldn't add up!" protested Arkana. "There's only one Dark Magician in your graveyard! Even with the extra attack points, her attack would only be 2300!"

"Open your eyes! If you really were a Master of Magicians, then you would be able to see the truth!"

Arkana squinted his eyes until he saw something that made his gasp.

"I-It can't be!" The evil magician whispered.

Appearing on the other side of Dark Magician Girl was...a spirit of (evil) Dark Magician!

"My first Dark Magician is there?!" gasped Arkana, rubbing his eyes like he was seeing things. "Why is the power of my Dark Magician reborn inside your monster?"

"The Dark Magician Girl gains power from every Dark Magician no matter who's graveyard it's in." explained Thomas. "That includes your so-called ' ** _slave_** ' who you ruthlessly killed just to kill me!"

(evil) Dark Magician looked really mad at his former master. Now, he was helping Thomas teach Arkana a little lesson...

"I've told you your actions would come back to haunt you." said Thomas sternly. "Now you're about to witness the consequences of those actions!"

"You'll never get through to me!" snapped Arkana in fear, drawing his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty** : Arkana (LP: 650)  
 **Deck** : (19)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Mystic Tomato, Malice Doll of Demise, and Saggi the Dark Clown

* * *

On cue, Saggi the Dark Clown, a creepy clown-like monster, appeared in a defensive stance (Level: 3/ATK: 600/DEF: 1500).

"For this turn, I'll summon Saggi the Dark Clown in defense mode!" Arkana announced, having placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways). "This monster will protect me!"

"You're done!" Thomas declared loudly, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 350)  
 **Deck** : (20)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Giant Soldier of Stone and Dark Burning Attack

* * *

"And I'll use Dark Burning Attack to do the job!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up beside Dark Magician Girl.

"As Dark Magician Girl is on my field-" explained Thomas. "-she can destroy all face up monsters you control!"

Dark Magician Girl's wand began crackling with magic and electricity. Arkana winced in fear at what was about to happen.

"And now... ladies and gentlemen." announced Thomas, pretending there was an audience besides Mavis and Toby. "Allow me to show you MY grand finale as my lovely Dark Magician Girl not only goes and destroys Saggi the Dark Clown, but also wipes out the rest of Arkana's life points!"

Mavis and Toby both stared cheering and applauding. They were happy that Thomas was about to win the duel. Arkana, however, remained very unhappy and afraid.

"Consider this your punishment for mistreating your cards!" Thomas shouted to the evil magician. "DARK BURNING ATTACK!"

Dark Magician Girl finally fired her blast, sending a powerful shockwave that not only destroyed Saggi, but also struck Arkana, causing him to scream as his life points dropped to zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

"He won!" cheered both Toby and Mavis once more.

Thomas then heard something click open down near his feet. He looked down and saw that the box beneath his feet had opened. Inside was a Locator card and a key with a hat at the end similar to Arkana's.

"The key and a Locator card." he said, taking them. Using the key, he freed himself before looking at Arkana. "When duelists treat their cards as nothing but objects, they go down the path of ruin and defeat. You've lost because your own Dark Magician turned against you!"

Arkana was still grimacing in disbelief over his loss.

"And now-" Thomas went on. "-you must pay the price for it!"

"That's right!" gasped the evil magician. "I almost forgot about the saw-blades!"

Dark Magician Girl, back in spirit form now that the holograms had disappeared, looked back towards Thomas and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before vanishing, causing the blue-haired boy to blush briefly.

"Dark Magician Girl..." The blue-haired boy whispered.

Arkana meanwhile was screaming and wailing as the saw-blade started moving in closer and closer. Well, at least until...

"HA!" The evil magician thought to himself with a smile, looking to the sleeve of his left arm. "A good magician is prepared for anything. I always keep a spare key in cases of emergency!"

Arkana reached a hand up his sleeve and pulled out a spare key.

"Now I will make my greatest escape after all." he thought proudly. But suddenly, his hand went numb all of a sudden. "Wha-what's happening?"

"Didn't you lose the duel, Arkana?" echoed a new voice (Marik). "Then you must pay the price..."

"M-M-Master Marik!" gasped Arkana in horror. "No! Please give me another chance...!"

"I gave you a chance, and you've failed!"

Suddenly, Arkana started looking around like he was missing something.

"Where's the key?!" The evil magician gasped aloud. "It was here a minute ago!"

Marik laughed scornfully. "I can control your memory. I've erased the key from your mind... you can't see it nor feel it. As far as you're concerned, it doesn't exist."

Arkana was wailing away as the buzz-saw got closer and closer to cutting his legs clean off. As the evil magician panicked, he dropped the spare key on the ground. Suddenly, Thomas raced towards him.

"Hold on!" he cried. The blue-haired boy grabbed the key and began unlocking Arkana's shackles.

Just before *CHOP!*, Thomas pulled Arkana away from the buzz-saw.

"Thomas!" Toby and Mavis both cried out, just as they ran over.

"N-No game is worth dying for!" Thomas said to Arkana. "That's just sick!"

Arkana looked up. Thomas had saved his life, even after he almost tried to have him killed. A feeling of regret and remorse began to fill his mind while standing back up.

"What have I done?" The ex-evil magician asked sadly. "Catherine..." Suddenly, Arkana turned around and raced towards the curtained area with a yell. "I'm coming, Catherine!"

In a fit of madness, Arkana tore the curtain and held what looked like the body of Catherine under it.

"Oh, Catherine, my darling. I'm so sorry for how I acted." he said apologetically.

Just then, then head of ' _Catherine_ ' fell off the body, revealing it to be a dummy. Arkana was horrified to see this.

"A fake?" The magician gasped. "Then...Marik really was lying to me."

This became too much for him to bear and Arkana broke down to cry. The three teenagers now felt rather sorry for the poor magician.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Mavis with concern in her voice.

"Oh, Catherine, please come back to me." sobbed Arkana. "I don't want to lose you again after what I did years ago."

"Are you going to be alright, Arkana?" asked Thomas, walking closer to the poor man.

Suddenly, Arkana turned around. His face had become expressionless and a Millennium Eye symbol appeared on his forehead.

"Arkana? You're greatly mistaken." said Arkana with a mix of two voices.

"Marik!" Thomas seethed.

"That's right." said the voice of Marik. "I am controlling this fool Arkana from a distance. I control his mind and all his senses; his sight and hearing. That's how I can see, hear, and talk to you."

"Why are you hounding after Thomas?!" Mavis demanded.

"I am the heir to the clan of Tomb Guardians who have lived in darkness for 3,000 years." explained Marik. "And I WILL avenge them!"

"But what does this have to do with Thomas?" asked Toby. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"In the most remote parts of Egypt-" said Marik. "-near the Tombs of the Kings, we Tomb Guardians have lived apart from the world, hiding in the shadows, passing the task from Mother to daughter, and Father to son. To protect the seven secrets until the arrival of the Chosen One stated in the ancient prophecy."

"Chosen One?" Thomas quizzed.

"Seven secrets?" added Mavis.

"Would you mind telling us what this is all about?" Toby asked, sounding quite annoyed.

"The seven secrets I speak of are the Millennium Items." explained Marik. "I hold one of them and must guard it, even if it means my life, until I present it before the chosen one. That's what I was taught as a child."

"But what about this 'Chosen One'?" Mavis asked. "Who exactly is he or she?"

"It has been written that one day, the Shadow Games would attempt to claim the world again. But hope would arrive in the form of the Pharaoh's chosen descendant, who would end the Shadow Games once and for all. It is also written that you will know him by the three Egyptian God cards he wields. That means whoever wields the three Egyptian God cards will become the Chosen One in the prophecy and claim all seven Millennium Items."

The three teenagers watched and listened on to Marik's words in stunned silence...not that it mattered to him, anyway.

"I already have two." said Marik. "All I need is Obelisk the Tormentor and I shall become the Chosen One! I will free my family from this curse once and for all!"

"But what about me?" Thomas demanded. "Why are you and your Rare Hunters after me and my friends?!"

"Because you greatly resemble the Pharaoh. And it was his fault my family was forced to live underground!"

It was then Thomas recalled his meeting with Ishizu and seeing that the young Pharaoh did look much like him.

"And to avenge my family...you must die." Marik continued, giving a sneer.

"If you want to hurt our friend-" said Toby, stepping forth. "-you'll have to get through us!"

Marik merely laughed at the brown-haired boy's weak threat.

"Impressive." The Rare Hunter leader chortled. "I suppose I'll have to have some fun with you guys as well." But then he turned his attention right back to Thomas. "A Rare Hunter is currently in Knapford City with an Egyptian God card on hand. Beware the 'Quiet One'."

"The Quiet One?" asked Thomas.

"The Egyptian God monster this Rare Hunter wields is called Slifer the Sky Dragon." said Marik.

With that all said, he released his hold on Arkana, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

"Marik?! MARIK!" Thomas shouted out angrily. But it was no use, Marik was long gone. "Dang..."

Toby, meanwhile, walked over and went to see if Arkana was okay.

"Will he be okay?" Mavis asked.

"Well I feel a pulse." answered Toby. "So he should be fine."

"And since you've won a Battle City duel, Thomas-" Mavis then looked over to her blue-haired friend. "-don't you also get to take one of Arkana's Dark Magicians?"

But Thomas shook his head unhappily. "I refuse to take one of them."

"Huh?"

"Arkana shaved the edges of his cards to get the card he wanted on his first turn." Thomas pointed out. "I would never want to cheat any of my opponents."

Before anymore discussions could happen, some new voices rang in the area.

"Thomas? Toby? Mavis?" The voice belonged to Edward. "Where are you guys?!"

"If you can hear us, respond back!" That voice belonged to Gordon.

"Our friends!" Toby exclaimed, whilst standing back up.

"We're down here!" cried Mavis.

The footsteps became louder and louder...before the rest of the Tidmouth Teens, as well as Lady, came scampering down the steps and into the basement.

"Thomas!" cried Emily happily.

"Toby!" came from Percy.

"Mavis!" came from Lady.

It was a joyous reunion for the group of friends. It was then both Skiff and Spencer both walked down the steps and entered the basement.

"There they are." said Skiff, happy to see that Thomas, Toby, and Mavis were each safe and sound.

"Spencer and Skiff?" blinked Toby. "What are you two doing here?"

"They helped us in the search." Emily explained. "But Skiff was the one who really pointed us in the right direction."

Spencer looked down at Arkana. "Is he the Rare Hunter you dueled?" he asked.

"Yes." nodded Thomas. "He made it a duel where the loser gets his legs cut off by a saw-blade!"

Emily gasped. "How awful!"

"However-" Toby spoke up. "-at the same time, we kinda feel sorry for him."

And they explained what Arkana had went through and why he joined the Rare Hunters.

"So all this time, he wanted to reunite with the woman he brushed off after a big stage accident?" Gordon asked, sounding rather glum.

"It still doesn't excuse that he tried to kill you, Billinton." Spencer was a bit more harsh sounding.

"I know that." replied Thomas.

"Not to mention he also broke several rules of the Battle City tournament." Spencer went on. "He disgraced my family and company's good name as a result!"

"Then what are you suggesting we do with him?" Emily asked.

"We'll let the police deal with him."

"Shouldn't he also get some therapy or mental help?" asked Toby.

This was gonna be tricky indeed. Arkana did try to have Thomas killed in their duel. But at the same time, Arkana was just a lost soul who was only trying to reunite himself with his lost love. At last, Thomas had an idea.

"Maybe we could help him reunite with Catherine." he suggested.

"Great idea, Thomas!" said Gordon sarcastically. "And how exactly do you plan on doing something like that?"

"We could maybe ask if anybody knows a woman of that description." continued Thomas. "Either way, despite what Arkana did, I believe he deserves a second chance at starting a new life."

And thus, everyone (even Spencer) agreed to the plan. Would it work? Well, I'm afraid we'll have to skip over it.

(elsewhere in Egypt...)

Back in his hideout somewhere in the world, Marik was busy thinking about what he had told Thomas.

"That fool has no idea what he is in store for." he thought.

All of a sudden, another Rare Hunter walked in. This member, while wearing the same outfit as most of the other Rare Hunters, also had a large carving of text on the left side of his face.

"Master Marik." The man greeted in a very polite/formal tone.

"What is it, Odion?" Marik asked quietly.

"Shall I send some Rare Hunters to pay Spencer a visit?" asked Odion.

"I can handle him. However, I want the Rare Hunters stationed in Knapford to keep an eye on Thomas Billinton's friends. I could always use more mind slaves."

Th Egyptian man bowed and left the chamber. As soon as he was alone, Marik stepped down from his throne and walked over to a table containing another Egyptian God card; ' _ **The Winged Dragon of Ra**_ '.

"Soon, I will get revenge on the bloodline of the Pharaoh." he thought, as he dropped his robes. "And my family shall be freed from that dreaded curse."

Carved on Marik's back was a tattoo of the same stone carvings seen in the museum.

"But I want to know, sister, is why would you help the one responsible for our Father's death?"

A flashback to when Marik was younger was shown.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The younger Marik had made a flowery necklace for his big sister (Ishizu).

"Sister-" he smiled sweetly. "-for you."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as present day Marik closed his eyes in thought.

"I will destroy you, Thomas Billinton." he thought. "For every member of the Ishtar family that had to suffer because of your cursed ancestor!"

The teenage boy's eyes suddenly snapped open with gleams of insanity within. Yup, this guy really wants to make Thomas suffer.


	18. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas had managed to sleep well the rest of that night despite him nearly getting buzz-sawed in half. The next morning, after a nice breakfast, he had to go and meet his friends at the town square so that they (the ones competing) could get ready for day two of the Battle City tournament.

"This day should be good." Thomas thought, rushing out the door with his Duel Disk and deck.

"Have a good time!" called Mrs. Billinton.

"I will!" Thomas replied back, waving goodbye.

After hearing about Thomas's close call the night before, Mrs. Billinton wasn't sure if it would be wise to have her son compete again.

"What if something even worse happens?" she thought.

Mrs. Billinton could only hope nothing more would happen to her son.

(elsewhere...)

Over at the Hughes residence, Gordon, Henry, Edward, and Emily were all waiting for James to exit the house.

"He isn't still grounded, is he?" Henry quizzed.

"Let's hope not." Edward replied. "Unlike the last tournament, this one will somewhat conclude this evening."

At last, the door opened and a rather glum-looking James walked out.

"Morning, jailbird." greeted Gordon.

"Hey." The red-haired boy muttered in response.

"So they ungrounded you?" asked Emily.

"Only if I apologize to Molly before the day is over." said James. "But why should I when she lied to me?"

Gordon and Henry both sighed. Once again, James refused to accept the fact he had severely hurt Molly's feelings.

"Oh, the indignity..." Gordon mumbled.

Regardless, James perked up almost immediately.

"Well, I've got some serious catching up to do." he grinned. "I'm ready to begin day two of this tournament!"

"That reminds me." said Henry, pulling something out of his pocket. "Murdoch asked us to give this to you since you forgot to take it after your duel with him yesterday."

It was a Locator card.

"Nice!" James took it. This gave him three locator cards so far.

"Now you and Thomas are both tied with three Locator cards." said Emily.

"How's he doing?" asked James. "Last I heard he almost got his legs cut off by a buzz-saw. Wish I could have helped look for him."

"He's fine." Emily answered. "After facing two duelists, a.k.a. Rare Hunters, I'm starting to wish he should not compete in this tournament because it just seems so dangerous."

James raised an eyebrow. "What did he say after you told him that?"

"He said that I worry too much and that if he wouldn't be able to stop Marik, then who would?"

"Not to mention he has another good reason for entering the tournament." Edward added.

James looked interested. "What is it?" he quizzed.

"Remember when we went to the museum for the school field trip?" Edward asked.

"Yes, I remember."

"He wants more answers to what we saw." explained Edward. "And he believes he'll find them by taking part in this tournament."

"Oh..."

The five teens then left the residence to head over to the town square.

* * *

 **Title: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!, Part 1**

* * *

In the town square, Thomas, Percy, and Lady were waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive.

"So how many locator cards do you have so far, Lady?" asked Percy.

His girlfriend held them up in disappointment.

"Not very much." she sighed. "I only have four."

Thomas then showed he had three. Percy, unfortunately, only had two.

"Aw man!" he complained. "So you both did better than me!"

"At least unlike both you and Lady-" Thomas replied sternly, looking upset. "-I had to earn mine from Rare Hunters...also from one where my life was on the line!"

"We know." said Lady soothingly.

"I'm sorry, Thomas." Percy apologized. "I-I didn't mean it like that."

"It's alright, Percy." sighed Thomas. "I'm sorry I got snappy."

"Anyway-" Lady decided to change the subject. "-how's Arkana doing?"

"Well he should be alright." said the blue-haired boy. "He's currently resting up in the hospital."

"Any luck finding that Catherine woman?" asked Percy.

"I tried calling a few numbers asking the people on the other lime for some info on her last night." explained Lady. "Turns out she is still here somewhere on the island...but is now residing in another city."

The green-haired boy sighed. "Alright."

"However, there might still be a way to contact her." The beautiful blonde-haired girl continued. "From what I've heard from one of the people I called, she is good friends with Sir Topham Hatt's wife, Lady Hatt, and they've kept in close contact even after Catherine left Knapford."

"So maybe she'll be able to reach her." said Thomas positively.

"We'll go see her when the tournament closes."

With that said, a voice (young boy) echoed the area.

"HELP! HELP!"

A young boy with orange hair and buck teeth ran in, and he looked very upset.

"Please, you have to help me!" he wailed, coming close to crying.

"What is it, Billy?" asked Thomas.

"It's Diesel!" Billy sniffled sadly. "After he beat me in a duel and took my Locator card, he took my whole deck instead of my rarest card!"

"That big cheat!" seethed Lady. "How dare he do that?!"

"Do we really have to help Billy?" whispered Percy. "He's the most annoying lad on Sodor. Remember all the grief he put us through on his first day here?"

"Percy!" Thomas exclaimed harshly.

The green-haired boy realized what he had said. "Okay, bad thing to say."

"Don't worry, Billy." said Lady kindly. "We'll get your deck back."

"So, um, how do we even find him?" Percy asked.

"If we find Arry and Bert, we're bound to find Diesel." Thomas pointed out. "We'll just have to split up."

(elsewhere...)

For some reason, it didn't take long for Percy to find Diesel and his two cronies. They were in an alleyway chatting about Diesel's latest duel.

"Wow, Diesel, you have two Locator cards." Bert grinned.

"Forget the Locator cards!" Diesel snapped, before smirking widely. "These rare cards are all I ever need."

"You give those cards back to Billy right now!" shouted the voice of Percy suddenly.

The three Smelter Teens turned and saw the green-haired boy.

"Run!" Diesel announced, dashing away.

"Come back here!" snapped Percy, giving chase.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Edward, Emily, Toby, and Mavis were walking down a street.

"I really wish James didn't take forever in coming down." Emily complained. "Now we have to find Thomas, Percy, and Lady...again."

Suddenly they saw the three Smelters Teens race by.

"Was that Diesel, Arry, and Bert?" Toby asked, looking puzzled.

Mavis, not wanting anything to do with her former boyfriend, just moved along in a very unhappy manner.

"Ignore him." she said simply, dragging her brown-haired boyfriend along.

It was then Percy ran by.

"Stop, thieves!" he bellowed.

"There goes Percy." blinked Edward.

Suddenly, Emily had a look of concern on her face.

"You don't think...?"

Without wasting a single second, she raced after Percy before anyone could even ask where she was going.

"Emily? Hey...!" cried Toby.

The rest of the teenagers soon gave chase too. With the three Smelter Teens, they thought they managed to get away from the goody-goods chasing after them.

"Heh, those slowpokes." Diesel snickered.

Unfortunately...

*BAM!*

Someone was standing in his way and he smashed into that person. It was Zack, who managed to stay on his feet, while Diesel fell down. Arry and Bert both stopped when they saw James R., Carlie, and Ben standing with arms folded and angry looks on their faces.

"Going somewhere?" Zack asked harshly.

Suddenly the rest of the teens came up, trapping the three bullies.

"We're trapped!" said Bert in a panic.

"What have you three done this time?" demanded Edward unhappily.

"Nothing!" Diesel lied.

"Shame on you!" Carlie scolded, her arms folded. "We've heard what you did. You stole a little boy's deck after you defeated him in a duel."

"Alright, you good for nothing thief." growled James R., grabbing Diesel by the collar. "You give that boy his deck back right now or I'll bash your skull in with a hammer!"

Ben and Carlie both sweatdropped.

"Out-of-character much?" The brown-haired girl whispered to her brother.

"Violence isn't the answer." said Zack, holding an arm out to stop James R. from going and punching Diesel.

Percy then finally caught up to group.

"F-Finally..." he huffed and puffed, before recovering and glaring at Diesel angrily. "Okay, Diesel. Hand over Billy's deck, and there will be no trouble!"

"Never!" snapped Diesel. "These rare cards are mine now!"

"That's against the rules!" protested Edward. "You're only allowed to take the loser's ONE rarest card and a Locator card. Not the whole deck!"

"Rules, schmules!" mocked the devious black-haired boy. "I honestly don't care about this crummy tournament. I'm only in it to win rare cards!"

"Heh, so says the guy who tried to take a set of Exodia cards." Percy chuckled. "Only to find out they were fakes!"

"Shut up!" shouted Diesel.

"You're out numbered, Diesel." said Carlie firmly. "Either return the cards you stole, or we'll take them back by force."

Carlie was right. It was three against nine.

"I've got a better idea." Diesel spoke up. "How about we duel for them?"

"Duel?"

"Yes. If I lose, I'll return the stolen cards."

"How many Locator cards do you also have?" Toby suddenly asked.

"Two." answered Diesel.

"I have two as well." said Percy, holding his two locator cards up. "I'll duel you in a 'Winner-Take-All' match."

Diesel grinned, followed by Arry and Bert.

"You're on." dared the devious black-haired boy, accepting the terms. "You don't stand a chance against me."

"If Thomas can beat you, then so can I." Percy replied hotly.

"Thomas won by a fluke!" Diesel insisted. "And when I'm finished with you, he'll be certain to come find me and avenge your loss!"

The two activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands.

"Time to duel!" They both said at once (LP: 4000) x2.

"So, what kind of deck does this Diesel guy run?" Ben asked the four teenagers from Sodor High School.

"He runs an insect deck." explained Edward.

"And lots of his cards are pain in the necks." Toby added. "One time, he even planted a card in Thomas's deck to give him the advantage."

"That snake!" snapped Carlie.

"Hey, cutie!" called Diesel flirtingly. "You could have at least called me an insect!"

The brown-haired girl wasn't very pleased with that guy hitting on her. Ben, likewise, wasn't thrilled about it either.

"That's my sister you're messing with, creep!" he exclaimed.

"Blah blah blah!" mocked Diesel, before looking back to Percy. "First move is mine, luck boy!"

* * *

 **Turn One** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): DNA Surgery, Parasite Caterpillar, Insect Barrier, Flying Kamakiri #1, and Leghul

* * *

The devious black-haired boy's hand contained DNA Surgery, Parasite Caterpillar, Insect Barrier, Flying Kamakiri #1, and Leghul.

"Oh, my lovely bugs." he thought happily. "I'll set you free to overwhelm that naive boy soon enough."

Diesel took a card from his hand and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"First I place one card facedown." The devious black-haird boy said, before taking another card from his hand. "Then I'll summon Flying Kamakiri #1 in attack mode!"

A large insect monster with beating wings materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1400).

"Eww...it looks creepy." Carlie mumbled in fright.

"Nothing I can't squash." said Percy, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Swordsman of Landstar, Jinzo, Shield and Sword, Kunai with Chain, Panther Warrior, and Hayabusa Knight

* * *

The green-haired boy's hand contained Swordsman of Landstar, Jinzo, Shield and Sword, Kunai with Chain, Panther Warrior, and the just added Hayabusa Knight.

"Nuts!" he thought unhappily. "Only Panther Warrior is strong enough to beat that monster...but he needs a sacrifice in order to attack."

However, he then noticed a card in his hand the might help him change that.

"Hold the phone..."

From there, Percy took a card from his hand.

"I'll place one card facedown-" began the green-haired boy, slotting the card into his Duel Disk before taking another card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot. "-and then I'll summon the Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode!"

A small warrior appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 500).

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" laughed Diesel. "What a wimpy card!"

"Tell that to my next card!" retorted Percy's voice.

Diesel stopped laughing and watched as Percy held up another card.

"I activate Shield and Sword!" said the green-haired boy, slotting the card into another Spell/Trap slot on Duel Disk.

The card materialized face-up. Suddenly, both monsters on the field were fizzling.

"What's happening to our monsters?" Diesel asked unhappily.

"This spell makes our monsters swap their attack points with their defense points." explained Percy.

Flying Kamakiri #1 grew weaker (ATK: 1400 - 900) and Swordsman of Landstar grew stronger (ATK: 500 - 1200).

"Oh, oil slick..." grumbled Diesel irritably.

"Swordsman of Landstar!" commanded Percy. "Attack his Flying Kamakiri #1!"

Swordsman of Landstar obeyed and slashed through Flying Kamakiri #1 with his sword, destroying the bug in one shot.

"How do you like them apples, Diesel?" taunted Percy.

Diesel growled as he took damage (LP: 3700).

"Come on, Diesel!" called Arry. "Show little Percy that your loss to Thomas was a fluke!"

"Right." obeyed Diesel. "When Flying Kamakiri #1 is destroyed in battle, I can summon another insect with 1500 or less attack points in its place!"

A card slipped from his deck and the devious black-haired boy took it and showed it to everyone.

"And I choose my Flying Kamakiri #2!"

A large, brown colored insect with two, powerful arms materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"And by now-" Diesel went on. "-your Shield and Sword has also worn off!"

Swordsman of Landstar's attack returned to normal (ATK: 1200 - 500).

"I end my turn." sighed Percy.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 3700)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): DNA Surgery, Parasite Caterpillar, Leghul, and Cocoon of Evolution

* * *

Diesel added his drawn card to his hand and looked to his facedown card.

"I'll toy with him a little longer." he thought. "Then, when the time is right, I'll spring my trap on him!"

Percy had a firm look on his face. He was ready for whatever Diesel had planned. The devious black-haired boy just took a card from his hand.

"I summon Parasite Caterpillar in defense mode!" he announced.

A large green Caterpillar appeared (Level: 3/DEF: 800).

"That's the same monster he used against Thomas." thought Percy. "If I destroy it, he'll be able to use that Poison Butterfly strategy on me."

"Aw, what's the matter, Percy?" teased Diesel. "You've seen through my strategy, so does that mean you have a plan to stop it?"

Calmly, Percy went and drew his next card...but to his dismay, it wasn't one that could help him.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Jinzo, Panther Warrior, Hayabusa Knight, and Baby Dragon

* * *

"Nuts!" he thought. "I didn't draw anything good enough to help." Looking to his new Jnzo card, however, Percy sighed. "I might as well give my new Jinzo card a small workout."

He took the card from his hand and held it out.

"I sacrifice Swordsman of Landstar to summon Jinzo. The card I won from Samson!"

Swordsman of Landstar vanished in a blue streak, and appearing in his place was the mighty android (Level: 6/ATK: 2400).

"A Jinzo, eh?" Diesel raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." said Percy proudly. "And Jinzo destroys Trap cards, meaning your facedown is history!"

Unfortunately, Jinzo didn't do anything. Percy's eyes widened.

"Um, Jinzo?" he asked meekly. "Take out his facedown card."

But Jinzo still didn't budge an inch.

"What's going on?" asked Emily. "Jinzo should have destroyed Diesel's facedown card."

"Unless the facedown card is not a Trap card...but a Spell card." Edward stated. "Jinzo can only destroy Trap cards, not Spell cards."

"Exactly!" laughed Diesel. "Man, I can't believe you actually thought my facedown card was a Trap!"

Percy mentally kicked himself for falling for something like that. He quickly recovered, however.

"Go, Jinzo!" he called. "Wipe out his Flying Kamakiri #2 with Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo obeyed, firing a beam at the large insect, destroying it. Diesel flinched as he lost more life points (LP: 3200).

"Percy's doing good so far." Mavis commented.

"Yes, but knowing Diesel, he won't be for long." warned Toby.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): DNA Surgery, Leghul, Cocoon of Evolution, and Kiseitai

* * *

Holding up his next drawn card, Diesel smirked as he looked up at Percy's Jinzo.

"Jinzo will be Percy's own downfall." he thought, as he place his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk...but facedown and sideways. "I'll summon a monster in facedown defense mode!"

A facedown (sideways) card joined Parasite Caterpillar on the defensive.

"That ends my turn." Diesel finished sneakily.

"My turn!" announced Percy, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Hayabusa Knight, Baby Dragon, and Little-Winguard

* * *

"Jinzo, attack the facedown monster now!"

Jinzo obeyed, firing a blast at the facedown monster.

"Well done!" Diesel chuckled. "You've attacked..."

The facedown monster was revealed to be Kiseitai.

"...my Kiseitai!"

"Aw man!" groaned Percy.

"Not that monster again!" Toby complained.

"What's bad about that monster?" Ben asked curiously. "It looks really weak."

"It equips itself to another monster and increases Diesel's life points by half the equipped monster's attack during each of Percy's standby phases." explained Edward.

"Jinzo has 2400 attack points." Emily continued on. "Meaning Diesel will gain 1200 life points."

"That's right." teased Diesel. "It also means that I'm guaranteed a perfect victory."

"What do you mean a perfect victory?" Percy asked.

"I'm obviously going to win. And thanks to my monster, my life points will be well over 4000...if not higher!"

With that said, the devious black-haired boy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): DNA Surgery, Leghul, Cocoon of Evolution, and Larva Moth

* * *

"I'll keep my Caterpillar in defense mode." Diesel stated, adding his card to his hand. "Now you have a choice to make: Either keep Jinzo out or tribute it. Keeping it would be a wise move because I won't be able to use Trap cards, but I'll just gain life points."

"My turn!" announced Percy, drawing.

"And I'll take 1200 more life points." added devious black-haired boy, as his life points were increased (LP: 4400).

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Panther Warrior, Hayabusa Knight, Baby Dragon, Little-Winguard, and Skull Dice

* * *

On cue, the Hayabusa Knight monster card materialized face-up

"I summon Hayabusa Knight in attack mode!"

The hybrid between man and bird appeared out of the card (Level: 3/ATK: 1000).

"You're gonna attack?" Diesel asked with a raised eyebrow. "You do know what will happen if any of your monsters makes an attack, right?"

"Yes, I'm aware." confirmed Percy. "That's why I summoned another monster. Hayabusa Knight, attack his Parasite Caterpillar!"

"Percy!" called Edward. "Don't do it!"

Too late. Hayabusa Knight obeyed and slashed through the Caterpillar, destroying it and releasing little spores around the monster.

"What an idiot." snickered Diesel.

"Now he'll be able to call out Poison Butterfly." said James R. unhappily.

Suddenly, Percy began to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" asked Diesel, frowning.

"I did that on purpose!" laughed Percy. "Now that your last defense is gone, Jinzo is free to attack your life points directly! Go, Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo obeyed, firing a blast of Cyber Energy at Diesel, who yelled as he took damage (LP: 2000).

"Way to go, Percy!" cheered Mavis.

"Cheer all you want." Diesel kept his smile. "But remember that now Poison Butterfly will appear on your field soon enough."

Hayabusa Knight slowly became a cocoon of a sort.

"And when it does appear, I'll be ready for it." Diesel went on. "Not to mention you should have also tributed your Jinzo to prevent me from gaining more life points!"

With that said, the Smelter Teen drew from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (5): DNA Surgery, Leghul, Cocoon of Evolution, Larva Moth, and Bug Injection(!)

* * *

Seeing what he drew, the devious black-haired boy grinned wickedly.

"Now, you'll pay for your mistake!"

He slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I play the Spell card Bug Injection!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up, just before creating a large needle of a sort.

"Now I can select any of your monsters and inject it with a serum." Diesel explained. "Which will turn its typing into an insect while nullifying its own effect if it has one!"

"No way!" cried Percy.

From being injected, Jinzo groaned in pain as he became much weaker.

"Now that your Jinzo has lost his Trap destroying ability-" Diesel held up another card. "-I'm free to set and play Trap cards again."

A facedown card materialized beside the other one. Suddenly, a small worm monster called Larva Moth appeared in a defensive stance.

"Next I'll activate my facedown card." Diesel poked a button on his Duel Disk. "Insect Barrier!"

One of the facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself.

"Now Jinzo can't touch my monster."

"My turn..." groaned Percy, drawing his next card.

"And more life points for me!" oiled Diesel (LP: 3200).

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Panther Warrior, Baby Dragon, Little-Winguard, Skull Dice, and Polymerization

* * *

Percy unhappily added his drawn card to his hand and looked to his side of the field.

"Great..." The green-haired boy thought. "Now how do I get myself out of this mess?"

"Looks like Percy's in trouble." groaned James R..

"Just when you think Percy bounces back, Diesel jumps and bounces back even more." Ben complained.

"Diesel is doing even better than last time." Emily commented.

"Come on, Percy!" called Mavis. "You can beat this cheater!"

"Not so easy when he's got a card to prevent my monster from attacking!" Percy called right back.

"If you think that's bad-" Diesel spoke up, before poking a button on his Duel Disk. "-this will make it a whole lot worse for you!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"The Trap card DNA Surgery!"

"What does that do?" asked Percy.

"This makes all monsters on the field turn into any type I choose." explained Diesel. "And I choose the insect-type!"

"And because of your Insect Barrier being a Continuous Spell card..." Percy started to say.

"You can't attack me at all!" finished Diesel, beginning to laugh. "I'm completely invincible!"

Yup, this was very bad news. Diesel had just set up a nasty combo that has prevented Percy from launching any kind of attacks. What will he do now?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	19. Bugs, Bugs, Bugs! (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the park, Diesel and Percy were both in a duel for each other's Locator cards...and it was currently in the former's favour:  
-Diesel had a pretty powerful defensive combo setup on his side of the field. The Trap card DNA Surgery and the Continuous Spell card Insect Barrier were both activated. A monster card called Larva Moth was also present..  
-Percy had Jinzo and Hayabusa Knight-turned cocoon for the summon of Poison Butterfly on his side of the field. Other than that, he didn't have anything very handy in his hand.

"This doesn't look too good." Ben commented.

"Poor Percy." Carlie added, looking worried.

"Thanks to my strategy-" said Diesel boastfully. "-this duel will be mine!"

"That's what you've said last time-" retorted Percy. "-and Thomas ended up defeating you!"

"Not this time." Diesel deviously replied right back. "Do you see my monster right now?"

"It's just a little Larva Moth." Percy answered. "A very weak bug monster."

"Looks can be deceiving. Soon this little Larva Moth will become something powerful!"

"And how will it possibly do that that?" The green-haired boy retorted.

"I'll show you." Diesel drew his card.

* * *

 **Title: Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!, Part 2**

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Leghul, Cocoon of Evolution, and Armored Centipede

* * *

Holding up a card from his hand, the devious black-haired boy placed it over the Larva Moth on his Duel Disk.

"I equip my Larva Moth with Cocoon of Evolution!"

The Larva Moth was suddenly encased in a large cocoon...rather messily.

"Okay... eww!" Mavis grimaced in disgust.

"What just happened?" Percy asked curiously. "What just happened to your Larva Moth?"

"It's inside the cocoon," explained Diesel. "Don't you know anything on evolution? In a few turns, it will become a monster capable of sealing your fate!"

"You lie!"

"No, I'm not." Diesel retorted. "In six turns, you'll meet your worst nightmare. The monster I call: Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth!"

"Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth?" asked Edward. "That's one of the most powerful monsters in the game!"

"Indeed, it is." Diesel nodded, smirking. "And I have a card in my deck to help speed the evolution up."

"Too bad you'll never draw it in time." Percy pointed out.

"But remember that you can't even attack me!" laughed Diesel. "Which means I have more than enough time to try and draw it."

"Whatever!" snapped Percy. "My turn!"

He drew his card, which caused Diesel to gain more life points (LP: 4400).

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Panther Warrior, Baby Dragon, Little-Winguard, Skull Dice, Polymerization, and Axe Raider

* * *

"Darn it!" thought Percy, looking at his card. "Still nothing!" He then spoke aloud. "I pass this turn."

"Back to me then." Diesel went and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 4400)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Leghul, Armored Centipede, and Pinch Hopper

 **COCOON OF EVOLUTION** : 3 Standby Phases Left

* * *

He smirked. "I also pass this turn. Just five more standby phases to go."

"My turn!" said Percy, drawing.

"And that means even more life points for me!" said Diesel gleefully (LP: 5600).

"He's got almost 6000 life points!" gasped James R..

"Come on, Percy!" called Emily. "Don't let Diesel get away with this!"

"I don't plan on letting him." Percy replied.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Panther Warrior, Baby Dragon, Little-Winguard, Skull Dice, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"This could help." he thought, taking his drawn card and slotting it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I'll play Pot of Greed! Now I draw two cards."

Percy held up Giant Trunade and Time Wizard and smiled to himself.

"Folks, we have a winner."

"Why are you smiling, Percy?" Diesel asked teasingly. "Did you draw anything good?"

"Yes I did." said Percy, slotting another card into his Duel Disk. "I activate the spell Giant Trunade!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up. Suddenly, the clouds darkened and looked stormy.

"Not that!" screamed Diesel.

"Now all Spell and Trap cards return to both players hands." Carlie whispered to Ben.

The stormy clouds caused a hurricane that blew away all Spells and Traps on the field.

"With your DNA Surgery gone-" said Percy. "-my monster's aren't insects anymore and those that are are free to attack! So even if Poison Butterfly comes out, I can still use it!"

Diesel growled.

"But I'm not done yet!" Percy went on, holding out a monster card. "I summon Baby Dragon in attack mode!"

The young brown/orange scaled dragon appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 1200).

"Finally-" Percy held out one more card. "-meet the Time Wizard!"

The familiar wizard with the time scepter appeared beside Baby Dragon.

"Oh no!" cried Diesel. "Not that!"

"Thaaaat's right!" grinned Percy. "Time for little roulette spin. Go Time Roulette!"

The hands on Time Wizard's staff began to spin.

"Please, not a skull!" Percy pleaded. "That would destroy my life points!"

Eventually the roulette slowed down...and stopped on a time machine.

"Yeah!" cheered Percy. "Go Time Magic!"

"Time Magic!" screeched Time Wizard.

In a flash, time began to go forward for the cards on the field.

"Now Baby Dragon will become the Thousand Dragon!" declared Percy.

Baby Dragon glowed all white before it morphed into its adult form (Level: 7/ATK: 2400). Suddenly, Diesel let out a loud laugh.

"Well done, you gullible little boy!"

Percy's smile left his face. "Huh?"

"Did you forget what I had on my field?" asked Diesel. "Thanks to your Time Magic, I was able to summon my Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth sooner!"

"But how?" Percy asked. "You still have five more turns to summon it! Unless-"

"You get it now? By using your Time Wizard's effect, you've sped the waiting up! Now I can summon my king of insects right now, and you'll also taste its pure power! Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, take flight!"

The cocoon burst open and out appeared a huge green moth with purple wings (Level: 8/ATK: 3500).

"3500 attack points?!" gasped Mavis.

"That thing is strong enough to crush any of Percy's monsters!" came from Toby.

"I should really thank you, Percy!" taunted Diesel. "Thanks to your Time Wizard, I now have the strongest monster in my deck on the field! Oh, and about the card I said that would help speed up my summon? Well, I made that up!"

"You tricked me!" snapped Percy.

"Oh, boo hoo." mocked Diesel, drawing a card. "I'm devious. Get over it!"

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 5600)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Leghul, Armored Centipede, Pinch Hopper, DNA Surgery, Insect Barrier, and Insect Queen

* * *

"Don't forget that it has also been enough turns!" he went on. "Guess what that means?"

"Poison Butterfly!" gasped Percy.

The Hayabusa Knight-turned cocoon was then destroyed...but not before hatching into the mighty Poison Butterfly (Level: 7/ATK: 2700).

"Now on all of your end phases now, you'll take 500 points of damage to your life points!"

Percy grimaced. "I knew I shouldn't have attacked that monster."

"Now I want your Butterfly and Jinzo to both survive." Diesel stated. "So I'll use my mighty moth to destroy your Thousand Dragon!"

Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth flapped its wings and sent poison particals to destroy Thousand Dragon. Percy grunted as he took damage (LP: 2900). Snickering hard, Diesel slotted two cards into his Duel Disk.

"Now I'll set a card facedown and reactivate Insect Barrier!"

A facedown card materialized followed by Insect Barrier materializing face-up.

"I know what that facedown card is." groaned Percy.

Everyone was dismayed at the situation Percy was in at the moment.

"Just when we thought Percy was in the clearing-" Emily began.

"-this happens." finished Edward.

"It'll take a miracle for him to beat this cheater." said Toby.

"My turn." sighed Percy, drawing a card.

Diesel also gained more life points (LP: 6800)

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2900)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Panther Warrior, Little-Winguard, Skull Dice, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Monster Reborn

* * *

"I'll just summon Little-Winguard in defense mode." Percy said, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The little warrior materialized (Level: 4/DEF: 1800).

"Going on the defensive?" teased Diesel.

"That's right." admitted Percy, sounding firm. "It's all I can do right now."

"And don't forget my facedown DNA Surgery!" The devious black-haired boy reminded, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The facedown card on Diesel's side of the field flipped up and revealed itself in an instant.

"Once again, I choose the insect-type!"

"I end my turn." sighed Percy.

"And now Poison Butterfly's effect activates!" laughed Diesel.

The Poison Butterfly revealed poison spores, which rained down upon Percy, causing his Duel Disk to spark about and reduce his life points (LP: 2400).

"This is just too easy!" The black-haired boy said gleefully, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 6800)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Leghul, Armored Centipede, Pinch Hopper, Insect Queen, and Insecticide

* * *

"And now, so that I become REALLY unstoppable, I'll summon my deck's other ace!"

"The Insect Queen?" asked Percy.

"You know me all too well." Diesel chuckled, holding up a card in his right hand. "First I'll summon Pinch Hopper in defense mode!"

The large green hopper appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1200).

"Next I play the Spell card Insecticide!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"That looks like the Eradicating Aerosol card." Ben commented.

"Yes, but Insecticide has a weaker effect." Zack stated.

"Exactly." said Diesel, overhearing the conversation. "This card lets me destroy only one insect monster on the field. And I choose my Pinch Hopper!"

A large green can appeared and sprayed its contents onto the Pinch Hopper, making the monster screech in pain before vanishing.

"With the deed done, my monster's effect activates!" Diesel continued gleefully. "I can now special summon any insect-type monster from my hand to the field!"

With a maniacal laugh, he took a card from his hand.

"I summon my all-powerful Insect Queen!"

He immediately placed the card on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. Now appearing in Pinch Hopper's place was the mighty queen of bugs (Level: 7/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2400).

"And I'm sure you remember what it does, right?"

"I do." Percy said gravely. "But, just to humor you, tell me again."

"She gains 200 attack points for every insect monster on the field." explained Diesel. "Normally that would be for herself and my Great Moth, but since you have Jinzo, Poison Butterfly, and Little-Winguard, that's an extra 1000 extra attack points!"

Insect Queen grew more and more powerful (ATK: 2200 - 3200).

"Not good." said James R. in a worried tone.

"Two very powerful monsters." Zack added.

"How can Percy win against that?" Carlie also threw in.

"He'll need a great amount of luck." said Edward.

"Fortunately, I'll keep your Jinzo and Poison Butterfly alive." Diesel kept going on. "But your Little-Winguard can take a hike! Destroy it now, my Great Moth!"

Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth obeyed, destroying Little-Winguard with its wings. Insect Queen, of course, grew weaker (ATK: 3200 - 3000).

"I'll end my turn at that." smirked Diesel.

"My turn!" said Percy, drawing.

"More life points for me." Diesel pointed out (LP: 8000).

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2400)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Panther Warrior, Skull Dice, Polymerization, Axe Raider, Monster Reborn, and Graceful Dice

* * *

"There might be a way to take that Great Moth down." Percy thought to himself. "But it will be very risky... though it will be one I'll have to take."

He slotted a card into his Duel Disk, causing it (Monster Reborn) to materialize face-up.

"Using my Monster Reborn card-" The green-haired boy said. "-I revive my Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode!"

The little swordsman reappeared (Level: 3/ATK: 500). Insect Queen grew stronger (ATK: 3000 - 3200).

"Revive THAT little weakling?" snorted Diesel. "You must be really that anxious to lose!"

Percy ignored that comment and slotted two cards into his Duel Disk.

"Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Diesel then held up a free hand. "Now say goodbye to 500 more life points!"

Percy grimaced as more spores rained down on him (LP: 1900). Snickering, Diesel drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 8000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Leghul, Armored Centipede, and DNA Surgery

* * *

"This is the end!" Diesel cackled excitedly. "Ultimate Great Moth, destroy Swordsman of Landstar and win me the duel!"

Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth obeyed, going in for the kill. If this attack was successful, then Percy's life points would be all gone. However, Percy was ready for it.

"I activate my facedowns!" he called, poking two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Skull Dice and Graceful Dice!"

The green-haired boy's two facedown cards both flipped up and revealed themselves.

"Oh, oil slick." moaned Diesel, knowing that this was not gonna be pretty for him.

"Now one card will strengthen my monster while the other weakens yours." said Percy. "Go Dice Rolls!"

Two little figures (one was human, and the other was a devil) tossed a blue and red dice respectively. The red dice landed first... and only brought up a two.

"WHAT?! A TWO?!" Percy shouted in dismay, but recovered quickly. "Oh well, it still halves your monster's attack!"

The Great Moth's attack took a hit (ATK: 3500 - 1750).

"That leaves the blue dice." said Toby.

"Let's hope the roll is a good one." Edward agreed.

The blue dice finally landed...and the result was a four.

"Oh no!" cried Diesel. "Now your monster is stronger than my Great Moth!"

Swordsman of Landstar's power rose (ATK: 500 - 2000).

"That's right!" said Percy. "Counterattack!"

Swordsman of Landstar obeyed and jumped up into the sky, slashing Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth into two and destroying it. Diesel watched as his monster was destroyed (LP: 7750). And with one less monster on the field, Insect Queen grew weaker (ATK: 3200 - 3000).

"The Great Moth has been destroyed!" cheered Percy.

But the green-haired boy was still not out of the woods just yet. He still had the Insect Queen to get rid of, and none of his monsters could even attack.

"You may have gotten rid of one ace-" seethed Diesel. "-but I still have another!"

Everyone in the audience started commenting on the situation so far.

"He managed to take out Diesel's Great Moth." said James R..

"But he still has that Insect Queen to take down too." Zack pointed out. "And right now, he can't even declare an attack thanks to that combo of DNA Surgery and Insect Barrier."

"Not to mention Diesel will continue to gain life points as long as Jinzo remains on the field, and Percy will lose life points as long as Poison Butterfly remains on his field." added Carlie.

"I'll end my turn." grumbled Diesel.

"My turn." said Percy, drawing a card. "And one turn I begin my counterattack! ...I hope..."

"Once again-" Diesel spoke up again (LP: 8950). "-my life points shoot up."

* * *

 **Turn Twenty** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and The Fiend Megacyber

* * *

"This is nuts!" Percy thought. "I can't even touch his life points and they keep going up while mine keep going down."

Seeing what he drew, the green-haired boy knew he had to get rid of his Jinzo to keep Diesel from gaining anymore life points.

"First I have to make sure Diesel stops gaining life points, then I'll worry about keeping mine from lowering."

Percy took his newly drawn card.

"I sacrifice Jinzo to summon The Fiend Megacyber in defense mode!" he said.

Jinzo vanished in a blue streak and a warrior-type monster appeared in its place (Level: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 1200).

"So, you've gotten smart and discarded your Jinzo?" Diesel asked nonchalantly. "So be it."

"Next I'll switch Swordsman of Landstar to defense mode and end my turn." continued Percy, switching his card sideways.

Swordsman of Landstar went into a defensive stance. Suddenly, some poison spores rained onto Percy and causing him to grimace (LP: 1400).

"I'm not gonna last much longer." Percy thought to himself. "I have to find a way out of this mess."

"My turn." declared Diesel, drawing his own card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-One** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 8950)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Leghul, Armored Centipede, DNA Surgery, and Multiplication of Ants

* * *

"I'll just skip my turn."

"He didn't play a single card." said Ben, raising an eyebrow. "What gives?"

"He's probably planning something." James R. replied. "Either that or he's gonna let that Poison Butterfly do the life point depleting for him."

"My turn!" announced Percy, drawing another card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Cyber-Tech Alligator

* * *

His drawn card was a monster card called Cyber-Tech Alligator.

"At least I've drawn something to help stop the life point lower." he thought with relief. The green-haired boy took the card from his hand. "I tribute Poison Butterfly to summon Cyber-Tech Alligator in defense mode!"

Diesel groaned. "Drat! You got rid of my Poison Butterfly!"

Poison Butterfly disappeared and in its place was an Alligator with robotic wings and other parts (Level: 5/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1600).

"Hey, now his life points won't lower every turn!" exclaimed Toby.

"He's using his head." added Mavis.

Diesel just growled angrily. "Looks like I'll just have to do it the old fashion way." he sneered, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Three** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 8950)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Leghul, Armored Centipede, DNA Surgery, Multiplication of Ants, and Soldier Ant

* * *

"And I'll begin by summoning my Soldier Ant!" Diesel held his drawn card out.

A large green ant appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).

"Next I play the spell Multiplication of Ants." continued Diesel, holding his next card up.

The card materialized face-up.

"Multiplication of Ants?" Percy quizzed. "I'm getting a feeling this will be bad."

"This spell turns my one ant into a whole bunch of army ant tokens." explained Diesel.

"An army?!" exclaimed the good guys.

"If he does that, then nothing would be able to stop him!" cried Carlie.

Soldier Ant disappeared and a whole bunch more ants appeared.

"Geez Louise!" cried James R.. "How many are there?!"

Diesel smirked. "Guess."

"About fifty?" asked Percy.

"Twenty-five! And since my Insect Queen gains attack points for every insect-type monster on the field..."

Percy counted up the monsters on the field, did the math, and gasped when he finished.

"That means an extra 5000 points!" he cried.

"Plus your monsters and my Insect Queen too!" Diesel added.

Insect Queen's strength climbed up even further (ATK: 3200 - 8000). Everyone (except Arry and Bert) gasped in alarm.

"8000 attack points?!" Emily shrieked.

"That's strong enough to finish off Percy several times over!" Toby added.

"Fortunately, Insect Queen needs a monster tribute to attack." Zack reminded. "And Percy's monsters are in defense mode."

"Doesn't matter to me." Diesel rebuffed, pointing forth. "I'll have my Queen eat one of my ants and attack your Cyber-Tech Alligator!"

Insect Queen ate one of the ants and attacked Percy's monster, destroying it.

"Time to lay an egg, my Queen!" called Diesel.

The Insect Queen proceeded to lay an egg.

"Gross!" groaned Emily.

"Make that double gross." Mavis agreed.

"Triple!" came from Carlie.

"Heh, you sure you wanna continue?" Diesel asked teasingly. "I'm pretty much unbeatable right now."

"I'll never give up!" snapped Percy. "If I want to become a True Duelist, I have to keep fighting no matter how tough it gets!"

He drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Magical Arm Shield

* * *

Seeing what he drew brought a small smile to his face.

"I'll place one card facedown-" Percy slotted the card into his Duel Disk, before bringing a hand to his remaining monster card. "-and switch my Fiend Megacyber into attack mode!"

Fiend Megacyber rose to attack mode.

"Percy, what are you doing?!" cried Edward.

"If he attacks your monster with Insect Queen, you'll lose!" added Emily.

Diesel laughed hysterically. "Guess he finally gave up!" he mocked, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Five** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 8950)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Leghul, Armored Centipede, DNA Surgery, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed." Diesel continued, holding out the card. " As you already know, this allows me to draw two more cards."

The devious black-haired boy drew two more cards.

Smirking, he held his card out. "I'm sure you remember my Cockroach Knight, right?"

The Cockroach in armor appeared to the field (Level: 3/ATK: 800).

"I remember." grumbled Percy.

"Now I have the perfect combo to finish you off!" Diesel snickered. "But first I'll offer another ant to allow my Insect Queen to attack!"

Insect Queen ate up another Soldier Ant.

"If Diesel's monster is successful in its attack, Percy will lose the duel!" Zack stated.

"Insect Queen!" ordered Diesel. "Attack his Fiend Megacyber and win me this duel!"

Insect Queen screeched and lunged for the Fiend Megacyber. Everyone looked away, not bearing to watch Percy lose... The green-haired boy, however, thought otherwise.

"Ha ha! You fell for my trap!"

Percy poked a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself.

"Magical Arm Shield!"

A shield with two latches appeared on the left arm of the Fiend Megacyber.

"Get ready to eat your own attack, Diesel!" called Percy.

A metal arm came out of the shield and grabbed Cockroach Knight.

Diesel was alarmed. "What are you-?!"

Too late. Insect Queen fired off her acid blast... but it hit Cockroach Knight instead, destroying it.

"And because Cockroach Knight was your own monster-" Percy grinned big. "-YOU take the damage instead!"

Diesel screamed in horror as his life points took a HUGE hit (LP: 1750).

"Way to go, Percy!" cheered James R..

"No way!" Arry blinked.

"He got Diesel down to almost 2000 life points in just one attack!" Bert added.

Diesel was now really angry due to having been fooled like that.

"How dare you?!" The devious black-haired boy seethed. "How dare you make a monkey out of me?! I'll get you for that cheek, Avonside! I swear it!"

"In your dreams, Horwich!" teased Percy, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1400)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Graverobber

* * *

Still not a good draw, I'm afraid.

"All I can do now, is resume the defense." The green-haired boy thought to himself, placing his hand onto his Fiend Megacyber. "I switch my monster back to defense mode!"

The Fiend Megacyber went back into a defensive stance.

"I won't be fooled by anymore of your tricks, Percy!" Diesel growled.

He then drew a card fiercely.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Seven** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 1750)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Leghul, Armored Centipede, DNA Surgery, Shield Crush(!), and Cockroach Knight

* * *

"And rather than take a chance with my Cockroach Knight again, I'll summon Leghul instead!"

A large insect with pincers appeared (Level: 1 / ATK: 300).

"This monster, while very weak, has the ability to bypass your monsters and attack you directly!" Diesel explained.

Percy scowled.

"Leghul, direct attack!" commanded Diesel.

Leghul obeyed sneaking by Percy's monsters and biting his leg.

"Ouch!" Percy winced (LP: 1100).

"Now I'll offer my Leghul to allow my Insect Queen to attack!"

Insect Queen devoured Leghul and destroyed Fiend Megacyber... just before laying an egg.

"Now to deal with your weakling swordsman." continued Diesel. "I play the Spell card Shield Crush! This allows me to destroy one monster on the field that's in defense mode."

The card materialized and a large, green beam shot out of it, destroying Swordsman of Landstar... and also weaken the Insect Queen (ATK: 8000 - 7800).

"Your last line of defense is gone!" Diesel gloated proudly. "Next turn, you're done! I'll have your rarest card and two Locator cards."

Percy looked at his deck while looking pretty worried.

"If I can't draw the right card-" he thought to himself. "-I'm done for."

Slowly, the green-haired boy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1100)  
 **Deck** : (21)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, Graverobber, and Gearfried the Iron Knight

* * *

Looking at the card, Percy felt relieved to the core.

"That's what I'm talking about."

"Well?" Diesel oiled. "Did you draw what you needed?"

Ignoring the comment, Percy brought out two cards from his hand.

"First I place one card facedown-" The green-haired boy began, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Next I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in defense mode!"

A warrior wearing metallic armor materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1600).

"That's all for me." Percy said calmly.

Diesel watched carefully. "What is he up to now?" he thought to himself.

"Percy's planning something." commented Edward. "I just know it."

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Nine** : Diesel Horwich (LP: 1750)  
 **Deck** : (21)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Armored Centipede, DNA Surgery, Cockroach Knight, and Magical Infestation(!)

* * *

Looking at the card, Diesel let out a loud laugh.

"I've done it!" The devious black-haired boy cried out in triumph. "I've drawn the one card that will end this duel!"

He slotted his new card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate Magical Infestation!"

"What does that do?" asked Percy.

The Spell card materialized face-up, followed by Insect Barrier and DNA Surgery both vanishing.

"By sacrificing all of the Spell and Trap cards I have on my field-" Diesel explained. "-my Insect Queen can now not only attack your monster without requiring a tribute, but it can also deal piercing damage!"

"Oh no!" cried Mavis.

"Goodbye, Percy! And now, my Insect Queen!" ordered Diesel. "Destroy his scrap iron knight and what's left of his life points!"

Insect Queen obeyed and charged up another acid blast. However...

"You dork!" insulted Percy. "I was hoping you'd do that!"

"You were?!" Diesel exclaimed, realizing the trick.

"I activate the Trap card Graverobber!" announced Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"No, not Graverobber!" Diesel yelled.

Out of the card came a little man with picks and shovels.

"This little guy can take a card from your graveyard and use it against you." explained Percy. "And I know just the card to use!"

Graverobber cackled and held out a familiar card. It was...

"Insecticide?!" squeaked Diesel, who was horrified to see the card.

"Time to exterminate your queen." grinned Percy in a sing-song tone.

The familiar spray can appeared and sprayed its contents. The Insect Queen shrieked in agony before finally fading away.

"Yeah!" cheered Percy. "There goes my pest problem!"

Diesel was practically in tears. "What have you done to my Queen?!" he sobbed.

"I just took out your best monster. And since you got rid of your two cards needed to stop me from attacking, I'm free to do so!"

From there, Percy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirty** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1100)  
 **Deck** : (20)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Panther Warrior, Polymerization, Axe Raider, and Gamble

* * *

Gearfried the Iron Knight immediately stood up into a battle position.

"I'll now switch Gearfried into attack mode!" Percy went on.

Diesel looked positively scared out of his wits.

"Alright, Gearfried-" Percy began confidently. "-scramble those eggs and wipe out the rest of Diesel's life points!"

The iron armored knight obeyed and lunged forth. Diesel screamed as the warrior monster sliced and diced the two eggs left behind (LP: 0).

"Welcome to loserville, Diesel." said Percy cheekily. "Population: You!"

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Percy Avonside wins!**

* * *

Diesel sunk to his knees in a daze.

"I-I lost? I don't...believe it!"

Arry and Bert both couldn't believe it either.

"He lost again!" said Arry in fear.

"Lets get out of here before they mess with us, too!" Bert suggested, panicking.

The two raced off as Percy approached Diesel.

"All right, cough them up!" The green-haird boy demanded. "Your Insect Queen, Billy's deck, and both your Locator cards."

"M-mercy!" whimpered Diesel.

"Mercy?" Percy repeated. "Sorry, but you should have thought about it before you decided to go and steal someone else's deck. Just like in San Francisco, you're out of the tournament!"

Diesel collapsed in defeat.

"Way to go, Percy!" cheered Emily.

"Nicely done!" came from James R..

"Way to teach that bully a lesson!" whooped Carlie.

"I bet Thomas would be proud if he had seen this." added Edward.

"Well, he may not be here in person." Percy pointed out. "But I know he'll always be with me in spirit."

He then took the two Locator cards and Insect Queen monster card, while Edward grabbed hold of Billy's deck.

"I'll hold onto this until we find Billy." The intelligent blue-haired boy said.

"Good idea." nodded Toby, smiling. "He'll be very happy to get it back."

There we. Happy ending, right? Not yet. There's still one more stop we have to make...

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in another part of the park, a expressionless man with a bald head and facial piercings was busy miming for lots of people. Suddenly, a new voice started speaking to him...mentally.

"Prepare yourself soon, Thomas Billinton." said the voice of Marik. "My little puppet will kill you with the power of the Egyptian God cards."

Could this mime be the 'Quiet One' Marik was talking about earlier? Looks like we'll have to wait and see, won't we?


	20. The Duelist from India

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

WARNING 2: This chapter contains some minor spoilers from the new Thomas special; ' **The Great Race** '

* * *

Somewhere in Knapford city, the duels for day two of the Battle City tournament were still going on...and it was just around 10:00 am in the morning, so there was still lots of time to finish up getting six locator cards.

While everything between Percy and Diesel had been going on, James was currently dueling a purple-haired boy named Charlie. Currently, James had his Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (Level: 6/ATK: 2100) fusion monster out, and was surrounded by lots of tall buildings (from the Field Spell card Skyscraper).

"Man, he doesn't even seem to be trying." thought James (LP: 4000), while looking at his opponent's field.

"I'm not giving up!" insisted Charlie (LP: 1600).

All he had was a monster called Silent Swordsman Lv.5 (Level: 5/ATK: 2300) and a facedown card.

"I still have a way to beat you!" The purple-haired boy went on. "Just you wait and see!"

"Sure, sure." James shrugged, just before giving a command to his monster. "Flame Wingman! Attack Silent Swordsman!"

Flame Wingman obeyed and started charging himself on fire.

"And as you recall-" James went on. "-thanks to Skyscraper, my Elemental HERO gains 1000 attack points on damage calculation when battling a monster that is much stronger than my hero!"

Flame Wingman grew stronger (ATK: 2100 - 3100) before firing off into the sky and down towards Silent Swordsman Lv.5.

"I thought you'd try something like that." Charlie grinned, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "So I'll play this Trap card; Level Guarder(!)!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before summoning a large shield with a 'Lv' symbol encrusted on the front. Silent Swordsman Lv.5 took hold of the shield.

"Now any monster with ' **Lv** ' in its name will block your attack." Charlie said. "Preventing it from being destroyed and reducing the damage I would have taken to 0!"

Flame Wingman struck the shield, but it held firm.

"Come on, Flame Wingman!" called James.

But it was no good. The shield repelled the attack and forced Flame Wingman back.

"Take that!" laughed Charlie. "I'm safe!"

"Darn it!" groaned James, taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "I'll place one card-"

Just before he could finish his sentence, a new voice was suddenly heard... And 'twas one that he and Charlie both never heard of before.

"Excuse me?" said the voice.

Gordon and Henry, who were both watching their red-haired friend duel, also heard the voice.

"What was that?" Henry asked, looking around.

"Beats me." Gordon replied, before grinning. "But whoever that voice belongs to, it sounds...alluring."

The boys turned in the direction of the beautiful voice.

"What the-?" James started to say.

"Whoa!" came from Charlie.

Standing nearby was a very beautiful looking 16-year old girl with tannish skin colour. Her long, brownish black hair (with a few lavender streaks) flowed down to her upper back, and there was a pink lily on the top-left side of her head. She wore a pink dress shirt with a purplish dress skirt with white trimmings (the girl also wore stocking-like pants that was decorated with several colourful patterns like from a steam engine all the way from India) and high-heeled shoes. Judging from the girl's appearance and clothing, she looked to have been from India.

"Hello." smiled the Indian girl kindly. She seemed to speak with an Indian accent.

The boys just stared on in complete silence. This girl...looked so beautiful.

* * *

 **Title: The Duelist from India**

* * *

The Indian girl, feeling a bit uncomfortable from the silence and being stared at by those four boys, finally spoke up.

"Um...okay, I'm sorry to have bothered you four." she said, turning around.

With that said, the girl left the alley way. Once she was gone, Charlie finally spoke up.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"I've never seen her before." Gordon added.

"Me neither." agreed Henry.

"But I did notice she had a Duel Disk on her arm." James stated. "She must be a duelist competing in the tournament."

Speaking of duelists, James and Charlie both noticed that their field was suddenly empty of any played cards.

"Ah, geez..." Charlie moaned. "I guess we both stopped playing long enough for the duel to automatically end in a draw."

"Bother!" snapped James unhappily. "And I was so close to winning, too."

Charlie grinned. "Rematch?"

"You know it!"

Gordon and Henry both sighed.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, the Indian girl was now walking down a street admiring all the sights and wanting a duel since she was also competing in the tournament. Unfortunately for her, lots of other guys (ranging from ages 15 to 18) were mostly staring at her admiringly. Coupled with the girl being new to the island, it was very...how shall I say it? Awkward.

"The island is nice." The Indian girl thought thought to herself. "But the boys around here could be better."

Luckily, she soon spotted an outdoor cafe nearby and saw two other boys seated at a table enjoying some lunch while chatting pleasantly. They also had Duel Disks (although not on their left arms).

"Perhaps those two will be nice." The brown/black-haired Indian girl mumbled with a smile, making her way over to the cafe.

The two boys, Matt and Michael, were both indeed enjoying some lunch before going to meet up with their friends.

"I wonder how Ben is enjoying the island of Sodor right now?" Michael wondered.

"Beats me, but Carlie is still very happy to see him." replied Matt.

"That she is, my friend, that she is."

As they chatted, a new voice spoke to them.

"Excuse me?" said the voice (female). "But are you two duelists?"

Matt started to turn around. "Yes, we are, but we're not-"

Once he finished turning around and found himself face to face with the brown/black-haired Indian girl, the dirty blonde-haired boy suddenly found himself gasping and falling silent. The girl herself also fell silent as both she and the boy stared at each other in shocked silence.

"Wow..." Matt thought.

"Oh my..." The girl thought. "He looks really nice...and cute."

Michael waved his hand in front of Matt's face to get his attention.

"Earth to Matt." he said in a deadpan tone. "You still alive, man?"

This snapped the two silent teens out of their little silence trance.

"Huh? What?"

Michael sighed before standing up to approach the Indian girl.

"Hi." he said. "I'm Michael Crawford and this my adopted brother, Matt. Who might you be?"

The girl quickly recovered from being flustered and smiled before bowing slightly.

"My name is Ashima... Ashima Nilgiri." she said politely. "I'm new to the island and here for the Battle City tournament."

"So, you're a duelist, too?" Matt spoke up quickly.

"Yes. I've been looking for an opponent."

"And...?" Michael pressed on, raising an eyebrow.

Ashima looked rather uncomfortable. "Well... just take a look around."

Teenage boys who were competing in the tournament were more interested in staring and admiring how pretty the black-haired Indian girl was rather than challenging her to a duel.

"Guess they think you're really good looking." said Michael, smirking and speaking in a teasing tone.

Ashima didn't look too thrilled to have been told that. Matt, likewise, was displeased with his friend.

"Hey, man, that was a little uncalled for, don't you think?" The dirty blonde-haired boy scolded. "Ashima clearly wants to be taken seriously as a duelist."

"Sorry." apologized Michael. "Didn't mean it to be an insult. I meant they never met someone as pretty as you."

Ashima glared at the lime green-haired boy for a moment before giving a kind smile.

"All right." she said. "I'll forgive you for saying that."

"So, you're from India?" Matt asked, while scratching the back of his head.

"Yes."

"And you came here for the tournament?" Michael added.

Ashima nodded. "That's what I've said earlier."

Matt and Ashima both smiled at each other...just before Michael coughed and spoke up...

"Ahem! Well, as you can see... Matt and I are both from the United States." he said. "Our Father is helping the Boxford Corporation will sponsoring the tournament."

"Dad?" Ashima asked in disbelief. "As in Discord J. Crawford is your Father?"

"The one and only." smiled Matt.

Ashima was amazed. "I'm...talking to the sons of the great Discord J. Crawford."

"Well, he has two more sons and a daughter." Michael pointed out. "And even then, we're not related by blood."

"Would any of you be interested in a duel?" asked Ashima.

"See, the thing is... we're not competing in this tournament. We're leaving to go back to San Francisco in a few more days."

"Mike's right." Matt agreed. "But if it will make you feel any better, I'll be your opponent, anyway."

"Wonderful!" smiled Ashima.

Michael watched as the black-haired Indian girl and dirty blonde-haired boy hit it off very quickly. This got him wondering on something...

"Does Matt...like her?" The lime green-haired boy thought to himself.

The two duelists activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.

"Let's rev it up!" cried Matt.

Suddenly, Ashima spoke up. "Before we begin, how did you get adopted by Discord?"

Matt was surprised to hear the girl ask him that.

"Well...um...it was a long time ago." he said quietly. "I used to live in Canada."

"Canada?"

"Yes." nodded Matt. "It's a part of North America."

A flashback to when Matt was 12-years old began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

He was living in the streets of the big city of Vancouver in British Columbia.

"My parents had died and I had no other relatives." Matt narrated. "So I had to live on the streets."

Young Matt ate an apple before walking down a street. As he walked down the street, an orphaned boy walked up to him.

"Matt, what's up?" The young boy asked curiously. Despite being an orphan too, he was smiling.

"Not much." sighed Young Matt.

"Why don't you come with me?" The boy suggested. "My friends and I are playing this new card game we discovered. We were wondering if you'd like to play with us?"

This got Young Matt's attention. "Card game?"

"Yeah! It's called Duel Monsters."

Young Matt decided to join the boy and his friends at their hangout. Inside the hangout, there were three other boys along with two girls.

"Hi, Matt!" greeted one of the boys.

"You came to play the game with us?" asked one of the two girls.

"I...guess so." Young Matt shrugged. "How do you play?"

The kids filled Matt in on the basic rules of how to play Duel Monsters. Once they had finished explaining everything to the dirty blonde-haired boy, he gave a nod.

"All right. Let's play!"

The kids played the game for four hours straight. Surprisingly, Matt, despite being new, won all of the matches, much to the amazement of the children.

"Wow, this guy's good." said one of the boys.

"Totally!" said one of the two girls.

Young Matt took a look at the deck he used and then looked back up to the children.

"That was a very fun game." he said pleasantly.

"Will you play with us again, tomorrow?" asked the leader of the gang.

"Sure." Young Matt accepted.

"See you then."

"For the next two years-" Present Day-Matt narrated. "I've played Duel Monsters with the other orphaned kids. However, one day, something happened that would change my life forever."

Matt, now 14, had just entered the gang's hideout and ready to play another round of Duel Monsters.

"Hey, guys!" The dirty blonde-haird boy greeted. "Are you-"

"Matt, we have a favor we'd like to ask you." The leader of the gang interrupted.

"A favor? What kind of favor are you-?"

Matt was met with a large poster being pushed up to his face.

"There's a big tournament coming up." said one of the boys. "Think you can enter in it?"

"Tournament?" Matt blinked.

"The winner of this tournament gets to travel to San Francisco to compete in the Duel Monsters Intercontinental Championship." explained another boy.

"Whoever wins that big tournament not only earns a check for $3 million, but also becomes the American Duel Monsters champion!" added a girl.

"Wow." breathed Matt. "That would be so awesome."

"Judging from the times you've played the game with us and how good you are at it, we were wondering if you'd enter this tournament on our behalf." said the gang leader. "Winning that $3 million prize money would be able for all of us to get a place of our own."

Matt gave it a long thought. After ten minutes of thinking it over, the dirty blonde-haired boy looked to his friends and nodded.

"I'll do it." he said at last.

(new scene...)

Three days later, Matt was playing in the big stadium against the older, more experienced Duel Monsters players...winning all of the matches.

"From there, I started winning match after match." Present Day-Matt narrated. "And then one night, before the tournament finals, something happened to my deck."

(new scene...)

Inside one of the hotels Matt and his friends were staying at, the dirty blonde-haired boy was asleep in bed with his deck resting on a nearby dresser. It started glowing all white for a strange reason before fading away like nothing happened.

(next day...)

At the stadium the next day, it was jam-packed with audience members. Matt and the champion prepared to duel each other. After the dirty blonde-haired boy drew his opening hand, he gasped.

"What the-?" gasped Matt to himself.

Those weren't the usual cards he used himself. They were entirely new cards never before seen.

"My deck had changed completely." Present Day-Matt narrated. "I don't know how it happened, but I went with it. Eventually, I pulled off my first Synchro summon-"

"Synchro summon?" The voice of Ashima interrupted. "I think I know of that summon."

"You do?" asked Michael.

"I've never actually seen it in personm, but I have heard of it. It was a new summon technique that Discord added for that tournament." The voice of Ashima stated. "Though not many people knew about it. You were one of the first few duelists to pull one off, Matt."

Either way, Matt managed to Synchro summoned Stardust Dragon and defeated the champ, which allowed him and his friends to travel to the United States for the big tournament being held there.

"That was so amazing!" said a boy, admiring the new deck.

"Where did you get those cards?" asked a girl.

Matt honesty couldn't explain it to any of his friends.

(new scene...)

Weeks later, Matt found himself dueling in the Intercontinental Championship in San Francisco.

"Wow!" said Matt to himself. "I can't believe it."

He won duel after duel.

"In addition to winning my duels, I also met my future best friends and siblings." Present Day-Matt narrated.

Among the crowds cheering for Matt was Young James R., Zack, and Michael.

"That guy is good!" Zack said of Matt.

"Truth be told, I'm rather glad he was able to beat me." James R. admitted.

Michael smirked. "True. But even if he manages to beat Carlie, he'll still never be able to beat me."

The other two boys rolled their eyes at their friend's arrogance.

(new scene...)

Meanwhile, during the duel between Matt and Carlie, the former started to notice something odd about the latter.

"What's that strange glow around her?" Matt thought to himself.

Angrily, Carlie slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.

"I activate the Spell card Seed of Deception!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This lets me special summon a level 2 or lower plant monster from my hand." explained Carlie, before holding her hand out. "And I choose Dark Verger!"

A plant with...two eyes...mappeared from the card (Level: 2/ATK: 0/DEF: 1000).

"But it won't be around for long." Carlie went on. "I sacrifice my monster to call upon the queen of roses - Rose Tentacles!"

The plant disappeared and in its place was a large octopus-like creature that resembled a rose with vines as the tentacles (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"Destroy my opponent's Turret Warrior now!" commanded Carlie in anger, a dark aura starting to burn and surround her.

The crowd started to worry when they witnessed Rose Tentacles grab hold of and crush Matt's monster into dust, making the boy grimace (LP: 3900). Unfortunately for him, Carlie wasn't finished just yet...

"Now my Rose Tentacles gains an additional attack for every plant monster on your side of the field!" she continued hotly. "And each time it destroys a plant monster, it inflicts 300 points of damage to you!"

Four Ivy Tokens were on Matt's field at the time. They counted as plant-type monsters, which meant that four additional attacks were going to be done.

"Oh man..." Matt grumbled.

"Attack!" commanded Carlie.

The vines all grabbed the tokens and crushed them into dust! ...but suddenly, they also gathered up Matt, suspended him into the sky, and started squeezing the life out of him.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!" The dirty blonde-haired boy screamed in pain (LP: 1500).

The crowd gasped as they watched Matt continued to be squeezed to near death. James R., Zack, and Michael were each also shocked to see this happen.

"Did...you guys see that?" Zack asked.

"I did, mate." Michael nodded.

But James R. saw something about Carlie that brought an even more worried look onto his face.

"She's smiling." he said in alarm. "Like she enjoyed seeing Matt get hurt like that!"

"What?!" The two other boys recoiled upon hearing that.

It was true... Carlie was shown to be indeed smiling...in a completely sadistic way while the dark aura gained further strength. Being suspended in the sky, Matt could see the smile too, and was just about to say something when the vines finally let him go, causing him to fall down onto the ground.

"So? Was that enough?" asked Carlie, between gasps and huffs and puffs.

"That girl is a monster!" shouted someone in the crowd.

"Get her out of here!" shouted another person. "Call the police!"

"Burn her!" shouted a third person.

Angered at the crowd for insulting her, Carlie let out a monstrous scream of rage. This caused a lot of the windows to shatter into pieces of glass while also shaking the building up a bit, causing all of the audience people to cower.

"I think I need to be potty-trained again." whimpered a male voice in the crowd.

Meanwhile, as the dust cleared away, Matt was shown to be lying on the ground and started to slowly get back up.

"I know now..." he muttered weakly.

Carlie raised an eyebrow in response, but didn't say anything.

"Aside from the rejection and anger from being bullied and being forced to leave your family..." Matt continued, until he was finally back on his feet and started pointing forth accusingly. "You... you enjoy inflicting pain and destruction on others!"

The whole crowd gasped in horror from hearing this, but especially Zack, James R. and Michael.

"So what if I do?" retorted Carlie, smiling psychotically as the dark aura around her thickened. "After all the pain they put me through, I want them to feel that pain as well! So they'll feel what it's like!"

(new scene...)

The duel went on until Matt won using his Cosmic Blast Trap card. "And the winner of the duel is Matt Fudo!"

Without wasting a second, Matt hurried over to the downed brown-haired girl.

"Are you okay?" The dirty blonde-haired boy asked immediately, just before stopping and gasping. "What?"

Carlie was shown to be crying her eyes out. Between the painful bullying she endured in the orphanage, being separated from her parents and brother at a young age, and nearly hurting Matt severely in the duel due to her completely losing it... It had all just became too much for her to bear.

"Help me..." weeped Carlie, looking up towards her victorious opponent.

Matt slowly bent down to Carlie. The sight of her being in tears really made his heart ache.

"I don't have to be your enemy, Carlie." he said calmly. "I could be your friend. Wouldn't that be better than hurting people?"

The poor, broken, brown-haired girl only wrapped her arms around the dirty blonde-haired by as she continued to cry as the whole crowd in the stadium booed and screamed insults at her.

"Carlie's darkside had taken over her completely and she was now bent on making everyone in the world suffer." Present Day-Matt narrated. "Once I had defeated her, her inner darkness vanished and she was left very broken."

"That poor girl." whispered Ashima's voice.

(new scene...)

The flashback faded to Matt's climatic duel against Michael.

"Finally, Mike and I had our match in the final duel of the tournament." Present Day-Matt narrated. "Stardust Dragon vs. Red Dragon Archfiend."

"It must have been very exciting." Ashima's voice remarked happily.

"Oh, it was." insisted Michael's voice. "This duel was actually extra special."

"It was a Turbo Duel." Present Day-Matt added.

"Turbo Duel?" asked Ashima's voice.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback halted back to the present as Michael gestured to nearby.

"Do you see those vehicles over there?" he asked.

Ashima looked over to Matt and Michael's Duel Runners parked nearby and nodded.

"Yes?"

"Those are Duel Runners." Michael pointed out. "In addition to being used as transportation, they are also used in Turbo Duels."

Suddenly, Matt took Ashima by her hand.

"Come on." The dirty blonde-haired boy smiled. "We'll show you what we mean."

"Okay..." said Ashima, blushing a bit.

(elsewhere...)

Several minutes later, Matt and Michael were both riding throughout the countryside on their Duel Runners. Ashima was riding with Matt, and also holding onto him very tightly.

"What do you think?" asked Matt, grinning widely.

"This is all amazing." Ashima said in amazement. "You two sure know a lot about the game."

"Thanks."

Ashima then continued. "But I have to know which one of you won that duel?"

"It was me." Matt answered. "From winning the duel, I had become the United States's best duelist. Also, I gave the check to my old friends so that they could get their own place back in Vancouver. It was also then Discord decided to adopt me into his growing family."

"That was nice of him." smiled Ashima.

"I know. It is something I'll never forget... though I do miss my old home back in Canada."

(elsewhere...)

Two hours later, Matt, Michael, and Ashima arrived back in town.

"Thank you two so much for everything." she said gratefully, before looking back to Matt. "Especially you, Matt."

Matt couldn't help but blush at the brown/black-haired Indian girl's sweet smile.

"Ashima..." he whispered, taking a few seconds before speaking up again. "Will...we ever see you again?"

The brown/black-haired Indian girl blushed too, knowing full well that Matt really meant himself, but recovered quickly to answer the question.

"Perhaps you will." she answered, winking.

Since there was still lots of time left in the day, Ashima turned around and ran off to try and find a duel with anyone left in the tournament. Matt continued to watch the Indian girl leave with an expressionless look on his face.

"Well, that was a good way to spend the rest of the morning, eh?" Michael nudged his friend's side playfully.

"Yeah..." said Matt quietly, watching in the direction where Ashima ran off in.

Before Michael can speak on, he looked up and saw the clouds darkening.

"Huh? Those are storm clouds."

"We'd better get inside." said Matt, looking up too.

Thunder and lightning struck...but then something was emerging from the dark clouds.

"What the-?" asked Michael. "What is that thing?"

"I don't know, but we'd better go check it out." Matt suggested seriously.

The two champion duelists got onto their Duel Runners, revved them up, and drove off to check out what was emerging from the dark clouds in the distance.


	21. Attack of the Sky Dragon (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up on a boat in the middle of the ocean, Marik was standing at the front of the boat, smirking at how his journey would soon be complete.

"So far everything's been going according to plan." The Rare Hunter leader thought. "In just a few more short hours, I'll finally arrive on the Island of Sodor."

It was then Odion walked up towards his master. "Master Marik." he began, kneeling in a respective bow. "Is it time yet?"

"Yes." said Marik. "It's time to awaken the Quiet One to hunt down Thomas Billinton."

Smirking evilly, the teenage boy held his Millennium Rod up, causing it to glow all gold.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in Knapford Park, lots of wandering people were watching the familiar mime doing his usual gags.

"Man, is that guy weird looking." said a bystander about the mime.

"He hasn't even said anything for hours." added another bystander.

Duck was walking down the park road when he noticed the mime.

"Well, now..." The Great Western green-haired boy said aloud. "What's going on here?"

The mime...just went on with his usual miming routine...just before Marik suddenly spoke to him mentally.

"The time has come, my mind slave." he said. "Seek out Thomas Billinton...and kill him!"

Suddenly, the Millennium Eye symbol appeared on the mime's forehead. He slid a Duel Disk onto his arm and dove into the air before landing and racing off.

"What was that all about?" asked a surprised Duck.

Suddenly, the Great Western green-haired boy's Millennium Ring started glowing all gold while his eyes turned rather dark.

"It's the same Millennium Item energy from the invasion of Diesel 10." said the voice of Montague. "I shall use my Millennium Ring to track that mime and see where he goes."

* * *

 **Title: Attack of the Sky Dragon, Part 1**

* * *

Somewhere alongside the river canal, Thomas was alone and observing the clean water.

"Percy's almost to the finals." he thought, having heard of his best friend's victory over Diesel from an earlier call from Emily. "And he didn't even use his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card."

Thomas took out the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and looked at it fondly.

"I don't know how to believe it, but I have a feeling it will be an important part of my deck for one point or another."

(elsewhere...)

Over with Percy, Lady, Edward, Emily, Toby, and Mavis somewhere downtown, they had just found Billy after a long search.

"Here you go, Billy." Lady said sweetly, handing the young orange-haired boy his deck back.

"Ah, thanks!" smiled Billy happily. "You've no idea how much this means to me."

"I bet we do." Percy smiled right back. "Besides, take a good look at the sweet card I won from that devious troublemaker."

He showed Billy his newly acquired Insect Queen monster card.

"Wow, you got Diesel's Insect Queen!" Billy exclaimed, looking at the rare card.

"Which you so deserved after what he put you through." Emily added.

"Yeah." nodded Percy, smiling brightly. "All I need are two more Locator cards and I'm in the finals."

Yup, it was a good day for the green-haired boy so far.

(elsewhere...)

Back with Thomas, he decided to make his way back to downtown when he spotted someone in the middle of the road.

"Hey!" The blue-haired boy called out. "Who are you?!"

It was the same mime who was under Marik's mind control...not that Thomas knew this at first.

"You... Thomas Billinton... Duel..." The mime stuttered out.

"What?" Thomas blinked, looking very confused.

Suddenly, the mime began to speak normally...in a mixture of voices.

"We meet yet again, Thomas Billinton." said the familiar voice. "I told you to beware the Quiet One, didn't I?"

Thomas instantly recognized the voice. "Marik!"

"The time has come for me to face you directly!" The mime (possessed) stated. "And when I win, your life will be forfeited!"

"But why possess this mime to do it?" asked Thomas. "Why not face me in person?"

"As I said before, it will take me a while to reach Sodor. And I don't want you to get bored with waiting for little 'ole me."

"I'm also aware when you said this 'Quiet One' also possesses one of those three Egyptian God cards you mentioned before." commented Thomas.

"Correct!" laughed the mime (possessed). "My mind slave here, Strings, will personally duel and defeat you with it!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" shouted Thomas, firing up his Duel Disk.

Marik's voice laughed in response.

"Then prepare yourself for a Shadow Duel like none other!" announced Strings, activating his own Duel Disk.

The two duelists drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

The duel to the death...has begun.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, with James, Gordon, and Henry, the first of the three was given a Locator card by the defeated Charlie.

"You win, James." The purple-haired boy said with no hard feelings.

"Thanks." smiled James.

Charlie then noticed that the red-haired boy didn't take a rare card. "Aren't you also going to take my rarest card?"

"I'm sticking to the cards I already have." James answered. "I'm happy with my Elemental HEROES and Neo-Spacians."

"I see." Charlie nodded. Suddenly, the purple-haired boy went and made a joke. "Hey, why aren't elephants allowed on the beach?"

"I don't know." said James, sounding annoyed.

"Because they can't keep their trunks up!" laughed Charlie.

James, Henry, and Gordon each sweatdropped at the really bad pun.

"Bad joke?" asked Henry.

"Bad joke." James nodded.

"Oh, the indignity..." Gordon groaned, face-faulting.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the museum, Ishizu was busy with some cleaning on the Egyptian exhibit when her Millennium Necklace started glowing.

"My Millennium Necklace senses a great danger approaching." she said to herself. "The Pharaoh is engaging my brother in a duel...or is it-?"

Suddenly, the voice of Montague was heard from in the exhibit next to the Egyptian exhibit.

"The energy reading must be coming from somewhere here..."

"Someone's coming." gasping Ishizu, looking at her Millennium Necklace again. "It must be another threat."

Wasting no time, the Egyptian woman hid somewhere as Montague came into the exhibit.

"Another Millennium Item must be here somewhere." he snickered, smirking in wicked glee.

Montague walked forth until he came upon the stone tablet of Thomas and Spencer's ancestors.

"Hello, what do we have here?"

The Great Western green-haired 'boy' touched the glass window concealing the carving, causing his Millennium Ring to glow all gold.

"Interesting." Montague whispered. "Although I cannot read it, these wordings seem to hold the key to harnessing the shadow magic of the seven Millennium Items."

As he watched on in amazement, Ishizu slowly poked her head out to see what the mysterious boy was doing.

"He appears to have some of the ancient knowledge." The Egyptian woman said only to herself quietly. "But not all. My brother seeks a much more dangerous power. If only I had tried hard enough to stop Marik. We may have to fight the next time we meet."

(elsewhere...)

Back with Thomas and Strings (Marik) at the river canal, the duel between them was getting underway.

"The first turn will go to me, Marik!" Thomas stated.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Dark Magician, Buster Blader, De-Fusion, and Collected Power

* * *

After looking his hand over for a moment, he took a card from it.

"And I'll summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!" The blue-haired boy placed his card onto a monster field slot of his Duel Disk.

The mighty beast appeared as a facedown card also appeared behind him (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200).

"I'll also add one card facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn!" said Strings (Marik), drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Strings (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (54)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Humanoid Slime, Worm Drake, Polymerization, Jam Defender, Jam Breeding Machine, and Card of Safe Return

* * *

His drawn card was a Spell card called Card of Safe Return.

"This will be easy." The possessed mime continued, taking and holding three cards out. "I'll use Polymerization to fuse my Humanoid Slime with Worm Drake!"

The Spell card materialized as the two monsters, a blue slime-like creature and a green wormish creature with one eye appeared before fusing.

"I call forth Humanoid Worm Drake!"

The fusion ended and there stood a complete fusion of the two monsters (Level: 7/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2000). Thomas only grimaced in worry of seeing a strong monster like that.

"This is all too easy." Strings (Marik) chuckled wickedly. "Take down Gazelle now, my Worm Drake!"

The monster obeyed, charging at Gazelle.

"I activate my facedown!" shouted Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "De-Fusion!"

The blue-haired boy's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. Suddenly, the Worm Drake started splitting up.

"My monster!" cried Strings (Marik).

"De-Fusion splits your fusion monster back into its fusion components." explained Thomas.

Humanoid Worm Drake was gone and in its place was both Worm Drake (Level: 4/ATK: 1400) and Humanoid Slime (Level: 4/ATK: 800).

"Curse you!" growled Strings (Marik). "My turn is over now."

Thomas merely drew his next card silently.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Dark Magician, Buster Blader, Collected Power, and Beta The Magnet Warrior

* * *

Looking at his hand, the blue-haired boy had a good idea. "I'll save either Dark Magician or Buster Blader for later in case Marik brings out that Egyptian God card." he thought, before taking the card he drew and placing it on another monster slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Beta The Magnet Warrior!"

The yellow magnet warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600).

"Attack his Worm Drake, Beta!" commanded Thomas.

Beta obeyed and punched through the Worm Drake, destroying it. Strings sneered in anger from the damage he received (LP: 3700).

"Now destroy the Humanoid Slime monster, Gazelle!" Thomas went on.

Gazelle obeyed, slashing the Humanoid Slime with its claws, splattering it on the ground as Strings took more damage (LP: 3000).

"Very interesting." Strings (Marik) remarked, drawing. "But not enough to stop me!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (53)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Jam Defender, Jam Breeding Machine, Card of Safe Return, and Revival Jam

* * *

"I summon Revival Jam in defense mode!" He placed his card sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Behold the most indestructible monster ever made!"

Appearing to the field was a blue creature of slime (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 500).

"Doesn't seem very tough to me." commented Thomas dismissively.

"Looks can be deceiving, Billinton." warned Strings (Marik). "But if you're so sure you can defeat it, then go ahead and attack it."

Thomas thought about it for a minute...

"I have two monsters on my field." he thought. "I can destroy his monster with one and the attack with the other." Then he looked at his hand. "Meanwhile I have Dark Magician and Buster Blader both lying in wait just in case."

It was around then that Strings slotted one more card into a Spell/Trap Slot on his Duel Disk.

"To finish my turn... behold the Continuous Spell card Jam Breeding Machine!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up before creating a machine of a sort.

"Now on every one of my standby phases-" explained Strings (Marik) "-I gain one Slime Token. And when I get three of them..."

"-you'll tribute them to summon your God card." groaned Thomas.

"Correct! Now make your move!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Dark Magician, Buster Blader, Collected Power, and Magical Hats

* * *

Looking to his hand after adding his drawn card to it, Thomas made a quick decision.

"Gazelle-" said the blue-haired boy. "-attack his Revival Jam with Claw of Destruction!"

An image appeared beside Strings and smirked confidently.

"Fool..." The possessed mime thought snidely.

Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts obeyed and charged at Revival Jam, slashing it with its claws.

"Your monster has splattered." declared Thomas. "Now Beta will attack you directly!"

Suddenly, as if by magic, the splatters reformed back into Revival Jam.

"What?! Revival Jam has reformed?!"

Strings (or rather Marik) laughed at Thomas's naivety.

"I told you Revival Jam is indestructible!" he said gleefully. "No attack you make can defeat this monster!"

Thomas grunted and took a card from his hand. "I'll find a way to beat it. And I'll start by sacrificing both of my remaining monsters to call upon a very powerful monster of the warrior-type! Behold the Buster Blader!"

Beta and Gazelle vanished as the mighty purple swordsman appeared (Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2300).

"My turn is over now."

"And over to me again." said Strings (Marik), drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (52)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Jam Defender, Card of Safe Return, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"Now the fun part comes: My Jam Breeding Machine creates a Slime token!"

The machine created a Slime token. Once that happened, Strings took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." he concluded.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (37)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Dark Magician, Collected Power, Magical Hats, and Graceful Charity

* * *

His drawn card was the Spell card Graceful Charity.

"I activate Graceful Charity!" The blue-haired boy slotted drawn his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "This lets me draw three cards and discard two from my hand."

So Thomas drew three more cards; Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, and Berformet. Thinking quickly, he discarded Berformet and Collected Power, adding the other two cards to his hand.

"Buster Blader-" commanded Thomas. "-attack his Slime Token with Dragon Sword Slash!"

Buster Blader leaped into the sky and brought his huge sword own towards the Slime token...but suddenly, Revival Jam appeared and took the blow instead, splattering into goo before fully reforming.

"But how?" Thomas asked in disbelief. "How did your Revival Jam take my attack instead of the Slime token?"

"I've activated my Jam Defender Trap Card." explained Strings (Marik), showing his revealed facedown card. "As long as it remains in play, the only monster you can attack is Revival Jam."

Thomas growled in frustration.

"Heh heh heh heh..." chuckled Strings (Marik). "I can see you're getting frustrated."

"Now how am I going to get to Marik's life points?" Thomas thought to himself.

While the blue-haired boy was trying to think of a way out of his mess, Strings drew a card and began his turn.

"It's my turn again."

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (51)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Card of Safe Return, Pot of Greed, and Nightmare Steel Cage

* * *

As it was the possessed mime's standby phase, a second Slime token materialized from the machine.

"Just one more and I'll have the tributes I'll need to summon my Egyptian God monster" Strings (Marik) thought.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the boat in the ocean, Marik was grinning at the possibilities of killing Thomas will his God card.

"Only a matter of time, Billinton." The Rare Hunter leader thought to himself. "Soon Slifer the Sky Dragon will destroy you."

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A vision of what could possibly be his winning move was shown.

"Slifer, attack Thomas directly and win me the duel!" called Strings (Marik).

Silfer obeyed, firing a blast of lighting at Thomas, causing him to scream in agony as he fell onto the ground motionlessly.

"I've won!" laughed Strings (Marik). "Thomas Billinton is dead and the curse of the Pharaoh on my family has been broken!"

Marik laughed and laughed at his victory.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The vision ended as Marik licked his lips gleefully.

"I can taste my triumph already..."

(elsewhere...)

Back on Sodor (The river canal), Strings continued to make his move.

"To keep my monsters extra safe-" he said, holding a card out. "-I'll activate the Spell card Nightmare Steel Cage!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up. Suddenly, two large cages materialized over both duelists.

"What are these cages?!" Thomas demanded.

"These cages prevent either of us from attacking for two turns." explained Strings (Marik). "But it will be enough for me to summon the monster of your destruction!"

Thomas gasped in shock...as did Buster Blader.

"Ha ha ha ha! You can't attack as long as my Nightmare Steel Cage is out." taunted Strings (Marik). "And even without the cage, the only monster you can attack is my Revival Jam. Looks like you're about to die by my hands, boy!"

"I'm not beaten yet." Thomas retorted.

"Oh, please. What can you even do to beat me?"

"As long as the Heart of the Cards is on my side, I will find a way to beat you!" insisted the blue-haired boy.

"Hearts are for weaklings!" spat Strings (Marik). "And that weakness will be your own downfall!"

(elsewhere...)

Over with Spencer somewhere downtown. The silver-haired boy was dueling a random duelist. He only had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon out on his side of the field.

"Blue-Eyes!" Spencer called. "White Lightning attack!"

Blue-Eyes obeyed, firing a blast at the duelist.

"Worms..." Spencer sneered. "Get out of my sight!"

The attack struck the duelist, causing him to yell in pain (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Spencer Gresley wins!**

* * *

The duelist fell to his knees. "I've lost..." he sighed in disappointment.

Spencer walked over with his arms folded.

"Not even token resistance." The silver-haired boy snorted. "Pathetic!"

Spencer took the duelist's Locator card and walked away.

"That gives me four Locator cards so far." he thought, just before a ring tone sounded on his coat collar. The silver-haired boy pressed a button on it. "Yes?"

After a few seconds of talking from whoever it was, Spencer grew cross at what he heard.

"What?! You still haven't been able to locate the other two Egyptian God cards?!"

"We're trying our hardest to find them, sir." said the technician on the other side.

Spencer growled. "Well, try harder!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the bridge at Boxford Corp headquarters, the communication girls were typing away on their computers.

"Dozens of rare and powerful cards are being played at the moment." One girl reported. "But none of them even match what you're wanting, sir."

(elsewhere...)

Back with Spencer...

"I see." he sighed. "Keep me posted if you find anything."

With that said, he turned off his communication device and walked away.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the river canal, it was currently Thomas's turn.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Magician, Magical Hats, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, and Spellbinding Circle

 **Nightmare Steel Cage** : 2 Turns

* * *

To his disappointment, nothing in his hand would be able to help him at the moment.

"I'm afraid I'll have to pass my turn." Thomas declared begrudgingly.

"As I had thought!" taunted Strings (Marik). "There's nothing you can do to stop my strategy!"

The blue-haired boy scowled. "Just make your move!"

Strings obeyed and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (50)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Card of Safe Return, Pot of Greed, and Slifer the Sky Dragon

 **Nightmare Steel Cage** : 1 Turn

* * *

Seeing what he drew, Strings (again, Marik) let out a loud and sinister laugh.

"This is the end." he remarked.

Thomas kept a calm, neutral expression on his face, knowing what's coming.

"First my Jam Breeding Machine will give me a third Slime token..." began Strings (Marik).

A third token popped out of the machine.

"That gives me three in total!" he went on. "Enough sacrifices to summon the monster of your doom!"

The clouds started turning all dark and stormy.

"I sacrifice my three slime tokens and my Jam Breeding Machine to summon my Egyptian God!"

The three tokens vanished in a blue streak...before rising into the sky. Lightning struck around the duel field and even destroying Jam Breeding Machine in the process.

(elsewhere and earlier...)

Over with both Michael and Matt; the two duelists spotted the stormy clouds.

"Huh? Those are storm clouds."

"We'd better get inside." said Matt, looking up too.

Thunder and lightning struck...but then something was emerging from the dark clouds.

"What the-?" asked Michael. "What is that thing?"

"I don't know, but we'd better go check it out." Matt suggested seriously.

The two champion duelists got onto their Duel Runners, revved them up, and drove off to check out what was emerging from the dark clouds in the distance.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the river canal, a huge red serpent shaped dragon was slowly descending from the stormy sky.

"Meet your doom, Thomas Billinton!" Strings (Marik) shouted dramatically. "Behold the Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

"It's...enormous!" Thomas trembled in fear at the sight of the monster.

"And its supreme power will destroy you here and now!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon let out a massive roar in agreement, which caused Thomas to brace himself from the powerful wind blast.

"You have nothing that can stop this almighty beast!" Strings (Marik) declared, laughing maniacally. "At long last, the death of Thomas Billinton will finally happen! Prepare yourself for the underworld, boy!"

This was not good at all. Can Thomas defeat this mighty beast? Or was it all over for him?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	22. Attack of the Sky Dragon (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at the river canal near Brendam Docks, Thomas was in a very tight spot. He was locked in the middle of a duel between one of Marik's Rare Hunters (Strings), and that Rare Hunter had an Egyptian God card out on the field. Its name? Slifer the Sky Dragon. Not to mention Thomas and his own monster (Buster Blader) were both trapped inside the Nightmare Steel Cage for one more turn. But since this was the first time seeing Slifer in action, who knows what its special powers were?

"Quite the monster, isn't it Thomas?" asked Strings (Marik).

Thomas continued to watch the new monster in complete worry. It was massive and possibly had many powers he (Thomas) had never heard of before.

"How do I stop something like this?" The blue-haird boy thought to himself. "This is my first time going up against an Egyptian God monster, and I have no idea on what its stats or abilities are."

"Allow me to demonstrate one of my new monster's effect!" announced Strings (Marik). "The number of cards in my hand determines Slifer's attack and defense points. I currently hold two cards, meaning my Egyptian God monster has 2000 attack points!"

Then he took a card from his hand.

"But this card will change that a bit." Strings (Marik) continued, slotting the card into a spell/trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed to draw two more cards."

Drawing two cards and adding them to his hand, Slifer's attack strength went up (1000 - 3000). Thomas, however, suddenly smirked...

"That won't protect you, Marik!" The blue-haired boy pointed out. "For every dragon on your field and in your graveyard, my Buster Blader gains 500 attack points!"

Buster Blader instantly grew stronger (ATK: 2600 - 3100).

"Unfortunately, you're unable to attack for one more turn." Strings (Marik) replied. "And by the time you're able to attack me again, my God monster will be stronger!"

Thomas scowled. He knew that Marik was right. Finally, Strings entered his end phase.

"I will end my turn now."

At that moment, Matt and Michael both rode up the hill near the duel field.

"Whoa! What is that thing?!" Michael cried, pointing towards the huge red scaled dragon.

"I've never seen anything like it." Matt added.

Down below, Thomas knew who those voices belonged to.

"Matt! Mike!" he called, watching as the two boys got closer.

Unfortunately, Strings had seen them, too. "Keep back!" he ordered. "Don't you two come any closer!"

The two boys stopped their Duel Runners.

"Who do you think you are ordering us about, baldy?" demanded Michael.

Slifer the Sky Dragon suddenly let out another loud, mighty, roar, causing two bolts of lightning to suddenly strike from the dark cloudy sky.

"Look out!" shouted Matt, seeing at was coming.

The thunderbolt then struck the ground near the two Duel Runners and causing them to explode. The explosions caused Matt and Michael both to scream and be sent flying back some before landing on the ground.

"Matt! Mike!" Thomas hollered.

"Our Duel Runners!" cried Matt weakly, reaching out in protest.

The two boys then fell unconscious from the pain they were in.

"No!" Thomas exclaimed in shock.

"That's what they get for challenging me." chuckled Strings (Marik) cruelly. "Anyone foolish enough to do...will meet their end!"

Thomas grit his teeth in anger at Marik's cruelty.

"Now make your move! But remember that you're still unable to attack while my Nightmare Steel Cage is out of the field."

"I know that!" roared Thomas, as he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Title: Attack of the Sky Dragon, Part 2**

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Magician, Magical Hats, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, Spellbinding Circle, and Lightforce Sword

 **Nightmare Steel Cage:** 1 Turn

* * *

Looking at his hand, the blue-haired boy began to think on the situation thus far...

"Slifer gets stronger for every card in Marik's hand," he thought. "And while Buster Blader is now currently stronger, he won't be once Marik draws again. But maybe I can change that."

Thomas took three cards from his hand.

"I place two cards facedown and summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" he announced, slotting the first two cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

Two facedown cards materialized, while the furry...furball monster appeared right beside Buster Blader (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 200). Unfortunately for Thomas now, Strings merely laughed at the sight of the weak monster.

"I now play Slifer's special ability!" The possessed mime announced.

"Special ability?" asked Thomas nervously.

"Oh yes!" Strings answered, sounding quite gleeful. "My Egyptian God monster has an ability that will make sure you never get another monster out!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon's...second mouth...began to open up.

"Whoa!" said Thomas in alarm. "What's going on?"

"Summon Thunder Bullet!" called Strongs (Marik).

Slifer's second mouth fired off a bullet of electricity and it struck Kuriboh and depleting what little stats it had (DEF: 200 - 0)...before shattering into pieces of glass.

"Kuriboh!" Thomas cried out, as he shielded himself from the blast.

"You were foolish to summon something as weak as that, Thomas." mocked Strings (Marik). "Now watch as I draw a card and increase my God monster's attack points even further!"

The blue-haired boy scowled at Strings, watching as the possessed mime drew his next card...

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (47)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Card of Safe Return, Humanoid Slime, Spell Sanctuary, and Worm Drake

* * *

...and Slifer's power rose even further (ATK: 3000 - 4000).

"Now my dragon is stronger than your Buster Blader!" cackled Strings (Marik).

"No, it's not!" Thomas suddenly shouted.

"Yes, it is! Attack Buster Blader with Thunder Force now, my Sky Dragon!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed, charging a blast from its main mouth.

"Unfortunately, I'm right about your monster being weaker, and I'll prove it." Thomas held his hand out. "I activate my set Quick-Play Spell card - Lightforce Sword!"

The first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before summoning a sword and shooting it forth, piercing a card in String's hand.

"No!" cried Strings (Marik).

"And with one less card in your hand-" continued Thomas. "-Slifer loses 1000 attack points. That makes Buster Blader stronger once more!"

Buster Blader then leaped up into the sky.

"Counterattack now!" commanded Thomas.

Strings (and more likely Marik) could only watch helplessly at what was about to happen. Buster Blader jumped into the air with his sword, intending to slice Slifer in two.

"Your God monster is about to fall!" declared Thomas proudly.

...only for Buster Blader to slash and destroy Revival Jam instead.

"You forgot all about my Jam Defender!" laughed Strings (Marik).

Thomas took a step back from shock. "Oh no!"

Revival Jam instantly reformed.

"I shall now activate a Spell card which will grant me unlimited cards now." Strings (Marik) declared, holding his card out. "Card of Safe Return!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now every time a monster is special summoned-" explained Strings (Marik). "-I get to draw an extra three cards."

He drew his three cards...and Slifer grew even stronger (ATK: 3000 - 5000).

"Though you can do that-" Thomas spoke up. "-you still can't hold more than six cards in your hand at the end of a turn. You'd have to discard until you have six."

"That doesn't bother me now since I only have five cards so far." retorted Strings (Marik). "So I'll worry about that another turn."

"I have to find a new way to bring down that Egyptian God monster." Thomas thought to himself. "But how? It will just continue to get stronger and stronger per card drawn."

Suddenly, the Duel Monsters spirit of the Dark Magician Girl appeared near him.

"Don't give up." The female spellcaster said encouragingly.

"I won't." insisted Thomas. "But it'll be tough trying to beat that thing."

"There's a card in your deck that will help you. But you will need the help of a spellcaster-type monster to use it."

Thomas realized what Dark Magician Girl had meant... "Magic Cylinder..." he whispered.

(elsewhere...)

With Percy and his friends somewhere in downtown Knapford, the green-haired boy watched as a random duelist walked by.

"Hey, Percy." Toby spoke up. "Why didn't you challenge him?"

"I don't know how tough he is." shrugged Percy. "I have to keep finding tough opponents if I want to be a True Duelist."

"Really?" Mavis folded her arms.

"Yeah. It's a promise I've made to myself...and my Red-Eyes."

"But you're only two Locator cards away from becoming a finalist." Emily reminded.

At that moment, the friends saw Spencer walk by.

"Hey." The silver-haired boy greeted.

"Hello, Spencer." said Edward politely.

Suddenly, Spencer saw that Percy was carrying four Locator cards in his pocket and started to smirk.

"Well, well, well." he chuckled. "One of the two dueling monkeys has a set of Locator cards even though you weren't qualified for my tournament."

"How about a duel, Spencer?" asked Percy quickly.

Edward, Emily, Toby, and Mavis all gawked.

"Percy?" Emily spoke up.

"Have you gone mad?" came from Toby.

"Now why would I want to duel you?" Spencer asked haughtily.

"I want to show you how much better I've gotten since our first duel." answered Percy. "And I'm trying to duel tough opponents to become a True Duelist."

"True Duelist? You don't even belong in my tournament!"

"Yes I do!" argued the green-haired boy.

"Spencer, Percy has improved a lot since the San Francisco tournament ended." Edward pointed out. "Becoming a True Duelist is very important to him, and he wants to do so in order to challenge Thomas."

"Challenge Thomas?" Spencer raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." nodded Percy. "I made a promise to him."

Suddenly, Spencer activated his own Duel Disk. It was clear the silver-haired boy would not let anyone challenge Thomas BUT him!

"You won't be challenging Billinton."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because I'm going to see that it doesn't happen!" insisted Spencer hotly. "No one will beat him but me!"

Percy activated his own Duel Disk and glared at his opponent.

"Get ready, Spencer!" he called. "I'll show you how much I've improved."

Emily sighed. "This won't be pretty..."

But before anyone could start the duel, the sound of a helicopter was heard coming from the sky.

"That sounds like a helicopter." remarked Toby.

They looked up and saw one of Spencer's helicopters hovering down to them with Skiff on a rope ladder.

"Spencer!" The young boy called out. "We've got one!"

Understanding what Skiff was talking about, the silver-haired boy nodded and turned to Percy.

"You've caught yourself a lucky break, Percy." sneered Spencer. "I have some bigger fish to fry right now."

"Wait, what do you mean? Come back here!" Percy yelled.

Spencer merely grabbed hold of the rope ladder and the helicopter took off into the sky. Percy continued to yell and protest until the aerial vehicle was out of sight.

"Coward!" he huffed.

But deep down, Percy was glad he didn't have to duel Spencer...and that was something Emily caught onto immediately.

"You're relieved you didn't face him. Aren't you?" she asked while smirking playfully.

"B-Be quiet you!" snapped Percy.

"Oh, I can tell too." chuckled Mavis. "You ARE relieved!"

Percy felt embarrassed. "S-Stop it, you two!"

The friends just laughed.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, inside the helicopter, Spencer sat down next to Skiff.

"So, one of the two remaining Egyptian God cards has been played." The silver-haired boy said quietly. "What is its name, and where was it played?"

"According to our satellite dishes-" said Skiff, typing away at his laptop. "-the name of this card is Slifer the Sky Dragon. It was also played somewhere near Brendam Docks."

"Alright." Spencer nodded calmly. He then turned to the pilot. "Take us to Brendam Docks immediately."

The pilot obeyed. "Yes, sir!"

The helicopter flew into a new direction. Here's hoping Spencer makes it before it's too late.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the river canal, Thomas and Strings were both still facing each other.

"No matter what you do-" teased Strings (Marik). "-my Sky Dragon will grow stronger!"

"He's right." Thomas thought. "If what he says is true, there's a card that will make his monster's weakness nonexistent. But I can't give up no matter what."

"Thomas!" called the voice of the Dark Magician Girl.

Thomas looked towards the spirit of the female spellcaster.

"What is it?" The blue-haired boy asked.

"Just remember to remain calm." Dark Magician Girl reminded. "I know you will draw Magic Cylinder."

"Right." Thomas nodded. He then looked over to his two unconscious friends. "I won't let Marik get away with hurting you."

"Poor, gullible fool." thought Strings (Marik). "He'll need all the help he can get."

After what seemed like forever...

"It's my turn!" declared Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Spellbinding Circle, and Magic Cylinder

* * *

Upon seeing the card (Magic Cylinder) he drew, Thomas finally had a plan to take Strings down.

"It's go time!" The blue-haired boy announced. "I sacrifice Buster Blader to summon Dark Magician Girl in defense mode!"

Buster Blader faded away in a blue streak and the apprentice of the Dark Magician materialized in his place (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

"Fool!" shouted Strings (Marik). "Did you not learn anything?! Slifer, use your second mouth and weaken the Dark Magician Girl!"

Slifer obeyed, opening its second mouth and firing a blast at Dark Magician Girl, causing her to freeze in fear.

"Hold it right there!" shouted Thomas, poking a button. "I will rescue her with Magical Hats!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before four large hats appeared and shuffling the female spellcaster inside.

"What?!"

"If you want to get at her, you'll have to guess." smirked Thomas, pointing at his opponent playfully.

The thunder bullet was fired and struck a hat...but the hat was empty.

"Curses!" growled Strings (Marik).

"Finally, I place two cards facedown and end my turn." finished Thomas, setting two cards into Spell/Trap slots.

No cards materialized, but it was possible they were hidden inside the Magical Hats.

"It's your turn now, Marik. And if you're unlucky in your attack, you might set something off."

Strings (Marik) scowled as he drew a card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (43)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Humanoid Slime, Worm Drake, Jam Defender, Humanoid Slime, Worm Drake, and Infinite Cards

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : Three Turns

* * *

Upon seeing what he drew, Strings (or rather Marik) laughed like a madman.

"I've drawn the one card that will ensure that Slifer's attack becomes infinite!" he declared in triumph.

The possessed mime slotted his newly drawn card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. From there, a Spell card called Infinite Cards materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Infinite Cards! This takes away the six card limit, allowing both of us to hold as many cards in our hands as we choose."

"That means Slifer the Sky Dragon CAN have unlimited attack and defense points!" gasped Thomas.

Strings laughed. "Correct! Now to find where your Dark Magician Girl is hiding!"

Thomas stood firm as Slifer looked at each hat, deciding its next target.

"I know!" Strings (Marik) soon said aloud. "Attack the middle hat, my Egyptian God monster!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed the command and started charging up its Thunder Force attack. Thomas, meanwhile, scowled that his opponent guessed correctly.

"Lucky guess."

The hat rose, showing Dark Magician Girl.

"Your girlfriend is history!" laughed Strings.

The Thunder Force struck and caused a massive cloud of dust to erupt on the field. But when the dust cleared, two Trap cards were shown to have revealed themselves...

"I'm afraid not!" Thomas pointed out. "For hiding under the hat with her are my facedown cards; Magic Cylinder and Spellbinding Circle!"

"NO!" The image of Marik thought in horror.

"First, Spellbinding Circle will go and weaken your God monster's attack points by 700 points!"

The magic circle appeared around Slifer, weakening its attack power (ATK: 5000 - 4300).

"Now behold the power of Magic Cylinder!" Thomas annouced proudly. "This powerful Trap card will now reflect your attack right back at your monster!"

Two large, magical cylinders (with one containing the Thunder Force) materialized beside Dark Magician Girl.

"Open fire!"

The cylinder containing the Thunder Forced fired towards both Slifer and Strings.

"This duel is done!" Thomas declared.

Unfortunately, he was proven wrong. Why? Well, just before the Thunder Force could hit Slifer the Sky Dragon, Revival Jam once again went and took the blow!

"No!" cried Thomas.

Even Dark Magician Girl was shocked to see that Magic Cylinder failed. Strings, on the other hand, started laughing like a madman once more.

"You forgot about my Jam Defender yet again!" he cackled.

Revival Jam instantly reformed. Strings then drew three cards from Card of Safe Return.

"Since I drew three more cards from Card of Safe Return, Slifer gains 3000 more attack points!"

Slifer's power rose even more (ATK: 4300 - 7300).

"And best of all, your Spellbinding Circle has worn off thanks to my God monster's next effect!"

Spellbinding Circle fizzled out and vanished, giving Slifer its attack points back (ATK: 7300 - 8000).

"But what is that ability?" Thomas demanded.

"To destroy any Spell or Trap that weakens its attack points." explained Strings (Marik). "Cards like that only last one turn against Egyptian God monsters...and they are also completely immune to monster destruction cards like Mirror Force, Dark Hole, and Raigeki!"

Thomas was now more worried than ever. How was he going to get himself out of this mess?

"Now make your move so I can finally kill you!"

Sighing, Thomas drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Dark Magician and Big Shield Gardna

* * *

Unfortunately, the drawn card wasn't too good.

"I pass this turn." The blue-haired boy said in defeat.

Strings then drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (9): ?

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : Two Turns

* * *

Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack rose once more (ATK: 8000 - 9000).

"Go, Slifer!" Strings (Marik) commanded. "Wipe out Dark Magician Girl for good this time! ...Super Electrical Conduction Wave - Thunder Force"

Thomas could only watch helplessly as Slifer the Sky Dragon charged up another blast of lightning meant for Dark Magician Girl and with no other way to protect her this time around. The female spellcaster looked back towards the blue-haired boy with a tear falling from her eye.

"I'm sorry I let you down, Thomas." she said sadly.

"You did your best." replied Thomas softly. "And I'm thankful for it."

Finally, the Thunder Force attack was fired and it struck its target. As the smoke cleared, Dark Magician Girl was gone. Strings laughed wickedly at the sight.

"Your precious Dark Magician Girl is gone!"

Thomas closed his eyes as a teardrop of his own fell from his eye.

"I'm so sorry, Dark Magician Girl." The blue-haired boy thought in shame. "It was I who failed to save you..."

"Aw, what's the matter?" mocked Strings (Marik). "Sad you lost your little girlfriend, Thomas? Well it doesn't matter because soon you'll be joining her soon enough!"

Suddenly, images of five cards (Slifer the Sky Dragon, Card of Safe Return, Revival Jam, Jam Defender, and Infinite Cards) were show moving before Strings.

"I hold the ultimate five card combo!" he proclaimed. "My strategy is unbeatable! Nothing you do can stop me! NOTHING!"

Thomas fell to his knees in complete defeat. Marik was right; there was nothing he could do to win against an Egyptian God monster.

"I... I-I can't do it." Thomas said only to himself. "There's no way to defeat that thing." He then looked back at his hand. "Even if I could summon my Dark Magician, he would just be destroyed as well."

"So, are you gonna surrender?" Strings (Marik) asked. "If you do, then I'll make sure your death is real quick and painful!"

Thomas actually looked like he was gonna surrender the duel...well, until...

"Get up on your feet, Billinton!" called a familiar voice.

Thomas looked up to the source of the voice. "Spencer?" he gasped.

Looking down the hill towards the canal was both Spencer and Skiff. They had just seen what had happened from earlier.

"Since when do you ever bow down to your rivals?" The silver-haired boy asked harshly.

"Never!" Thomas answered, look up at Spencer...but then immediately looked down in despair. "But...I just don't know if I can-"

"Don't give me that!"

"Huh?" Thomas looked up towards his friend/rival.

"You are my only rival." said Spencer in a much calmer tone. "I won't allow you to lose! You should see the road to our battle in the future. Do you want to stop here? Since that Egyptian God is stopping you, you must defeat it and keep moving ahead!"

That didn't convince Thomas very much. "But how do I win? It's currently unstoppable."

"Every card has a weakness." The silver-haired boy pointed out. "You just need to find it and exploit it once you have the right card available."

"Alright." mumbled Thomas, but he still felt unsure.

"Show me that you are worthy of being the best there is! Or was your win at the San Francisco tournament just a minor fluke or beginner's luck?"

Standing back up, Thomas now had renewed determination in his heart.

"I will defeat him, Spencer. Just you watch me."

Strings turned and looked to Spencer just as an image of Marik appeared.

"Well, well, well," The Rare Hunter leader smiled with evil glee. "If it isn't Spencer Gresley... he must have come to watch me finally kill Thomas Billinton. Once I'm all finished with him, I'll come after your Egyptian God card as well!"

Can Thomas win the duel? Can he actually defeat the unstoppable Slifer the Sky Dragon? Or will he be doomed to fail?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	23. Attack of the Sky Dragon (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Somewhere in the middle of the sea, Marik was still riding the boat to the Island of Sodor, and so far he was very pleased.

"I'm nearly there." thought Marik. "My mind slave also has Thomas on the ropes. Once that boy loses, he will finally die. I'll then challenge that Spencer Gresley for Obelisk the Tormentor...and then my plan for revenge will be complete!"

(elsewhere...)

Back at the river canal on the Island of Sodor (which was near Brendam Docks), Strings was busy gloating to his soon to be defeated opponent.

"You have no hopes of ever defeating me, Thomas!" he said. "Once I win, it will be all over!"

Thomas merely narrowed his eyes in defiance.

"Billinton!" shouted Spencer, who was watching the duel. "If you really wanna prove to me that your victory at the San Francisco tournament was not by a mere fluke, then you will go and defeat the Egyptian God monster Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

"I will certainly show you that, Spencer!" Thomas replied right back.

But this was going to be easier said than done.

* * *

 **Title: Attack of the Sky Dragon, Part 3**

* * *

With Thomas's field completely empty and very few cards in his hand, the blue-haired boy knew he needed to make the next few turns count big time.

"Marik! Don't count me out yet!" Thomas called out, pointing forth. "I won't lose to someone like you!"

Strings only laughed harshly. "What hopes do you have against my Egyptian God?" he asked. The possessed mime then pointed up the hill to where the unconscious Michael and Matt both were. "Do you want to end up like your two friends over there?"

Skiff, meanwhile, was looking the two boys from America over.

"How are they?" asked Spencer

"They're out cold, but they have no injuries." Skiff answered.

"Ah, Spencer Gresley!" Strings (Marik) suddenly spoke to the silver-haired boy. "It's fortunate that you're here to witness Thomas's final duel."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Spencer demanded in a hostile tone.

"The moment Slifer attacks him-" said Strings (Marik) with glee. "-Thomas will die!"

"Rubbish!" snapped the silver-haired boy. "What makes you think someone like Billiton here will even lose to a madman like you?! Only I'm the one who will beat him!"

"We'll soon see about that. Once I deal with him, you're next."

"You won't be dueling Spencer, Marik!" Thomas spoke up. "Because I will beat you."

Strings (Marik) gave a slight snort. "I'd like to see you try!"

"Gladly!" Thomas then went and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dark Magician, Big Shield Gardna, and Change of Heart

* * *

Seeing what he drew, the blue-haired boy gave it a good thought.

"This will come in handy later on." he thought to himself.

"Well?" Strings (Marik) taunted. "I'm waiting for that ' _play_ ' of yours!"

Grunting irritably, Thomas placed a card onto a monster field slot (sideways) on his Duel Disk.

"First I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" The blue-haired boy said simply.

The warrior with the huge shield appeared (Level: 4/DEF: 2600). Thomas then slotted another card into his Duel Disk.

"Then I'll place a card facedown."

A facedown card materialized behind Big Shield Gardna.

"HA! I'll use Slifer's second mouth to cripple your new monster!" shouted Strings (Marik).

Slifer the Sky Dragon opened its second mouth and fired a blast at Big Shield Gardna.

"Now your monster will lose 2000 defense points!"

The thunder bullet struck the warrior monster and weakened it (DEF: 2600 - 600).

"Gee, Spencer. Thomas isn't going to last much longer." Skiff commented.

"Not unless he can find that God card's weakness." agreed Spencer.

"Now to continue the fun!" Strings (Marik) drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Strings (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (10): Spell Sanctuary, ?

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : One Turn

* * *

"And I think I'll use this card." He slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "The Spell card Spell Sanctuary!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This allows us to both add one Spell card from our decks to our hands." explained Strings (Marik). "Then, as long as this card is on the field, set Spell cards can be activated as Quick-Play Spells."

The two duelists searched their decks for a Spell card to add.

"I've chosen...a second copy of Pot of Greed!" The possessed mime said gleefully, holding his card out.

Looking at his deck carefully, Thomas decided on a card he wanted.

"I know just what I want." The blue-haired boy said quietly, selecting and adding the Monster Reborn Spell card to his hand.

Both players reshuffled their decks and slotted them back into their Duel Disks.

"Now I use my second Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" said Strings (Marik), sliding the card into his final open Spell/Trap slot.

Due to drawing two more cards, Slifer's attack power rose even higher (ATK: 9000 - 11000). Skiff was just amazed at the sight.

"Wow! 11000 attack points!" he gasped. "And with Infinite Cards out, there's no telling just how powerful it can become!"

"Now, Slifer!" commanded Strings (Marik). "Attack his Big Shield Gardna with Thunder Force!"

Spencer calmly watched Slifer the Sky Dragon charge its attack up...before realizing something very obvious about the possessed mime's strategy.

"That's it." he thought. "I've found the biggest weakness in his strategy. Hopefully Billinton can figure it out, too."

Slifer finally fired its Thunder Force attack, which hit and destroyed Big Shield Gardna.

"Your options are running out." taunted Strings (Marik). "But if you wish to continue on, then draw your card!"

Thomas glared firmly. If there was one thing he would never do was surrender to his rivals.

"I'll never surrender!"

"If that's the case-" argued Strings. "-I'll make sure your death is quick and painful!"

Thomas had to think for a bit. Marik did have a point; his options were indeed running out, and thus he needed a new plan to end this madness once and for all.

"His combo is very powerful indeed." he thought. "As long as Jam Defender is up, I can only attack Revival Jam. And every time that monster's destroyed, it comes back. Then with Card of Safe Return, Marik draws three more cards, making Slifer get stronger. Finally, Infinite Cards lets him hold however many cards he wants. Slifer's attack could be limitless..." Suddenly, Thomas realized something. "That's it. Slifer's attack will end up limitless, but there's one thing that has its limits... Marik's deck!"

Seeing the look on Thomas's face made Spencer smile a bit.

"I see you've figured it out, Billinton." he thought. "Now let's see if you'll use the correct cards."

"Alright, Marik." said Thomas, preparing to draw his card. "It's my turn!"

As he drew from his deck, a slash of colour came out.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dark Magician, Monster Reborn, and Magic Formula

* * *

Immediately, the Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up.

"First I will use the Spell card Monster Reborn!" Thomas was holding one of his cards out. "Using it, I'll call Buster Blader back from my graveyard!"

The mighty sword wielding warrior returned (Level: 7/ATK: 2600 - 3100).

"How annoying." Strings (Marik) grumbled. "My Sky Dragon will now weaken your monster's strength by 2000 points!"

Slifer opened its second mouth and fired at Buster Blader.

"My monster is strong enough to survive!" insisted Thomas.

Once the Thunder Force blast finished up, Buster Blader was weakened (ATK: 3100 - 1100).

"It doesn't matter." Strings (Marik) retorted. "All you're left is with a weak monster. Once I destroy it, you'll lose! My Egyptian God monster is invincible! You can't win!"

Thomas gave a smirk. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Marik...but your monster is not invincible."

"What did you say?!" seethed Strings (Marik).

"True you do have a powerful combo." admitted Thomas. "But it has one major weakness."

"Weakness?!" scoffed the image of Marik. "Hardly! You're just making excuses!"

"No, I'm not." The blue-haired boy insisted. "When my Buster Blader attacks, you will lose!"

"Then go ahead and try!"

And try Thomas did... "Buster Blader, attack Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Buster Blader obeyed and leaped up at the huge red dragon with his sword. Before the sword could make contact with Slifer, Revival Jam took the blow instead due to the effect of Jam Defender.

"What a waste!" Strings (Marik) claimed, drawing three cards. "Now I draw three more cards from my deck thanks to-"

"Your Card of Safe Return!" Thomas interrupted. "It lets you draw every time a monster is special summoned. And now I reveal my facedown card; Change of Heart!"

He poked a button on his Duel Disk and the facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Change of Heart?!"

"Is Thomas going to try to take control of Slifer?" quizzed Skiff.

"I doubt it." said Strings (Marik), hearing the younger boy's question. "Slifer can't be taken control by anyone else!"

"Who said I was going for Slifer?" grinned Thomas. "My real target is Revival Jam!"

Strings recoiled. "But why?"

"Because it's part of my winning strategy. Now, welcome to the side of good, Revival Jam!"

Revival Jam revived on the blue-haired boy's side of the field. Not that it mattered, as Slifer's attack rose even higher (ATK: 12000 - 15000).

"And since a monster was summon on my side of the field, your God monster's effect activates."

Slifer's second mouth opened and fired at Revival Jam, splattering it.

"Now, it reforms..." Thomas went on.

Revival Jam reforms.

"And you draw three cards."

Strings drew three more cards from his deck. Suddenly, Slifer's second mouth began charging another blast.

"However, since a monster has been summoned..." Thomas didn't finish his sentence, because that was when Strings (Marik) began speaking.

"Now Slifer has to attack it!" The possessed mime said in surprise.

Slifer the Sky Dragon fired at Revival Jam again.

"No... this has created an unbreakable loop!" The image of Marik thought in horror. "Now every time Revival Jam reforms, I'll be forced to draw three cards from my deck...but then Slifer will be forced to attack yet again!"

Revival Jam reformed, and Strings drew three more cards.

"Um...I'm confused." Skiff said in confusion. "What exactly is happening?"

"Billinton has found a way to beat Slifer." replied Spencer. "Every time Revival Jam reforms, Marik has to draw, and Slifer has to attack the newly revived monster. Then Revival Jam comes back and the cycle continues until Marik runs out of cards in his deck, resulting in Thomas winning by default."

"Oh, now I get it!" Skiff replied in realization. "Slifer's power may be limitless right now, but it actually isn't...because it's really limited by the number of cards in the duelist's deck!"

Slifer's second mouth opened fire and destroyed Revival Jam again, forcing Strings to draw three more cards while Revival Jam reformed itself once again.

"Once you've run out of cards in your deck, you'll automatically lose this duel!" Thomas informed Strings.

"No!" cried Strings (Marik), dropping his already huge hand onto the ground.

Once again Slifer used its second mouth to attack and destroy Revival Jam, causing the slime-like monster to reform itself and make Strings draw three cards.

"This loop is unbreakable!" The possessed mime thought in panic.

The loop repeated and repeated...until, eventually, there were no more cards in his deck to draw from.

"No!" The image of Marik cried. "I've ran out of cards in my deck!"

"And that means I win!" said Thomas in triumph. "It's over for you and Slifer."

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

The holograms all faded away and the sky cleared up back to sunny. Strings, meanwhile, fell to his knees.

"This isn't possible!" he ranted. "How could anyone break my unbeatable strategy?!"

"It's over, Marik." declared Thomas firmly. "Your Egyptian God has been defeated!"

"You'll pay for this, Thomas Billinton!" The image of Marik shouted. "While you may have defeated Slifer the Sky Dragon, I have another Egyptian God card and it is even more powerful than Slifer!"

The symbol on Strings' forehead faded away, and the mime collapsed onto the pavement.

"Since you won, Billinton-" said Spencer, as he and Skiff both walked down the steps towards the blue-haired boy. "-you now take his rarest card and his Locator card."

Thomas nodded and approached Strings. A few seconds later, he now had four locator cards and Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"An Egyptian God card..." Thomas thought to himself, looking at the powerful card.

Back up the hill, both Matt and Michael started stiring and awakening.

"Man... what happened to us?" groaned Michael.

"I don't know..." Matt replied, slowly getting back onto his feet and looking around. "But... hey, the sky has cleared right up!"

Overhearing the pair of voices, Thomas looked over to his friends.

"Matt! Mike!" he cried out. "You both are alright!"

"We are." Michael nodded, but then frowned and looked to his left. "But our Duel Runners..."

The two Duel Runners were wrecked quite badly...but Matt had a solution to the problem.

"We can get them repaired." The dirty blonde-haired boy said. "I remember James telling us about a repair shop near that restaurant we ate at."

"That's good." sighed Michael, feeling a bit better. "But they'd better not scratch it!"

Down below, Thomas then turned to Spencer while still holding onto Slifer with interest.

"So this is why you made the Ante rule."

"Yes." Spencer nodded. "It was to lure the ones who hold the other remaining Egyptian God cards. Also, because you won this match, you've proven to me that your win at the San Francisco tournament was not by a fluke."

Thomas gave a silent nod. Suddenly, Spencer smirked and activated his own Duel Disk.

"But don't get too attached to it." The silver-haired boy warned. "Slifer will soon be mine, then I will have two Egyptian Gods."

"Two?" Thomas turned around in shock. "What do you mean by ' _have two_ '?"

Spencer kept his smirk and held up his own Egyptian God card (Obelisk the Tormentor). Thomas's eyes widened in realization.

"Is that-?"

"Obelisk the Tormentor." said Spencer smugly. "Ishizu Ishtar gave this to me."

"And Spencer here is challenging you to a duel for your newly acquired God card, Thomas." Skiff explained.

With no other choice, Thomas gave a defeated sigh.

"Very well." he said, activating his own Duel Disk again.

But before anyone could say or do anything, Strings suddenly awoken...with the Millennium Eye symbol back on his forehead.

"Not so fast, fools!" Strings (Marik) shouted, standing back up.

"Marik!" said Thomas. "What do you want now?"

"So you're the leader of those Rare Hunters." Spencer questioned, walking over.

"In the flesh." snickered the image of Marik. "But I'm also not really here."

"What?!"

"I'm using my Millennium Rod to speak to you through this weakling slave of mine." explained Strings (Marik). "It is one of the Rod's many powers."

(elsewhere...)

Out at sea, Marik was still standing at the front of the boat.

"As of now, I'm coming to Sodor." he spoke on. "In order to finish what my Rare Hunters failed to do!"

(elsewhere...)

Back at the river canal somewhere in Knapford City, Strings continued to speak to Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff.

"With the loss of Diesel 10, Seeker, and Arkana-" Strings (Marik) went on, giving a very cruel smile. "-I wonder...which of your pathetic friends would like to be a part of my group?"

"You leave my friends alone!" roared Thomas. "They're innocent! They don't deserve to be involved in your sick, twisted games!"

"Well, that's too bad. Your friends have gotten in the way of my plans once too often!" Strings (Marik) retorted.

"If you or your Rare Hunters get anywhere near my friends, I will make you regret it!"

"Good luck trying at that." smirked Strings (Marik). "We will meet for real soon, Thomas Billinton!"

With that said, the symbol on Strings faded and he collapsed once more. Up on the hill, Matt and Michael had both overheard Marik's little threat.

"We'd better go make sure that creep or any of his followers don't lay a finger on Thomas's friends." suggested Matt.

"That Marik guy might also go after our Dad and friends, too." Michael added.

Almost immediately, Thomas deactivated his Duel Disk and raced away.

"Billinton!" shouted Spencer. "Come back here!"

"My friends are more important to me right now, Spencer!" Thomas shouted back. "If anything were to happen to them, I'd never forgive myself."

"He threw away his duelist pride for his friends." said Spencer to himself.

"We will duel again, Spencer. But only until I know for certain that my friends are safe."

He ran off, leaving Spencer and Skiff to think things over.

"I hope Thomas's friends will be okay." said Skiff.

"To be honest, Skiff, so do I." agreed Spencer, before going into his thoughts... "Gordon and I may not get alone very well, but we're still family."

At that point, they both stood up and decided to follow Thomas.

(elsewhere and later...)

A few hours later at Brendam Docks, Marik's boat had finally arrived.

"We're finally here." said the Rare Hunter leader. "Now to get the next part of my plan in action." He then looked to his second-in-command. "Odion, I want you to win both of us enough Locator cards for the finals."

"Yes, Master Marik." obeyed Odion, bowing. "I shall succeed."

A few minutes later, Marik had changed his clothing into something...far more casual than normal.

"Now to head into the city."

Leaving the boat, Marik had borrowed a motorcycle and helmet. He set his Duel Disk on the back and revved it up.

(ten minutes later...)

Riding along the highway, Marik could only think on how far his plans have come since leaving Egypt.

"To think-" he thought. "-that this all started when I was a child living underground in Egypt."

Quickly, the Rare Hunter leader shook his head. Those were memories he wanted to never remember.

"But now, I will get my revenge on the descendant of the Pharaoh, and end my family's curse once and for all...by killing Thomas Billinton."

Marik then looked out down the road with a broad smile.

"Brace yourself, Thomas Billinton..." Marik thought to himself. "I'm coming for you real soon!"

The motorcycle raced down the highway towards Knapford City.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, at a bar, a lone Rare Hunter (though no one there knew that) was sulking at a counter and enjoying a drink.

"I'm a loser." he muttered. "I can't seem to ever please my master."

As it turned out, this was the very same Rare Hunter that James had defeated near the start of the tournament. He felt like a failure and couldn't bare to show his face to the others.

"I...just can't care to face any of my comrades after my failure."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in the bar... "Zander!"

That one Rare Hunter (Zander) recognized that voice in an instant.

"Master...?" he blinked in surprise. "Is that-"

"What do you think you're doing wasting your life away in a place like this?" asked Marik's voice angrily.

"M-Master, where are you?" Zander asked, looking around.

Suddenly, the bar's front doors slammed open, and there stood Marik Ishtar...again no one else knew that he was the leader of the Rare Hunters...and only saw him as a 16-year old boy who should not even be here.

"Kid, you're not allowed in here." said one employee. "You're not old enough to-"

Marik went and shot the man a cold stare, making him ease up and back away nervously.

"Don't mind me." Marik replied in a hostile tone. "I am merely here to pick up a friend of mine." He then turned straight over to Zander. "You're coming with me!"

Zander, scared to see that his master had shown up in person, slowly stood up from the counter and walked towards the exit.

(elsewhere...)

Ten minutes later and now inside a ruined building, Marik and three Rare Hunters faced Zander with looks of disapproval and disgust.

"I'm sorry for failing you and abandoning the others, master." said Zanders in fear. "I...I just couldn't face you with my failure!"

"Save your sorry excuses, Zander." Marik replied harshly, his arms folded. "Now I want you to tell me one thing; why did you join the Rare Hunter group in the first place?"

"I wanted respect and power." quivered Zander. "And selling rare cards could help my folks with their bills."

"No!" shouted Marik, causing the Rare Hunter (Zander) to take a step back in fear.

The teenage boy immediately held his hand out towards his minion.

"You've joined my organization for power and respect!" continued Marik angrily. "Nothing more! None of this ' ** _help my family_** ' junk is allowed! Now, let me see your deck."

Zander, still shaking in petrified fear, reached into his cloak, took his deck out, and handed it to Marik.

"Here."

Marik took a whole minute to look through it before stopping and beginning to laugh at how pathetic it was.

"THIS is your deck?!" he chuckled cruelly. "It's nothing but worthless trash!"

With that said, the teenage boy tossed the deck to the ground, scattering the cards on the floor.

"If you're going to be considered a true threat-" continued Marik. "-then you will need to use something with more power and strategy."

"More power and strategy?" Zander blinked.

Marik snapped his fingers, causing one of the three Rare Hunters to step forth.

"Give him the deck I've prepared."

"Yes, Master Marik." said the Rare Hunter.

The Rare Hunter reached into his cloak and pulled out a deck. He then handed it to Zander.

"I trust you'll find this deck to be...far more interesting than before." smirked Marik. "Especially when I give you your mission...for revenge on a certain boy named James Hughes."

Zander, looking over the deck, grinned evilly when he finished.

"I'm listening."

This...can't be good, can it?


	24. Good HEROES & Evil HEROES (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Running down the street in the middle of Knapford, Thomas was trying to find any of his friends before any of the Rare Hunters could get to them first.

"I can't let Marik get to any of my friends." he thought. "I have to make sure they remain safe and sound."

Unfortunately for the blue-haired boy...

"Hold it right there!" exclaimed a new voice.

"You looking for your friends?" taunted another voice. "Well, we're here to stop you!"

Thomas could see two Rare Hunters blocking his way.

"Out of my way!"

"Either you duel us-" began the first Rare Hunter.

"-or your friends will die." finished the second Rare Hunter.

"Listen to me very closely..." Thomas seethed. "...either move aside or face the consequences!"

"Not unless you duel us!" The first Rare Hunter retorted. "We won't move until you agree to a duel!"

"Looks like I have no other choice." Thomas thought, just before speaking aloud. "Fine! But I promise you that this will be very quick!"

"Hold on." smirked the second Rare Hunter. "Whoever said we'd both face you at once?"

"Huh?"

"You'll have to beat us individually." laughed the first Rare Hunter. "What's the matter? You in a hurry? Well, too bad. Looks like you're gonna be stuck here for a while!"

The two Rare Hunters laughed and turned to face each other.

"Which of us should handle him first?" asked the first Rare Hunter.

"It should be me." answered the second Rare Hunter. "I'm the smarter one, after all."

"Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide?" The first Rare Hunter offered.

"You're on!"

The two began to play Rock, Paper, Scissors.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!" The two Rare Hunters chanted at once.

But it was a tie (They both got paper).

"Again!"

Thomas just sweatdropped at the idiotic Rare Hunters' childish games.

"Either they're purposely wasting my time-" The lue-haired boy said only to himself. "-or they're both just blithering fools."

This little gag went on and on until...

"I've got a much better idea." said the voice of Spencer.

Thomas and the two Rare Hunters turned to the direction of the voice.

"Y-You!" stammered one Rare Hunter.

"Spencer!" cried Thomas.

The silver-haired boy walked into the area with Skiff by his side.

"How about Billinton and I duel you both?" offered Spencer. "After all, we both wield an Egyptian God card."

"No!" snapped the second Rare Hunter. "We duel the boy individually!"

"What's the matter?" teased Spencer. "Are you two punks afraid of me, is that it? Ah ha ha ha! Just like I thought! The Rare Hunters do fear me, as I expected!"

This made the two Rare Hunters very cross.

"We're not afraid of you!" The first Rare Hunter yelled.

"Bring it on!" agreed the second Rare Hunter.

As the two Rare Hunters activated their Duel Disks, Spencer walked over to Thomas's side.

"Spencer, thank you." The blue-haired boy said gratefully.

"I started this tournament to stop the Rare Hunters." Spencer pointed out. "We cannot let them get away with whatever they want."

He and Thomas both activated their Duel Disks, facing the two Rare Hunters and then drawing their opening hands (LP: 4000) x4.

"Let's duel!" They all said at once.

Unknown to Thomas and Spencer, someone was standing on a nearby rooftop and watching everything. ...and that someone was Zander.

"Those two fell for it." The disgraced Rare Hunter chuckled, before looking to his three Rare Hunter companions standing nearby. "Let's go find and grab the girl now."

The three companions nodded and they headed off.

* * *

 **Title: Good HEROES & Evil HEROES, Part 1**

* * *

Back down below, Thomas went ahead and took the first move.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Renewal, Dark Magician, Magician's Valkyria, Spellbinding Circle, and Kuriboh

* * *

"Not the best opener." Thomas thought. "But it should work until I can figure out what we'll be up against."

He took two cards from his hand and slotted them into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

"I'll set two cards facedown."

Two facedown cards materialized, followed by the appearance of the ever cute, brown-furred monster known as Kuriboh (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 200).

"I'll also summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" Thomas concluded.

The Rare Hunters only laughed at Thomas's monster.

"This is the best you can do?" laughed the tall Rare Hunter.

Thomas kept a calm, collected look on his face. It was then Spencer spoke up...

"You Rare Hunters won't be laughing when I'm done with you!" The silver-haired boy sneered. "Because this is a tag duel, we're unable to draw a card right now."

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Pot of Greed, Polymerization, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon

* * *

Smirking at his hand, Spencer slotted his first card into his Duel Disk, causing it to materialize face-up.

"I'll begin by activating Pot of Greed!" he declared, preparing to draw from his deck. "Now I can draw two cards from my deck."

Spencer drew two more cards, grinned, and added the two cards to his hand.

"Next I activate the Spell card Polymerization!" The silver-haired boy took and held out another card from his hand.

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"Now I'll go and fuse the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my hand into your worst nightmare!"

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared with a roar before fusing together.

"Come forth - Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" shouted Spencer.

Appearing from the large light came the mighty Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (Level: 12/ATK: 4500/DEF: 3800).

"I told you punks you wouldn't be laughing when I'm through with you." Spencer said seriously. "And I really meant it!"

Thomas was very surprised to see that Spencer had brought out his best monster on the first turn.

"He brought out the Ultimate Dragon on his first turn." he whispered.

The two Rare Hunters weren't looking so confident anymore.

"That's right." smirked Spencer, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "My most powerful monster on the first turn. I'll end the turn with a facedown. Your turn now, if you even have the guts."

A facedown card materialized behind Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, who then gave another loud roar.

"M-My turn." said the first Rare Hunter nervously.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Rare Hunter 1 (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Humanoid Slime, Jar of Greed, Luminous Spark, Grand Tiki Elder, and Rogue Doll

* * *

Unhappy to have drawn nothing helpful to battle the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the first Rare Hunter merely set a monster on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"I'll just place this monster in defense mode, set one card facedown, and end my turn." he sighed.

Two facedown cards (one sideways) materialized. The first Rare Hunter looked to his partner in worry.

"I'll try to do better." The second Rare Hunter said reassuringly.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Rare Hunter 2 (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Giant Soldier of Stone, Island Turtle, Summon Draw(!), Threatening Roar, and Mirror Force

* * *

Grinning at his hand, the second Rare Hunter knew what he could do.

"First I place two cards facedown," he began, slotting two cards into Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk. "Next I summon a monster in defense mode."

A sideways facedown card appeared in front of two other facedown cards.

"Finally-" The second Rare Hunter continued. "-I play the Spell card Summon Draw!" He slide the card into another empty Spell/Trap slot, causing it to materialize face-up. "This allows us all to draw one card. If it's a monster card, we can automatically special summon it without requirements or tributes...otherwise, that card is sent to the graveyard."

All four duelists drew one card.

"The card I drew is Dark Magician Girl!" said Thomas, placing the drawn card onto a monster slot.

Appearing beside Kuriboh was the female spellcaster (Level: 6/ATK: 2000).

"My monster is Giant Soldier of Stone!" The first Rare Hunter announced, placing the mentioned card sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The large stone monster appeared (Level: 3/DEF: 2000).

Spencer, unfortunately, had to discard his card because it was a Spell card.

"I'm forced to discard my card." The silver-haired boy remarked.

Regardless, Spencer wasn't too worried because he had something big planned. The second Rare Hunter just drew and placed his drawn Millennium Shield card sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I call Millennium Shield!" The second Rare Hunter declared.

The large red shield with the Millennium Eye appeared (Level: 5/DEF: 3000).

"It's my turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dark Magician, Magician's Valkyria, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I activate my own Pot of Greed." The blue-haired boy stated, drawing two more cards. "And since one of them was Watapon-" He placed his drawn monster onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk "I can automatically summon him!"

The small white fuzzball appeared (Level: 1/DEF: 300).

"Next I activate Sage's Stone!" continued Thomas, sliding the mentioned Spell card into another Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "With Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can automatically summon from my hand or deck the Dark Magician!"

The purple clad magician appeared to the field (Level: 7/ATK: 2500).

"And finally-" Thomas went on some more. "-I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!"

The teal wearing female spellcaster appeared, twirling her scepter into a pose (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"He's got five monsters out!" said the first Rare Hunter in fright.

"Don't worry, partner." replied the second Rare Hunter, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I'll protect you with the Trap card Threatening Roar!"

The one of the second Rare Hunter's facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself.

"Too bad." he chuckled. "Now you cannot declare an attack this turn!"

"Sounds like a waste to me." Spencer huffed, drawing a card. "Now I'll show you a real move!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (36)  
 **Current Hand** (1): Card of Demise

* * *

On cue, the Card of Demise Spell card materialized face-up.

"I'll begin by laying Card of Demise!" The silver-haired boy declared, holding his drawn card out. "Now I draw five new cards...but I must discard my hand after five standby phases."

His five new cards were Obelisk the Tormentor, Blade Knight, Des Feral Imp, Virus Cannon, and De-Fusion.

"I play the Trap card Jar of Greed!" called the first Rare Hunter, as his facedown card flipped up. "Now I draw an extra card from my deck!"

Spencer smirked. "Which is what I wanted you to do."

The two Rare Hunters looked puzzled.

"You've triggered this Quick-Play Spell card!" Spencer pressed a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Thirst for Compensation!"

"What's that?" cried both Rare Hunters.

"Since you added a card to your hand by a card effect-" said Spencer. "-I can summon up to two level 4 or lower monsters from my hand in defense mode."

Blade Knight (Level: 4/DEF: 1000) and Des Feral Imp (Level: 4/DEF: 1800) both materialized in a defensive stance.

"Since I summoned them with this card, I'm unable to use them as sacrifices for a tribute summon." Spencer continued. "But that's okay, I can instead go and use this!" He held out his De-Fusion card. "De-Fusion!"

"De-Fusion?" asked the second Rare Hunter.

"This allows me to split my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back into the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons used to summon it!"

The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon split itself back into three normal Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Along with Blade Knight and Des Feral Imp, this gave Spencer five monsters.

"Now for the fun part." Spencer smirked wickedly. "I sacrifice all three of my dragons!"

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons faded in blue streaks. Suddenly, blue light shined from the sky. The Rare Hunters did not like where this was going one bit.

"Uh-oh..." They both said nervously.

"I call forth Obelisk the Tormentor!" called Spencer in a booming tone.

After a very nice looking light show, the giant blue God monster finally showed itself with a loud, menacing roar (Level 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"Meet your end, Rare Hunters!" Spencer cackled.

Thomas and his monsters all looked up in complete bewilderment.

"Obelisk the Tormentor." said Thomas quietly.

While Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Magician's Valkyria each stared up in shock at the sight of that giant Egyptian God monster, both Watapon and Kuriboh instead...stared up in almost complete admiration at how big and strong that monster looked.

"Take a good look!" cried Spencer. "Now I will use my monster's special ability!"

"Special ability?!" repeated the two Rare Hunters.

Obelisk the Tormentor then took hold of Des Feral Imp and Blade Knight with both hands and started to crush them into dust.

"By sacrificing two monsters-" Spencer said in wicked delight. "-Obelisk can storm the field and destroy all your monsters...while also inflicting 4000 points of damage to both of your life points!"

"I activate Mirror Force!" shouted the second Rare Hunter in panic.

The final facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, but Obelisk the Tormentor's fist punched through and shattered the Trap card like it was nothing.

The second Rare Hunter gasped. "But how?"

"For one-" said Spencer in sadistic amusement. "-this is a special effect, not an attack. Second, your monster killer cards are useless on an Egyptian God!"

Obelisk the Tormentor's fist punched through and destroyed all of the Rare Hunters' monsters before finally striking and sending both of them flying back (LP: 0) x2.

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton and Spencer Gresley both win!**

* * *

The holograms all vanished. Thomas recovered from his shock and ran over to the two unconscious Rare Hunters in anger.

"Where's my friends?!" he demanded.

He got no response since the two Rare Hunters were both out cold, and so Thomas gave a defeated sigh.

"Spencer, is there any way we can get a lock onto Percy and the likes?" Skiff asked, walking over to his big brother.

"Use the laptop to get a lock on Percy's Duel Disk." said Spencer, just as he approached the two Rare Hunters. He picked up both of their Locator cards before tossing one over to Thomas. "Now we both have five. One more puts us both in the finals."

Spencer then began looking through their Duel Disks for their rarest cards.

"I don't care about rare cards right now." Thomas said bluntly. "All I care about is making sure that my friends are safe."

Sadly, Spencer couldn't find a card he wanted, and so decided to not take one at all. It was right around then...

"Hey, I've got a lock!" cried Skiff, who had been typing away at his laptop.

"Where are they at?" asked Spencer.

"It's hard to tell...but they seem to be on the other side of town." Skiff stated. "At the Marine Animal Show."

Spencer looked to Thomas. "There you go. Percy and some of your other geek friends are safe."

"Spencer, thank you." Thomas said gratefully.

"Think nothing of it."

Well, at least Percy, Edward, Emily, Lady, and the likes are okay. What about James, Gordon, and Henry? Let's find out.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the Russell residence, there was a lot of commotion coming from inside...stuff being smashed, as well as screams and protests coming from Molly's Mother.

"Get your hands off my daughter! I'm calling the police!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the house, Mrs. Russell ran to the nearby phone...but before she could pick up, a Rare Hunter went and smashed it with a metal pipe, destroying it.

"Nice try." The Rare Hunter snickered.

Holding Molly captive was Zander of the Rare Hunters. Poor Mrs. Russell was practically in tears right now.

"W-What do you want?" The woman whimpered between sobs.

"All we want is to use your daughter as bait to lure James Hughes to us." explained Zander. "I have a personal score to settle with him, you see."

"If he doesn't respond..." said another Rare Hunter menacingly. "...you'll never see your lovely daughter again."

"...alive that is." said a second Rare Hunter.

"You let her go, you monsters!" demanded Mrs. Russell, trying her hardest to mask her fury at the situation.

"Relax, lady." sighed Zander calmly. "I guarantee that if James does show up, your daughter won't be harmed." He then politely handed Molly's Mother his cellphone. "Just use this to call him."

"But we warn you though." spoke up a Rare Hunter.

"Call nobody but Hughes." added a third Rare Hunter. "If you call the police instead...well, you probably know what we'll do to your daughter."

With that said, the Rare Hunters left the house with Molly in captive.

(elsewhere...)

"ALL RIIIIIGHT!" cheered a very happy looking and sounding James.

Over in another part of town, James had won himself another Locator card from another duelist. This brought him to five Locator cards.

"You've won fair and square," said the duelist. He then took out his rarest card.

But James held his hand up. "Keep it." The red-haired boy declined. "I'm happy using my Elemental HEROES and Neo-Spacians."

"Oh, but I insist on you keeping it." insisted the duelist, handing the red-haired boy a card.

"Oh, all right." sighed James, taking the card. "Let's see what you got."

Upon looking at the card, he grew interested in what it was. It was a Spell card James had never seen before...and it looked like it had a good effect.

"Hmm...Subspace Battle...interesting."

Suddenly, without any warning, his phone started ringing inside his jeans pocket.

"Who could be calling me at this time?" asked James. He took out his phone and answered. "Hello?"

Gordon and Henry both walked over to hear who James was talking to.

"James! Oh, James, thank heaven I've managed to reach you...!" sobbed the voice of Mrs. Russell.

"Mrs. Russell?" James was surprised to hear from Molly's Mother, but briefly scowled right around then. "If this is about me having to apologize to your daughter-"

"My daughter is in danger!"

"What? Danger?" asked James, now looking shocked. "What happened?!"

"A group of people who called themselves Rare Hunters came storming into our apartment and took her!" said the voice of Mrs. Russell, still crying on the other line.

"The Rare Hunters?" gasped the three teens.

"Not them..." Henry whispered.

"One of them said he had a score to settle with you." The voice of Mrs. Russell could barely breath due to her crying pretty hard. "He says if you don't show up to duel him, he might kill Molly. Please you have to safe her!"

"Just calm down." James interrupted. "Where exactly are they?"

Trying to get some oxygen back into herself, Mrs. Russell spoke up again.

"N-Near the high school." The voice blurted out.

The red-haired boy nodded. "All right... We'll be there."

He hung his phone up and looked to his two best friends.

"So, Molly's gotten herself in a pickle?" asked Gordon. "Those Rare Hunters...why target us?!"

"I don't know." replied Henry. "But we have to save Molly."

"I'll save Molly." James muttered. "But I'm only doing it for her Mother, not for her!"

Gordon and Henry both sighed in dismay.

"Will you just grow up already, James?" asked Henry.

But the red-haired boy had already ran off.

"Oh, the indignity..." groaned Gordon.

(elsewhere...)

Over near the Sodor High School grounds, Molly was being tied to the flagpole by a few Rare Hunters.

"Please, let me go." The black-haired girl said meekly.

"Keep quiet, girly!" snapped a Rare Hunter. "If your Mom did as she was told, then your little boyfriend should be here any minute."

"What are you going to do to James?" Molly asked, looking terrified.

Zander walked over with a calculating smile. "I have a score to settle with him." he said. "He humiliated me and now I want to get even. But in order to get him out here, I need some bait. Someone like you."

Zander reached over and gentle touched the right side of the black-haired girl's face. The touch only caused Molly to shiver in fright some more.

"This time, I will make master Marik pleased." Zander thought to himself gleefully.

Suddenly, one of his Rare Hunter companions spoke up.

"Here he comes!"

A minute later, James, Gordon, and Henry each could be seen walking forth towards the school grounds. Zander smiled gleefully upon seeing the red-haired boy.

"James Hughes." greeted the disgraced Rare Hunter. "I've been expecting you."

"You're that Rare Hunter I beat a few days ago." James said in realization.

"Indeed I am." confirmed Zander. "The name's Zander, and I intend to get even with you."

"Where is our friend Molly?" demanded Gordon.

Zander snapped his fingers and two Rare Hunters near the flagpole stepped aside. Molly was there, scared and in tears, but unharmed.

"She's safe and sound." Zander reassured. "And you want her back too, right?"

"Let her go." demanded Henry.

"Oh, don't worry, I will let her go. All I ask is that James and I have a little rematch first."

James still didn't act like he wanted to be there. He was still upset from his argument with Molly from yesterday.

"I'd rather not." The red-haired boy muttered with no interest. "Molly hates me, anyway."

"Aw, you and her have a fight?" mocked Zander, causing his Rare Hunter companions to begin laughing.

"As a matter of fact, yes!" confessed James. "She yelled at me and said she doesn't care for me! So if she doesn't care for me, then why should I care for her?"

"You're wrong, James! That's not what I said at all!" Molly called out.

"Yeah right!"

"She's telling the truth, James!" snapped Gordon.

"If you weren't so childish, you would have known what she really meant." agreed Henry.

A flashback began of just after James had yelled at at the black-haired girl.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Gordon, Henry, and Murdoch were each comforting Molly as the poor girl sobbed her heart out.

"James hates me!" cried Molly. "He hates me, he hates me, HE HATES ME!"

"No, he doesn't." said Henry gently. "He must have taken your words the wrong way around. He thinks YOU hate HIM."

"N-no... I don't..."

"Easy, Molly." Murdoch said calmly, helping the black-haired girl to her feet. "I'll take you home."

"Thank you." said Molly quietly.

"We were there." Gordon narrated. "Henry and I both heard Molly say she didn't hate you."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Gordon continued to speak...

"Don't you get it, James?" he went on. "Molly never said anything about hating YOU. She only dislikes how selfish and arrogant you are."

James looked to the tied up Molly. "Is...this true?"

"Yes." confirmed Molly. "I don't like when you're arrogant and selfish, but I would never hate you, James. I would like it if you showed more of your nicer side."

"I'll admit it, there are moments where Gordon and myself act like you do, James." Henry spoke up. "But in the end, we learn from our mistakes...which is something you rarely do."

James started to remember almost all of the bad things he did and said over the years, with his memory of him and Gordon both bullying Emily being the worst of them all.

"They're right." The red-haired boy thought to himself sadly. "I'm such a huge jerk."

He then looked over at Molly and saw how afraid she looked.

"And I've been hurting poor Molly without even realizing it." James thought to himself some more. Finally he faced Zander with determination. "You want a rematch? Well you've got one! Just don't hurt her."

"I knew you'd see things my way." Zander remarked. "How many Locator cards do you have?"

"I have five." said James, holding his Locator cards up.

"I've got only one." Zander held his up. "Why not this? if you win, you'll not only get my Locator card and Molly here back, but I'll also give you two special cards of mine."

"What's the catch?" James asked suspiciously.

"If I win, not only do I get all five of your Locator cards...but you and your two friends over there will not leave here alive."

Henry couldn't help but gulp.

"I accept." said James with determination. "I beat you before, and I'll beat you again."

"We'll see about that." Zander smiled coldly and calculatingly.

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Time to duel!" They both said at once.

"Man, I hope James can win." Gordon stated. "Otherwise, we're goners."

Over in the duel field...

"I'll go first." said James.

"Be my guest." Zander nodded, before looking at his hand. "Because it will make your reaction to my surprise all the more sweeter."

* * *

 **Turn One** : James Hughes (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Polymerization, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Neos, Elemental HERO Avian, and Hero Signal

* * *

James's hand contained Polymerization, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Elemental HERO Neos, Elemental HERO Avian, and Hero Signal.

"Heh, not too bad." thought James with a smile. "This will be a very easy win...again."

With that thought on hand, the red-haired boy took and held three cards up.

"I activate Polymerization!" announced James. "With this, I fuse Elemental HERO Avian with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to create the all-powerful Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

Avian and Burstinatrix both materialized before fusing together. Once the fusion ended, there stood Flame Wingman (Level: 6/ATK: 2100).

"How predictable." smirked Zander. "You used that monster against me last time."

"Next I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." finished James.

A facedown card appeared behind Flame Wingman.

"My turn!" said Zander, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Zander (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Elemental HERO Avian, Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Elemental HERO Burstinatrix, Evil Blast, Draining Shield, Dark Fusion

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, the Rare Hunter smirked to himself.

"I'll play a Spell card." Zander commented sneakily, holding a card up. "This here is a card you've never seen before."

"Bring it on!" James dared.

"As you wish." Zander went and turned the card over to show his opponent. "It's called Dark Fusion!"

The red-haired boy had a look of concern on his face. "Dark Fusion?"

"It's rather like Polymerization." Zander pointed out. "But much more powerful. With it, I fuse Elemental HERO Avian with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to summon the Evil HERO Inferno Wing!"

"You what?!" came from both Gordon and Henry.

Avian and Burstinatrix both materialized on Zander's side of the field before being fused together...in a dark, twisted way. When it finished, a dark, twisted, female version of Flame Wingman stood facing off against the real Flame Wingman (Level: 6/ATK: 2100).

"Whoa..." gasped James. "She looks rather creepy - yet hot at the same time."

"What do you think of my newest monsters?" Zander asked arrogantly.

"What are they?!"

"They're called the Evil HEROES." explained Zander. "Rather like your Elemental HEROES, but much more powerful."

"More powerful?!" Henry gasped.

"But Flame Wingman and Inferno Wing share the exact same stats!" Gordon pointed out.

"Don't count my monster out just yet." said Zander, wagging a finger. "You'd be surprised just how powerful it can really be."

"I can take it!" James declared bravely.

Chuckling, Zander slotted two cards into his Duel Disk.

"I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." he said.

Two facedown cards materialized behind Inferno Wing. James grimaced a bit.

"He's up to something." The red-haired boy thought to himself, just as he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : James Hughes (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Elemental HERO Neos and E - Emergency Call

* * *

His drawn card was the E - Emergency Call Spell card.

"Currently, my Flame Wingman cannot attack that monster without destroying himself in the progress." James thought to himself some more. "I guess I need to hold out a smidge longer."

He slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate E - Emergency Call!" announced James. "This lets me add an Elemental HERO from my deck to my hand."

He selected from his deck Elemental HERO Wildheart and added it to his hand, shuffled the deck, and placed it back into his Duel Disk.

"Is that all?" Zander laughed, drawing his card. "I was expecting much more!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Zander (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Evil HERO Malicious Edge and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"I'll play Pot of Greed!" The Rare Hunter held his card out. "Now I draw two cards!"

Holding his two drawn cards up, Zander immediately had a plan.

"I will equip my Evil HERO Inferno Wing with Vicious Claw!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up, just before a set of metallic claws appeared on Inferno Wing's hands.

"This raises her attack points by 300 points." explained Zander. "Making her stronger than you Flame Wingman"

Inferno Wing grew much stronger (ATK: 2100 - 2400).

"This is not good." James mumbled, knowing that this was gonna be painful.

"Now prepare to feel the wrath of the Evil HEROES!" Zander roared. "Destroy James's Elemental HERO Flame Wingman now!"

Inferno Wing obeyed and lunged forth, turning into a streak of fire in the process. Looks like Elemental HERO Flame Wingman is gonna be history, don't you think?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	25. Good HEROES & Evil HEROES (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at the Sodor High School grounds, a monster known as Evil HERO Inferno Wing was going in to attack Elemental HERO Flame Wingman.

"Say goodbye to your Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" laughed Zander (the owner of Inferno Wing).

Inferno Wing finally struck Flame Wingman, destroying it.

"Flame Wingman!" James cried out (LP: 3700).

"Now to inflict even more damage!" Zander continued, pointing forth.

James was stunned. "You mean there's more?"

"Yes! Every time Inferno Wing destroys a monster, she can inflict damage to you for the attack or defense of the destroyed monster!"

"That's Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's ability, too!" cried Gordon.

"And Flame Wingman had 2100 attack points!" added Henry.

Inferno Wing charged up a huge flame and fired it at James, overwhelming and causing him to yell in pain (LP: 1600).

"James!" cried Molly.

"I activate my set Trap card; Hero Signal!" groaned James, weakly poking a button on his Duel Disk.

His facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"I remember you using that against me." Zander said calmly, folding his arms. "I'm not worried though. Many of your Elemental HEROES are weak fighters and need either fusion or Spell/Trap cards to become more effective in attacking or defending."

James just scowled as he took out a card from his deck.

"With Hero Signal-" The red-haired boy pointed out. "-if a monster is destroyed by battle, I can summon an Elemental HERO in its place."

Appearing on the field was Elemental HERO Clayman (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 2000).

"Elemental HERO Clayman, eh?" smirked Zander. "Funny, my deck has that card, too."

"My turn." said James, ignoring his opponent's comment and drawing a card from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : James Hughes (LP: 1600)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Elemental HERO Neos, Elemental HERO Wildheart, and Hero Shield

* * *

Sadly, his hand wasn't the best for a situation like this.

"Not good." The red-haired boy thought. "I need a plan to get myself our of this mess." Seeing his drawn Trap card, however, gave him an idea. "But maybe I can use this to buy me some time."

He slid his new card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized.

"You're making this all too easy." taunted Zander, drawing his card. "But that's fine with me!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Zander (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Elemental HERO Clayman, Anti-Hero's Heart(!)

* * *

The drawn card was a Spell card called Anti-Hero's Heart.

"And I'll play this Spell card..." The Rare Hunter held his card out. "Anti-Hero's Heart!"

"What's that?" James asked.

"Gives you a little benefit." explained Zander. "You gain 2000 life points."

James was surprised (LP: 3600).

"What's the catch?"

Zander grinned wickedly. "By also getting rid of my Vicious Claw, my monster...gets to attack twice this turn if it successfully destroys a monster in battle!"

"Attack twice?" gasped Henry.

"James will lose if that thing attacks him directly!" added Gordon.

"Evil HERO Inferno Wing!" commanded Zander. "Destroy that weakling Clayman now!"

Evil HERO Inferno Wing obeyed and started charging itself on fire before charging forth and crashing into Clayman.

* * *

 **Title: Good HEROES & Evil HEROES, Part 2**

* * *

"I'm not gonna lose now!" cried James, holding his hand out. "Go Hero Shield!"

The set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"This Trap card equips itself onto Clayman, and for one attack it prevents him from being destroyed in battle!" explained James.

Inferno Wing struck Clayman...but the latter survived the flame attack and pushed the enemy monster back to its original spot.

"So be it." grumbled Zander. "But you still lose life points!"

James grunted as some flames went to him (LP: 3500).

"Geez, what's with people nearly giving me heart attacks?" Gordon complained.

Henry ignored that comment. "Hang in there, James!" he encouraged.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : James Hughes (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Elemental HERO Neos, Elemental HERO Wildheart, and Wild Half

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, as well as the Elemental HERO Wildheart in his hand, gave James an idea that might help get him out of this mess.

"I summon Elemental HERO Wildheart in attack mode!" he declared.

Appearing was a muscular black-haired man with a large sword (Level: 4/ATK: 1500). James then held out another card from his hand.

"Now I'll throw in my Wild half Spell card for good measure!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized.

"This cuts your monster's attack and defense points in half." explained James. "Then I can also summon a Wild Half Token to your side of the field."

Inferno Wing's attack and defense stats both got halved (ATK: 2100 - 1050/DEF: 1200 - 600). Just as a second copy of the monster appeared beside the original.

"Smart play." grimaced Zander.

"Wildheart!" smirked James. "Attack Inferno Wing!"

Wildheart obeyed, charging at Inferno Wing with his blade. Sadly, that attack wasn't gonna cut it...

"I activate the Draining Shield Trap Card!" yelled Zander, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "This negates your attack and increases my life points by your monster's attack points."

"I don't think so." returned James. "Wildheart can't be targeted by your Trap cards."

Very quickly, Draining Shield was instantly destroyed.

"No way!" Zander exclaimed in disbelief.

"Way, man!"

Wildheart's attack continued until he sliced at Inferno Wing. Zander grunted as he took damage (LP: 3550).

"Do you smell that?" Gordon asked, sniffing the air in a teasing matter.

"That smell is a comeback." Henry answered.

The two boys high-fived proudly.

Zander sneered. "This isn't the end." he warned. "I won't lose to you twice in a row!"

The Rare Hunter fiercely drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Zander (LP: 3550)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Elemental HERO Clayman, and Dark Calling

* * *

"Behold the Spell card Dark Calling!" Zander held his drawn card out. "To use it, I need to banish a Dark Fusion from my graveyard!"

The mentioned Spell card slipped from his graveyard and vanished in some light.

"Now I can perform a fusion with monsters in my grave or my hand-" said Zander, as the Elemental HERO Burstinatrix card slipped out of his graveyard. "So now I'll fuse Burstinatrix from my grave with the Clayman in my hand to summon the Evil HERO Infernal Sniper!"

Clayman and Burstinatrix both appeared briefly before fusing in a twisted way.

"Now, come forth Evil HERO Infernal Sniper!"

A heavily armored woman with red shades and a weapon on her arm appeared, kneeling (Level: 7/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2500).

"I summon her in defense mode." Zander snickered.

"But why?" quizzed James.

"While in defense mode-" explained Zander. "-my sniper can deal 1000 points of damage to you on each of my standby phases."

"And its defense is high, too." Gordon said in realization. "Meaning it won't be easy to get rid of."

"That's right." agreed Zander. "Now let's see what you've got!"

James was thinking on how he was gonna get rid of that strong Evil HERO.

"I have to break through that thing." The red-haired boy thought to himself, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : James Hughes (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Elemental HERO Neos and Trap Hole

* * *

The drawn card was a Trap card called Trap Hole.

"This Trap card won't help me." James sighed, but noticed he had a monster in his hand that might. "But this card might for a start."

James held up his card, causing light to start raining out of it.

"Behold my deck's ace monster!" he cried. "I sacrifice Elemental HEROES Clayman and Wildheart!"

The two mentioned monsters turned into balls of light and descended up into the sky.

"Now, come forth-" James bellowed, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "-Elemental HERO Neos!"

Out of the beams of light came the large grey skinned Ultraman-like hero (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).

"Not that thing again!" One Rare Hunter complained, while the other two Rare Hunters nodded in disgust.

Zander looked a smidge surprised to see James's ace monster appear.

"How do you like seeing my deck's ace again?" asked James teasingly.

"I'm not impressed." replied Zander. "But I assure you I will not lose to it again. It helps that you monster's attack is equal to my monster's defense."

"That may be, but things can change just as quickly."

"That's true." The disgraced Rare Hunter agreed, drawing his next card. "May not be now, but that change will give me the advantage. Now say goodbye to 1000 life points!"

Infernal Sniper fired a blast at James, causing him to grunt (LP: 2500).

"That's gotta hurt." Zander joked.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Zander (LP: 3550)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Evil HERO Malicious Edge, and Solemn Judgement

* * *

Zander added his drawn card to his hand...and immediately entered the end phase.

"I'll just keep my monster in defense mode and call it a turn." The disgraced Rare Hunter simple stated.

"My turn!" said James, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : James Hughes (LP: 2500)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Trap Hole and Neos Force

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, the red-haired boy looked up at Zander with a smirk.

"What's the joke?" asked Zander dismissively.

"I just drew a card that will allow me to take down your sniper." replied James, slotting the drawn card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Go Neos Force!"

The mentioned Equip Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now this is something I've never seen before." gulped Zander.

"This nifty Equip Spell card gives my Neos an extra 800 attack points." explained James. "And when he destroys a monster in battle, you lose life points equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!"

Neos grew more powerful than ever (ATK: 2500 - 3300). Zander cursed out loud in anger.

"Now crush that Evil HERO now, Neos!" called James.

Neos obeyed, charging at Infernal Sniper.

"Cosmic Crush!"

Neos struck Infernal Sniper's shield, destroying her.

"And now for Neos Force's effect!" continued James.

What was left of the attack was transferred over to Zander (LP: 1550).

"He almost got the boss!" cried a Rare Hunter.

"Now Neos Force returns to my deck." James stated, shuffling the Equip Spell card back into his deck.

Elemental HERO Neos went back to his original attack strength (ATK 3300 - 2500).

"One more attack-" smiled James. "-and you're finished!"

Suddenly, there was laughter.

"Huh?"

The laughter was coming from Zander. But why? Why was he laughing?

"You're as good as ever, James Hughes." remarked Zander, still laughing. "But do you honestly think you can defeat me twice?"

"Your life points are at 1550, and I have Elemental HERO Neos out." replied James bluntly. "I'd say that would seal the duel."

Zander only laughed even harder in response.

"Seal the duel?" The disgraced Rare Hunter laughed. "You haven't even begun to feel the power of my Evil HEROES!"

Gordon looked over to Henry and pointed his index finger to his temple and spun it around.

"Cuckoo!" came from Gordon.

"Crazy." Henry added.

"My turn!" declared Zander, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Zander (LP: 1550)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Solemn Judgement, and Pot of Malicious Greed(!)

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, the disgraced Rare Hunter looked back up.

"I activate Pot of Malicious Greed to draw two cards." he said drawing. Holding up one of his new cards, he grinned. "Now I must send four cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard."

Zander drew four more cards and discarded them to the graveyard.

"And now it's time for me to play another fusion."

"Again?" James moaned.

"I activate another Dark Fusion!" Zander slotted the card into his Duel Disk.

The mentioned card materialized face-up, followed by Zander holding two cards up for everyone to see.

"I'll now fuse my Evil HERO Malicious Edge with Elemental HERO Clayman-" announced Zander. "-to call out my most powerful monster!"

A bluish fiend (almost resembling Elemental HERO Bladedge) and Clayman appeared before fusing together in a twisted way, resulting in an explosion.

"I call forth Evil HERO Dark Gaia!" declared Zander.

The fusion was coming to an end. Still tied to the pole, Molly looked very scared indeed.

"James..." The poor black-haired girl whispered.

Standing before them was a large winged fiend that looked as though he had rock armor on his body. (Level: 8/ATK: ?/DEF: 0).

"Behold the instrument of your destruction!" Zander cackled. "My new monster gains the combined attack of each monster used in the fusion."

James feared the answer. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"3400!" answered Zander.

James was in big trouble. "No way!"

Gordon and Henry both didn't like this either.

"Dark Gaia." commanded Zander. "Destroy his Neos with Dark Catastrophe!"

Dark Gaia obeyed and started charging a huge black orb above his head. James watched on knowing that there wasn't anything he could do to save his monster.

"I'm sorry, Neos." The red-haired boy thought to himself with regret. "Looks like I can't save you right now."

Dark Gaia fired his orb at Neos, destroying it and causing James to get sent flying back and yell in agony (LP: 1600).

"JAMES!" cried Gordon, Henry, and Molly.

The red-haired boy slammed onto the ground. That attack from Dark Gaia obviously hurt quite a bit.

"So much for your ace monster." smirked Zander.

James merely grimaced as that Rare Hunter continued to speak.

"Well now looks like we're so close. There is only a 50 life point difference between us. But I now wield an all-powerful monster. You have no chance of stopping me! Now draw your card, Hughes!"

Weakly getting up, James did so.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : James Hughes (LP: 1600)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Trap Hole and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I'll use Pot of Greed and draw two more cards from my deck." he said.

"Go ahead." Zander nodded.

Slowly, James reached for his deck and drew two cards. Unfortunately, they weren't what he needed at the moment.

"I could always do worse." The red-haired boy thought, taking one of them and placing it sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Winged Kuriboh in defense mode!"

The winged version of Kuiboh appeared (Level: 1/DEF: 200).

But Zander was ready. "If I attack, I'll just activate my Dark Gaia's special ability!"

"What?!"

"When Dark Gaia attacks, I can switch its target's position."

James was shocked to hear that. Looking at his hand, he decided to play his newly obtained rare card.

"I play the Spell card Subspace Battle!" The red-haired boy slotted the mentioned card into his Duel Disk. "We are required to pick any three monsters from our decks and summon them to the field."

The two duelists searched their decks.

"I know just what to use." Zander thought, taking three monster cards from his deck and holding them up. "Okay, James, here are my monsters."

A second copy of Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Summoned Skull, and a dragon-like monster called Twin-Headed Fire Dragon appeared. James carefully looked through his deck, knowing he had to make this move carefully. Finally, the red-haired boy chose his three monster cards.

"Here are my three monsters!" He held his three monster cards out.

Zander was ready for whatever James had to throw.

"Come out, my three monsters!"

On cue, Elemental HERO Sparkman, Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab, and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole each appeared. The sets of monsters face each other fiercely.

"Now the second effect of my Spell card activates." said James. "The weaker monsters are sent to the graveyard and the controller of those cards takes 500 points of damage per card."

Gordon was shocked. "But James has weaker monsters! He'll be sent down to 100 life points for it!"

Zander, meanwhile, was laughing.

"Committing suicide, eh?" he chuckled viciously. "So be it. Attack now, my three monsters!"

Zander's monsters immediately attacked and destroyed James's monsters, making the red-haired boy grimace (LP: 100).

"Now my Spell card's third effect activates. You have to add your three victorious monsters to your hand."

Zander did so.

James sighed. "My turn is over now."

The disgraced Rare Hunter was gleefully laughing.

"A waste of a final move to me!" he proclaimed, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Zander (LP: 1550)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Evil HERO Malicious Edge, Solemn Judgement, Summoned Skull, Twin-Headed Fire Dragon, and Graceful Charity

* * *

On cue, the Graceful Charity Spell card materialized face-up.

"I'll begin by using Graceful Charity!" Zander held his card out.

Raindrops began falling gently onto the disgraced Rare Hunter's deck. From there, he drew three cards.

"Now I draw three cards and discard two."

Upon doing so, Zander had added Super Polymerization and Yubel to his hand. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

"I activate Super Polymerization!" Zander went and slotted the mentioned card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The card materialized face-up.

"What does that do?" asked James nervously. "I've never seen a card like that before."

Zander kept his sinister smile. "Think Polymerization...only more powerful. I can fuse any monsters on the field and my hand to create a whole new monster! And best of all...THIS CANNOT BE NEGATED AT ALL!"

James, Gordon, Henry, and Molly were all more scared than normal. How much stronger was Zander going to get? They were due to find out as Zander held out one of his cards from his hand.

"Now I'll fuse Yubel with my Evil HERO Dark Gaia!" he declared.

The sky turned all stormy as dark lightning started striking the duel field. Appearing next to Dark Gaia was a creature that looked like a woman with green and orange eyes, hair that was half blue and half white, bat wings, purple skin, and a third eye in the middle of her forehead. The two fused together.

"What's he gonna create?" James thought.

Winged Kuriboh looked pretty scared too.

"The fusion as ended!" declared Zander. "Now, show yourself! Yubel the Evil One(!)!"

An explosion of dark energy covered the field as Gordon, James, and Henry steadied themselves.

"Here it comes!" called Gordon.

Molly was shivering in fright. "James..." she whispered.

Appearing from the dark sky was Yubel seemingly unchanged...but she still seemed much more...evil in a sense. But that was not the truly scary part. Her stats were very much off the charts (Level: 12/ATK: 5000/DEF: 5000).

"Whoa..." said James quietly. "5000 of both stats."

"I've been waiting for this moment ever since you've handed me a defeat!" Zander shouted dramatically. "I've been unable to face my master without feeling nothing but shame...now that loss is finally about to be avenged! But first, all other monsters on my field get destroyed."

James merely stared on in defiance as the Wild Half token was destroyed.

"Yubel the Evil One, attack Winged Kuriboh and end this duel!"

Yubel obeyed, charing a dark orb and firing towards Winged Kuriboh.

"And Yubel gains the same ability as the fiend monster Yubel fused with!" added Zander. "Meaning your furball goes into attack mode!"

Winged Kuriboh found itself being forcefully switched into attack mode. James merely closed his eyes and awaited his fate as the huge orb of darkness got closer and closer. There was a massive explosion in the center of the duel field. Gordon and Henry both watched in horror at their friend's seeming demise.

"JAMES!" They both shouted out at once.

"NO!" screamed Molly.

Zander only laughed in triumph. "I did it!" he cried proudly. "I got my revenge on that punk for beating me!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch." came a familiar voice.

The dust cleared to show James still standing (LP: 100).

"James!" exclaimed Gordon.

"He's okay!" Henry added.

Molly felt very relieved that James was safe. Zander, meanwhile, was stunned to see that James was still standing.

"B-But how?" The disgraced Rare Hunter stuttered.

"When Winged Kuriboh is destroyed in battle-" said James. "-ALL Battle Damage I take this turn becomes 0. Meaning your attack was wasted!"

Zander was cross. "How dare you stop my victory with that fur ball!" he growled. "On my next turn, my Yubel will destroy you!"

James kept a confident look on his face...but deep down, he knew he wouldn't last the next turn. He had to end the duel here and now.

"This is it. My last chance." James thought. "If I lose, then Gordon, Henry, and I are as good as dead." He then spoke aloud. "It isn't over until the last card is played!"

"Then draw your card!" Zander replied hotly.

James reached for his deck and drew his card, making a slash of colour.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : James Hughes (LP: 100)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Trap Hole and Card of Sanctity

* * *

"I activate Card of Sanctity!" James held his card out. "Now we both must draw until we hold six cards in our hands!"

Zander only drew one card, while James drew five cards.

"All right!" James thought, looking at his drawn cards. "Time for me to win this duel!" He selected his drawn Miracle Fusion Spell card and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "I activate Miracle Fusion!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up and ready to activate.

"Miracle Fusion?" Zander frowned.

"That's right." confirmed James. "This Spell let's me do a fusion summon with Elemental HEROES in my graveyard or my field."

Both Element HEROES Sparkman and Flame Wingman both appear before fusing together.

"And the monsters I've chosen are Elemental HERO Sparkman and Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

The fusion ended and Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman stood tall and proud (Level: 8/ATK: 2500).

"Shining Flare Wingman?" gasped Zander. "That monster gets stronger for every Elemental HERO in your graveyard, right?"

"That's right." nodded James, three cards then slid out of his graveyard. "My monster gains 300 attack points for every Elemental HERO in my graveyard." He took hold of them and showed them to Zander. "And I count three."

Shining Flare Wingman grew stronger (ATK: 2500 - 3400). Zander sighed in relief.

"Your monster is still weaker than my own." The disgraced Rare Hunter commented. "I'm safe."

"I'm not finished yet!" James held out another card. "I'll add in Miracle Contact next!"

Three more cards slid out of his graveyard. They were Grand Mole, Flare Scarab, and Elemental HEO Neos. James then took hold and shuffled the three cards into his deck.

"You remember seeing this card in our last duel, right?" The red-haired boy asked.

"Yes." growled Zander. "I know what it does."

"Then I'll use it to merge Neos with Flare Scarab and Grand Mole! Come forth, Elemental HERO Magma Neos!"

Another fusion commenced. When it ended, there stood Elemental HERO Magma Neos (Level: 9/ATK: 3000).

"My new monster gains 400 attack points for every card on the field, regardless of who owns it." James explained.

Since there were three cards of the field, that was an extra 1200 attack points added in to its strength (ATK: 3000 - 4200).

"And-" James went on. "-before you say my monsters are weaker than your Yubel, take a good look at this card!" He held out Neo Space. "The Field Spell Neo Space!"

The sky turned from dark and cloudy to all...very colorful.

"Since I played an extra card, my Magma Neos gains 400 extra attack points!"

Magma Neos grows stronger (ATK: 4200 - 4600).

James smirked. "And that's not all Neo Space does!"

"What else does it...do?" Zander demanded, sounding nervous.

"It grants my Neos monster an additional 500 attack points and prevents him from leaving the field at the end of the turn."

Magma Neos reached its full strength (ATK: 4600 - 5100).

"N-No!" stammered Zander. "This can't be happening!"

"Magma Neos!" commanded James. "Wipe out Yubel the Evil One now!"

Magma Neos obeyed, charging up a large meteor and hurling it at Yubel.

"Your monster is history, Zander!"

"Alright, James!" cheered Gordon and Henry at their friend's comeback.

Magma Neos sent down its Meteor Meltdown attack from the sky. Yubel was hit by the meteor and a massive explosion filled the area.

"James!" cried out Molly.

When the smoke cleared, Magma Neos stood triumphantly while Yubel the Evil One was destroyed.

"M-My monster..." mumbled Zander in a low whisper (LP: 1450).

"It's gone." said James proudly. "And that leaves you wide open for a direct attack! Go get him, Shining Flare Wingman!"

"N-No!" cried out Zander in rage. "I will not lose to you a second time!"

"Too late, pal!"

Shining Flare Wingman charged up a blast and fired at Zander.

"No... NO!" The Rare Hunter winced, as the attack got closer and closer.

The blast struck Zander and sent him flying back as he roared in pain from the attack (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Hughes wins!**

* * *

"I've won!" cried James, jumping up into the air happily.

"Nice win, James!" came from both Gordon and Henry.

The three Rare Hunters each stared in disbelief over what had just occurred.

"He just beat Zander again!" wailed one Rare Hunter.

"Let's beat it before he decides to mop the floor with us!" added another Rare Hunter.

The three Rare Hunters quickly bolted out of there before it was too late. Zander, who was back on his feet, quickly fled the school grounds too...though not before turning around and threatening the three Tidmouth Teens.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" shouted Zander. "I will have my revenge!"

James only stared on in defiance before Zander ran out of the area, dropping two cards and a Locator card in the process. With the four Rare Hunters gone, James, Henry, and Gordon made their way over to the tied up Molly.

"You're safe now." said Henry, untying the roles.

"Oh, thank you." Molly sighed in relief.

As soon as the black-haired girl was freed, James quickly wrapped his arms around her.

"Oh, Molly, I'm so happy you're safe!"

"James?" Molly was surprised by this gesture.

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you," said James, tears streaming down his eyes. "I was just so angry because I thought you hated me."

"James..." Molly whispered, tears streaming down her eyes, too.

"Please forgive me for what I said to you." James pleaded. "I'm so, so sorry!"

Molly gently wrapped her own arms around James.

"I would like to forgive you, James." The black-haired girl said seriously. "But how would you manage to keep your arrogance and pride from taking you over again?"

James immediately new the answer to that. "How about this then?"

The two teens then shared a kiss under the very colourful sky (From Neo Space). Both Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman and Elemental HERO Magma Neos were still around watching all that was happening.

"Guess he finally got the girl." Gordon could be heard saying down below.

"Hush!" hissed the voice of Henry.

Meanwhile, continuing to watch all that was happening, the Elemental HEROES Shining Flare Wingman and Magma Neos both descended into the sky and out of sight.

Happy ending, right? Not entirely. Let's move on, shall we?

(elsewhere...)

Marik was furious. "You blew it again!" he shouted.

"Please, Master Marik." begged Zander. "I tried my hardest!"

Inside one of the hideouts near Brendam Docks, Marik was furiously standing before a terrified Zander (despite Zander being a 28-year old man).

"Hardest wasn't good enough!" Marik bellowed, and held his Millennium Rod up. "You've failed me for the last time, Zander. So now, you will suffer the consequences for this!"

"No please!" begged Zander. "Give me another chance!"

"SILENCE!"

The Millennium Rod's eye started glowing gold. Zander gave a scream of panic before, in a blinding white light, the young man fell onto the ground, facedown, in a coma. The three other Rare Hunters watched what had happened and gasped in horror as Marik gave a contented sigh.

"It's really hard to find decent help these days." The Rare Hunter leader said irritably. With that said, Marik looked back over to his minions. "Report?"

The three Rare Hunters recovered from their shock.

"The boy, Percy Avonside, had won his final Locator card." said the first Rare Hunter. "Is it time to go and get him?"

"Yes." confirmed Marik. "And I have a new friend who is going to help us."

"Friend?"

Marik only chuckled evilly and looked to the nearby doorway. "You may show yourself now."

The door opened and a shadowed figure walked into the warehouse.

"Oh, but of course." The figure said quaintly, as he started to laugh maniacally.

The Rare Hunters gasped. The ' _friend_ ' was but a mere teenage boy! ...no. It was not a mere ' _teenage boy_ '. It was actually...

Montague.


	26. The Legendary Fisherman (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at the aquarium, a man in his mid-forties, white beard, and scruffy teeth was busy with work. His name was Salty, and he was bringing in lunch for most of the sea creatures in their respective water tanks.

"Lunch is on, everyone." he called happily. "Come and get it. You'll need your strength for this afternoon's show!"

The sea creatures dove out to eat the lunch Salty threw to them. To Salty, they were more than creatures of the sea...they were his family.

"Arr! This job has been my life." The man said to himself quietly. "And nothing could ever change that."

"Salty!" called a female voice. It was Salty's boss, and she was smiling pleasantly. "All done feeding our fine, finned friends?"

"Aye! Sure am." nodded Salty. "They sure have worked up quite a healthy appetite."

"I'm glad to hear that." The female worker smiled some more. "With the big show happening this afternoon, they will need to keep their strength up."

Just then, the lady sighed and brushed her left hand over her forehead. Salty noticed this and became concerned.

"You...okay?" he asked.

"O-Oh, yeah." replied Salty's boss. "Just a small headache."

"A headache?" asked Salty, walking over and feeling her forehead. "You've got yerself a fever."

"I'll be okay." The woman insisted, before motioning a finger. "Now, come on. Let's grab some lunch of our own."

Just before the two adults could leave, Salty's boss suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh no!" cried Salty, scooping his boss into his arms and feeling her forehead again. It was almost on fire. "You're burning up!"

The sea-dog helped her onto a bench to rest.

"I say you should take the rest of the day off to get better." he suggested wisely.

"N-No... the show." Salty's boss moaned.

"I'll host it." Salty stated, before giving a serious glare. "But before that, I'll ask one of the assistance staff here to take you home."

"Very well."

* * *

 **Title: The Legendary Fisherman, Part 1**

* * *

Outside the library, Percy, Edward, Emily, Toby, Mavis, and Duck were chatting with one of the librarians.

"What did you say?" Percy asked, smiling widely.

"There's a big show this afternoon at the aquarium." said the librarian.

"A show I don't wanna miss." Percy replied excitedly.

"But what about the tournament?" Mavis asked. "You only need two more Locator cards to enter the finals."

"Perhaps there will be a tournament participant at the show." suggested Emily. "You could meet up afterwards to duel."

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Percy grinned big. "Now, come on! Let's grab tickets!"

The green-haired boy took off right before anyone else could said anything back.

"He sure is excited, isn't he?" asked Duck.

"I guess so." Edward shrugged. "We might as well go with him."

He, Emily, Toby, and Mavis started to leave. Duck was about to follow...when his Millennium Ring started glowing all gold. Emily stopped walking and turned to see Duck walking in another direction.

"Are you coming, Duck?" she called.

"Uh, not really." answered the western green-haired boy. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

Emily nodded understandingly and ran off. Unfortunately, there was a reason Duck didn't follow - it was because Montague had taken over Duck once more.

"The Millennium Ring is reacting to something nearby." The evil spirit said quietly to himself.

He continued his walk around a corner until he was alone in an alley. Montague calmly walked through the alley until...

"What business do you have here?" A new voice spoke up.

Montague kept a calm look on his face as he spoke up in response...

"I know you have something I want." The green-haired spirit stated. "So hand it over, and I will not harm you."

The voice merely laughed at this threat.

"You? Harm me? Oh, I think not."

The figure showed himself... It was Marik Ishtar, and he was holding onto his Millennium Rod. Both Millennium Items glowed as Montague recognized the energy from Marik's item.

"So you're the one who took control of Diesel 10's mind during his duel against Thomas Billinton." he said calmly.

Marik smirked. "So what if I am?"

"You know I could have you dead in a very messy way right about now." Montague said dangerously.

"I'd like to see you try and harm me." teased Marik, holding his item firmly. But then something Montague said earlier rang in his ears. "Wait a moment! You know Thomas Billinton?"

Montague nodded. "He is the friend of my host. The blue-haired boy I'm after."

Marik quickly went into his thoughts over this... "This guy is after Billinton like I am." he thought. "Perhaps I can persuade him to join me in my goal to kill him."

"Why are you here?" Montague demanded, now looking a bit angry. "And I would suggest that you tell me the truth."

"My name is Marik." said Marik, introducing himself. "And I happen to have an agenda that involves Thomas Billinton."

Montague frowned. Seeing the look on the spirit's face, Marik continued...

"And as you seem to know him, perhaps we could work together."

Montague kept his eyes narrowed.

(elsewhere...)

An hour-and-a-half later at the aquarium, the crowd was watching the big show.

"Man, this is so great!" Percy squealed excitedly.

"You said it." agreed Toby.

Down in the HUGE pool, two large whales suddenly flew up out of the water, much to the crowd's amazement.

"Would you look at that!" came from Caitlin.

"It's incredible!" agreed Connor.

Both whales slammed back into the pool, splashing TONS of water onto the crowd...but mostly the front row, much to Emily's discomfort.

"I'm all wet now!" she complained. "And my hair is ruined!"

Regardless, the crowd applauded. Just then, Salty walked to the center of the stage, took hold of a microphone, and spoke to the crowd.

"Are you all enjoying the show?"

The crowd cheered in agreement.

"Well now, I have a treat for all of you." Salty went on. "But to do so, I need a volunteer from the audience."

Many people raised their hands in excitement, hoping Salty would chose one of them.

"Hmm..." Salty thought carefully.

He was looking around until his eyes laid upon Percy. Upon seeing the green-haired boy (and his Duel Disk) Salty knew exactly whom to pick.

"How about you, lad?" he called to Percy.

The green-haired boy thought he was in heaven. This was a dream come true to him.

"Yes!" he cried, jumping out of his seat in excitement.

Percy was so excited that he nearly slipped and fell into the water. This earned a new scattered laughs from the crowd. Eventually, Percy made it over to Salty on the platform.

"Nice to see you, Percy." Salty said pleasantly.

"Thanks, Salty." replied Percy. "So what's your treat for everyone?"

Upon being asked that question, Salty smirked and...suddenly took out and threw onto his left arm a Duel Disk.

"I challenge you to a duel, Percy!"

Percy was rather surprised and excited at the same time.

"Are you in the Battle City tournament too?" he asked.

To answer that question, Salty took out four Locator cards from his vest pocket.

"Does this answer your question?"

Percy was most surprised. "But, how?"

"There's more to me than my love of the sea, Percy." said Salty. "How many Locator cards do you yourself have?"

The green-haired boy recovered, showing his own Locator cards. "I have four locator cards, too." he answered.

"Well then, whoever wins this duel will also get to go to the finals." grinned Salty. "Up for the challenge?"

"You bet I am!" Percy grinned back, accepting the challenge.

Meanwhile, the audience grew very excited at what was about to occur.

"Looks like Percy's going to get to go to the finals after all." said Emily.

"That is IF he wins against Salty." Edward pointed out.

"But when did Salty start taking up Duel Monsters?" Toby asked.

"Who cares about that?" replied an audience member. "This is gonna be awesome!"

The two duelists went the to the center of the aquarium tank, activated their Duel Disks, and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Duel!" They both said at once.

"I wonder what Salty's playing style is like?" Mavis asked aloud.

"I suppose we're going to find out." shrugged Toby.

Back at the aquatic tank, the duel had commenced.

"I'll go ahead and take the first turn." Percy declared.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Battle Warrior, Polymerization, Baby Dragon, and Flame Swordsman

* * *

To his dismay, Percy didn't exactly have many good cards in his hand... alas, he'll have to make do with what he had.

"I summon Battle Warrior in defense mode." The green-haired boy sighed, placing the card sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The warrior fighter materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 3/ATK: 700/DEF: 1000).

"And that's all I can do right now."

"It's my turn!" said Salty, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Salty (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Flying Fish, Amphibian Beast, Jellyfish, Torrential Tribute, Harpoon Horn(!), and Silent Doom

* * *

"I'll begin by summoning the fearsome Flying Fish in attack mode!" He placed his monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

A fish with wing-like gills jumped from the water (Level: 4/ATK: 800/DEF: 500).

"And I know what you're thinking: 'That monster is so weak!'" Salty went on, before taking and holding out another card from his hand. "But my Harpoon Horn Equip Spell card says otherwise."

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"What does that do? asked Percy, sweating a little bit.

His answer came in form of a large horn appearing on the somewhat harmless looking fish monster, granting it a small power boost (ATK: 800 - 1300).

"This spell gives any fish-type monster equipped with it a 500 attack point boost." explained Salty.

Percy looked unhappy.

"Flying Fish, harpoon his Battle Warrior!"

Flying Fish obeyed and leaped forth, impaling Battle Warrior and destroying him. Percy only wailed unhappily. This earned some...questionable reactions from the audience.

"That guy is weird." said someone in the audience, sweatdropping.

Edward, Toby, and Mavis each sweatdropped, while Emily had some rather strong words for how Percy was acting right now.

"Percy, you're embarrassing yourself. AND us!" she called out in dismay.

"Oops... Sorry!" said Percy sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"To finish my turn, I'll place one card facedown." Salty said, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized beside Harpoon Horn.

"Care to try again, Percy?"

"Gladly." nodded Percy, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Polymerization, Baby Dragon, Flame Swordsman, and Rocket Warrior

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, Percy smirked big.

"And lookie here; I've drawn something that can take your fish down."

Salty kept calm, watching as the green-haired boy place his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Meet Rocket Warrior!" Percy announced.

The warrior in rocket looking armor appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"I'm afraid you've triggered my facedown card." Salty suddenly said, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

Percy was shocked. "I've what?"

The facedown card on Salty's field flipped up and revealed itself.

"Torrential Tribute?!"

"Correct." Salty nodded.

"What does that even do?" asked Percy.

"Since you've summoned a monster-" explained the old sea-dog. "-this Trap destroys all monsters on the field!"

"But that will include your own!" Percy protested.

"Yes it would...if I didn't use Harpoon Horn's second effect." Salty wagged the index finger of his right hand. "Whenever the monster equipped with this card is in danger of being destroyed by anything, I can instead tribute my Equip Spell card to prevent my own monster's destruction."

A huge tidal wave came out of Salty's Trap and Rocket Warrior was drowned. Percy also flailed his arms as the water reached him, too.

"I'm drowning!" he cried. "Man the life boats! Call the Coast Guard!"

Salty sweatdropped. "Someone's being overly dramatic."

(elsewhere...)

Back at the alley, Marik and Montague were both still talking.

"So, we both have something in common." said Marik. "We both wield Millennium Items and have agendas involving Thomas Billinton."

"I suppose you have a point." Montague agreed, still not entirely convinced.

And Marik obviously knew of this.

"If we would work together-" suggested the Rare Hunter leader. "-then perhaps we could both take him down."

Montague listened on and fell into his thoughts on this offer.

"This guy has plans for Thomas as well." he thought. "If they're what I think they are, then I believe something can be arranged."

"Well?" Marik interrupted the spirit's thoughts. The Rare Hunter leader smirked. "Do we have an alliance?"

Montague kept his eyes narrowed. "On one condition."

"Name it." Marik stated, with his arms folded.

"Thomas Billinton must not be allowed to die. For my agenda involves him staying alive."

Marik started frowning. This was not part of his plan to avenge his family...but regardless, the Rare Hunter leader was determined to kill Thomas anyway, so he started to formulate a secret plan.

"Very well." Marik agreed. "In addition, when we accomplish everything in the plan, I'll also give you my Millennium Rod."

"Excellent." said Montague at last, finally showing a slight smile.

"By the way-" Marik went on. "-I don't believe I caught your name."

"My name is Montague." explained the green-haired spirit. "It is the same as my host's name, yet he chooses to go by the nickname 'Duck'."

Marik looked puzzled. "Montague...why does that name sound so familiar...?"

Deciding to forget about it, the Rare Hunter leader held his right hand out.

"Well then, I think this alliance will work out quite well."

"Indeed." agreed Montague, shaking Marik's hand.

This alliance...could mean some very bad news for our heroes.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the aquarium, Percy had lost his Rocket Warrior. Salty still had Flying Fish on his field.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Salty (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Amphibian Beast, Jellyfish, Silent Doom, and Umi

* * *

"Flying Fish!" commanded Salty. "Attack Percy's life points directly!"

Flying Fish obeyed and tackled Percy right in the face. Much of the crowd winced from seeing that.

"That's gotta hurt." commented Emily.

"Right in the kisser." added Toby.

Percy grimaced as he took damage (LP: 3200).

"So, what do you think of me?" Salty asked.

"You're good." Percy admitted. "But how did you become such a good duelist in such a short amount of time? The game has only been out on Sodor for a few months."

"Sometimes one just adapts easily to changes." stated Salty, looking upward a bit. "I've been living in the US for quite some time before coming to Sodor. That's how I came across and took up Duel Monsters."

"You learned to play while living in the US?" Percy asked. "I didn't even know you lived else where before coming here to Sodor."

"You learn new things every day." Salty then selected a card from his hand. "But I'll let my new card tell it to you. I sacrifice Flying Fish to summon the man-eating Amphibian Beast!"

Flying Fish disappeared and in its place was a huge aquatic creature with green skin (Level: 6/ATK: 2400).

Edward, Emily, Toby, and Mavis were watching with worry when a new voice spoke to them.

"My, oh my, Percy seems to be in quite the situation, isn't he?"

The four teenagers turned to the left...and saw Sir Topham Hatt walking over to join them.

"Sir Topham Hatt!" gasped Emily.

"Hello, sir." greeted Edward.

"What brings you here?" asked Toby.

"Well, I've come to watch the marine show." Sir Topham Hatt answered. "But I never expected to actually see something like this."

"We were surprised at first, too." said Mavis.

Back at the duel, Percy noticed he was in a bit of a pickle.

"Oh boy..." he thought, looking at the Amphibian Beast nervously. "How do I get myself out of this?"

The green-haired boy looked to his deck.

"But I have to keep fighting. I promised Thomas that I would become a strong duelist."

Percy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Polymerization, Baby Dragon, Flame Swordsman, and Roll of Fate

* * *

"Hey! This could help me." he thought, upon spotting his drawn card.

"So, what will it be today, Percy?" Salty asked.

"I'm activating the Spell card Roll of Fate, that's what!" said Percy, slotting the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Roll of Fate?" Salty was surprised to say the least.

"This lets me roll a dice." explained Percy. "Then I have to draw the rolled amount and banish the same amount from the top of my deck."

On cue, a dice was thrown into the air.

"Taking a bit of a risk?" asked Salty.

"Sometimes in life, you have to take risks." Percy stated with a shrug. "Go Dice Roll!"

The die landed, rolled around...and landed one a four.

"Alright!" cheered Percy. "Now I get to draw four cards."

He drew his four cards, and then banished the top four cards from his deck. Looking at the cards that were drawn, Percy grinned big.

"Okay, first-" He placed a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "-I'll call forth Alligator's Sword in attack mode!"

The sword wielding alligator-like warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Next I place two cards facedown." continued Percy, slotting two cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

Two facedown cards materialized.

"Now show me what you've got, Salty!"

"Don't mind if I do." nodded Salty, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Salty (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Jellyfish, Silent Doom, Umi, and Fortress Whale's Oath

* * *

"I think I'll do a little powering up before I attack." The man stated, holding up a card in between the fingers of his right hand.

"How so?" Percy quizzed.

"With the Field Spell Umi!"

As Salty said that, the Field Spell portion of his Duel Disk slid open. Once opened, the man placed the mentioned Spell card into it and closed the Field Spell slot up.

"Now watch what will happen." Salty smirked.

All of a sudden, the stage started flooding with water.

"My goodness!" cried Sir Topham Hatt.

"This increases my fish, aqua, thunder, and sea serpent-type monsters attack and defense points by 200 while also weakening machine and pyro-type monsters by 200 points." explained Salty.

Amphibian Beast grew stronger (ATK: 2400 - 2600).

"Eek!" squeaked Percy.

"Now destroy Alligator's Sword, now!"

The green-haired boy recovered from his shock to grin big on being attacked.

"That's too bad." Percy remarked. "You'll have to find my Alligator's Sword first!" He then poked a button on his Duel Disk. "Go Fairy Box!"

His first facedown card (a Quick-Play Spell) flipped up and revealed itself. Suddenly, Alligator Sword disappeared into a flurry of pink smoke...and in its place, when the smoke cleared, was a large box you'd see at a carnival.

"Shiver me timbers!" exclaimed Salty in stunned surprise.

"Now you have a 50/50 chance of hitting my monster." Percy grinned cheekily.

What Percy didn't know, however, was that the box was underwater...and Alligator's Sword needed to come up for air soon. On cue, Alligator's Sword popped out of the water gasping and coughing for air.

"Got him!" said Salty. "Amphibian Beast, attack!"

In the audience, Emily, Mavis, Toby, and Sir Topham Hatt were each confused as to why Alligator's Sword popped out of Fairy Box so soon.

"I thought Amphibian Beast only had a 50/50 chance of hitting Alligator's Sword?" Emily quizzed.

"It must have been from Umi." Edward replied. "Alligator's Sword is part humanoid, so he doesn't have gills to allow himself to breath underwater."

Over in the flooded stage...

"Nice try, Percy." teased Salty. "Now prepare to lose your Alligator's Sword!"

"It's a good thing I have my other facedown then!" retorted Percy, poking another button on his Duel Disk. "Skull Dice!"

The green-haired boy's other facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, summoning a little demon-like man with a red dice.

"More dice cards?" Salty looked surprised.

"That's right." smirked Percy. "This weakens your monster by the result of the dice. Dice roll...go!"

The demon man threw the die...and it landed, rolled, and landed on a four.

"Nice!" Percy yelled, feeling very happy. "A four is always good!"

Amphibian Beast's attack was divided by four (ATK: 2600 - 650).

"Now Alligator's Sword can counter attack!"

Alligator's Sword avoided Amphibian Beast's swiping claw by leaping up into the air. Everyone in the audience watched in amazement as Alligator's Sword then went and sliced the fish monster in two with his sword, destroying Amphibian Beast.

"Who likes fish-sticks?" Percy cracked.

Salty grunted as he took damage (LP: 3150).

"Well, I'll be the Flying Scotsman." said Sir Topham Hatt in amazement. "Percy is doing pretty well."

"He sure is." agreed Edward. "You should have seen his duels against Samson and Diesel."

Back at the duel stage, Salty was grinning broadly at how Percy was able to make a comeback against him.

"Well, I have to say, Percy, I've underestimated you." The man admitted. "The way you've held off my monsters. I have to say, I'm impressed."

"Thanks." smiled Percy. "You're not so bad yourself."

Salty, however, gave a confident smirk as he went into his personal thoughts.

"He's doing well so far." he thought. "But he has still yet to witness the true powers of the sea."

A shadowy image of a humanoid monster riding a killer whale was shown behind Salty.

"And better yet, I have a secret weapon which will sink any chance of him going to the Battle City Finals!"

Oh dear. Whatever could that monster be? Well, we'll have to find out next time.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	27. The Legendary Fisherman (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

At the aquarium, the big show was still going on. Well, it was more of a duel actually. It was Percy vs. Salty, and the winner would win two Locator cards and be able to go to the Battle City Finals.  
-Percy (LP: 3200) had Alligator's Sword, and had also used up two facedown cards to ward off Salty's attack..  
-Salty (LP: 3150) only had his Field Spell card out in play, while Amphibian Beast had been destroyed just now by Alligator's Sword.

"Well now, this is turning out to be quite the show." Sir Topham Hatt commented.

"I'll say." agreed Edward. "Salty's a very good duelist."

"But Percy's making a comeback." Emily pointed out.

Back at the aquarium tank, Salty and Percy continued to stare each other down while the latter was thinking on the situation thus far.

"I have to hand it to Salty-" Percy thought. "-he's better than I first thought him to be. But even then, I'm still gonna win."

"Well, Percy." said Salty. "So you've shown you're as good a duelist as me. But only one of us can win."

"That's right." Percy nodded. "And that someone will be me."

"So you say." Salty pointed out. "Anyway, it's your turn now."

The green-haired boy nodded nodded and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Polymerization, Baby Dragon, Flame Swordsman, Energy Drain, Kunai with Chain, and Scapegoat

* * *

Thinking his move carefully, Percy selected a card from his hand and held it out.

"I think I'll go ahead and summon Baby Dragon in attack mode!"

The young orange dragon appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 1200/DEF: 700).

"Maybe I should throw your monster a life jacket." Salty joked. "You know babies aren't suppose to play near deep waters."

"Keep laughing." Percy retorted, slotting a card into his Duel Disk, causing the Spell, Polymerization, to materialize face-up. "I now activate Polymerization!"

Both Alligator's Sword and Baby Dragon began fusing together.

"I fuse my two monsters together to summon Alligator's Sword Dragon!"

When the fusion ended, Alligator's Sword was riding Baby Dragon...who looked a bit older than from before (Level: 5/ATK: 1700).

"Impressive." Salty smiled. "Now I take it you're gonna attack me directly?"

"Not yet." Percy responded. "I'll give you a chance to get back into the game."

"Thank ye kindly." said Salty, drawing.

"Do you think that was wise of him?" Emily asked. "That could give Salty a chance to strike back."

"Guess Percy's a risk taker." shrugged Mavis.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Salty (LP: 3150)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Jellyfish, Silent Doom, Fortress Whale's Oath, and Flying Fish

* * *

"For my turn, I'll just summon my Jellyfish in defense mode!" Salty said, as he took and held his card out. "This giant creature of the sea will protect my life points from you!"

A large bluish jellyfish rose from the waters (Level: 4/DEF: 1500).

"I hate jellyfish!" commented an audience member. "They sting!"

Salty chuckled. "And that's all for me."

Sir Topham Hatt looked very puzzled from seeing Salty make a very weak play.

"He didn't even set a card." he commented.

"Perhaps he didn't have any in his hand worth setting." said Toby, before thinking... "Or...maybe he's trying to lure Percy into a trap of a sort?"

"My turn!" Percy announced, drawing a card and taking his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Energy Drain, Kunai with Chain, Scapegoat, and Lightning Blade

* * *

"I hope you're ready to eat a direct attack, Salty!"

"I would, but you cannot do that because I have a monster on my field." Salty pointed out.

"Alligator's Sword Dragon lets me attack your life points directly if you have a monster with an attribute of Earth, Water, or Fire on your side of the field." explained Percy. "And you own a Water attribute monster. Now, swoop in and attack Salty directly!"

Alligator's Sword Dragon obeyed and soared past Jellyfish and struck Salty with his sword, making him reel back (LP: 1450).

"One more attack like that-" rejoiced Percy proudly. "-and this duel is mine."

* * *

 **Title: The Legendary Fisherman, Part 2**

* * *

Unfortunately, Salty wasn't going to be defeated that easily. He went and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Salty (LP: 1450)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Silent Doom, Fortress Whale's Oath, Flying Fish, and Tornado Wall

* * *

"Sorry, Percy, but I'm not about to lose." He took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized behind Jellyfish.

"My go!" Percy called out, while drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Energy Drain, Kunai with Chain, Scapegoat, Lightning Blade, and Swordsman of Landstar

* * *

"Time to end the duel!" The green-haired boy pointed forth. "Alligator's Sword Dragon, attack Salty directly and end the duel!"

"Percy's wins!" cried Emily.

Alligator's Sword Dragon dove into the air and charged at Salty.

"I activate my Trap card!" declared Salty, pushing a button on his Duel Disk. "Tornado Wall!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, creating a large whirlwind made entirely of water. To make matters worse, Alligator's Sword Dragon was forced back to Percy's side of the field upon getting close enough.

"What gives?" Percy demanded, shocked to see that his attack had backfired.

"As long as Umi is on the field-" said Salty. "-I take no battle damage from any attack you make."

"Well this reeks." Percy groaned.

Over with the audience...

"How can Percy get to Salty's life points now?" Mavis asked.

"I'm not sure." Toby replied unhappily. "But I hope he figures it out soon."

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." sighed Percy, taking and slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

"It's time to show you the true terrors of the ocean, my young friend!" Salty announced, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Salty (LP: 1450)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Silent Doom, Fortress Whale's Oath, Flying Fish, and The Legendary Fisherman

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, Salty knew he had this duel won.

"Prepare to face against my deck's ace, Percy." he said. "I sacrifice my Jellyfish in order to summon The Legendary Fisherman!"

Jellyfish vanished in a blue streak...before a shadow appeared in the water. Eventually, a man wielding a harpoon whilst riding a killer whale surfaced (Level: 5/ATK: 1850).

"The Legendary Fisherman?" Percy gasped. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that guy looks...almost a little like you, only younger."

"That be true." smiled Salty, nodding.

"Well he doesn't scare me." Percy claimed, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Energy Drain!"

The green-haired boy's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"In addition to allowing me to draw a card from my deck, your monster's attack points drops to zero for the rest of the turn!"

Salty merely laughed. "Sorry, mate, but that won't work."

"Huh?" Percy looked worried.

Just as a beam shot from the card, The Legendary Fisherman created a wave to intercept it.

"My Legendary Fisherman cannot be targeted by the effect of Spell cards or be attacked so long as I have Umi face-up on my field." explained Salty. "You've wasted a perfectly good Spell card, my young friend."

Percy knew this wasn't good at all.

"Now destroy his Alligator's Sword Dragon!"

The Legendary Fisherman obeyed, throwing a harpoon at Percy's monster. The harpoon pierced both Baby Dragon and Alligator's Sword, destroying them both at once and making Percy wince (LP: 3050).

"I was expecting more from you." Salty chuckled.

Percy, however, had a question regarding Salty's monster.

"Salty, what's the story?" he asked. "How come you love the ocean so much?"

"You see-" said Salty, starting his story."-it all began when I was but a lad out fishing with my father."

A flashback to many years began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Salty and his late father were both out fishing in the middle of the ocean near between Los Angeles and the Hawaiian islands.

"Thanks for bringing me with you, dad." said Young Salty.

"Anytime, son." smiled Salty's dad. "Now, what do you say we get enough fish for dinner, eh?"

The two of them began to fish, while present day-Salty narrated what was going on.

"As my father and I were fishing for dinner-" he narrated. "-a storm gathered."

It was true. Dark clouds were gathering, the wind picked up, waves pounded their boat, and rain started to come down. Young Salty was very frightened.

"I don't like this." he whimpered. "We'd better get to shore."

But the wind was so strong that Salty's dad was unable to steer the ship and keep it on course. Not help were the pounding waves. Quickly, he went and tied his son to the mast.

"What are you doing?" Young Salty asked.

"Tying you to the mast." said his father. "This'll keep you from being blow away by the storm."

"But what about you?"

Before Salty's dad could respond, a huge tidal wave suddenly came and...

(a day later...)

The next time Salty had woken up, he was inside a house in Honolulu. A friendly couple was looking after him.

"W-where am I?" Young Salty groaned.

"You're in Honolulu, dear." said the woman. "We saw your boat wash up on shore."

Young Salty sat up looking around frantically.

"Dad? Dad!" he called, before looking to the couple. "Have you seen my father anywhere? He was with me on the boat!"

"We didn't see anybody else." said the man. "I'm afraid he was taken by the storm."

Young Salty had a crestfallen look on his face.

"The storm had taken my father from me." Present day-Salty narrated. "Now, normally something like this would make any person hate the ocean. I never grew to hate it...it actually made me respect it more."

Percy was rather confused. "Respect it? Even after it took your dad away?"

"That's right." Present day-Salty answered.

"But how?" Percy asked. "The idea of respecting something responsible for the death of a family member makes no sense."

Young Salty stood out at the foot of a beach gazing out at the sea.

"I can tell how the sea is feeling depending on the condition of the weather." Present day-Salty explained. "When the sun is shining, the sea is calm and peaceful. But when it gets stormy, it means the sea is angry."

(years later...)

It switched to many years later, Salty was working as a lifeguard at a beach in Honolulu when someone came up to him.

"Mr. Salty?" The delivery man asked.

Salty looked down from his station. "Yes?"

"I have a letter for you." The delivery man held up a letter.

"A letter for me?" asked Salty, climbing down from his station. "Who's it from?"

The delivery man had no idea. He just handed Salty the letter and bid him a good day. Salty opened the envelope and found two things: A letter, and a card of a sort. This is what the letter said:

"This card is called The Legendary Fisherman. It was designed by your father before heading out to sea. He requested that it be brought to you if something were to happen to him. Use it well."

Salty looked at the card for a long time before gazing out into the sea.

"There was no signature on the letter, so I had no idea who it was from." Present day-Salty narrated.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Salty closed his eyes as he continued to speak.

"But ever since that day, I vowed to use my dueling skills and my love for the sea to duel in my father's honor."

"Wow." Percy breathed. "That's really, really deep. I had no idea."

"It's your turn now, matey." said Salty simply.

Percy nodded and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3050)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Kunai with Chain, Scapegoat, Lightning Blade, Swordsman of Landstar, and Rocket Warrior

* * *

Sadly, he didn't draw what he needed.

"Man..." Percy moaned, selecting and placing a card facedown and sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I'll just summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

A facedown card (sideways) materialized.

"My turn!" said Salty, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Salty (LP: 1450)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Silent Doom, Fortress Whale's Oath, Flying Fish, and Great White

* * *

"Legendary Fisherman, destroy Percy's monster now!"

The Legendary Fisherman obeyed, hurling his harpoon at the facedown monster, piercing the card before revealing it to be Swordsman of Landstar and shattering it.

"Your Swordsman of Landstar is history!" Salty declared.

Percy sighed a bit.

"My turn again." he said, drawing.

"As long as Tornado Wall is out-" said Edward. "-Salty takes no battle damage. So even if Percy is able to attack, it'll do no good."

"Percy has to find a way to change the flow of the situation." Emily added.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3050)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Kunai with Chain, Scapegoat, Lightning Blade, Rocket Warrior, and Panther Warrior

* * *

Much to Percy's dismay, he still nothing to help him. So, he took a card from his hand and again placed a card facedown and sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Once again I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

A facedown card (sideways) materialized.

"Poor Percy." Toby moaned.

"My turn." declared Salty, holding his drawn card up.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Salty (LP: 1450)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Silent Doom, Fortress Whale's Oath, Flying Fish, Great White, and Fortress Whale

* * *

Looking at his drawn card, Salty gave a smile and looked up to Percy.

"Well, Percy, it's been fun." he said. "But this duel belongs to me."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Percy demanded.

"I activate the Ritual Spell card Fortress Whale's Oath!" announced Salty, sliding the mentioned card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The Spell card materialized face-up.

"To invoke the power of this card, I must offer enough monsters to equal or go higher than level 7." explained Salty, holding up his Great White and Flying Fish monster cards. "These two will do quite nicely!"

A large shark and a second copy of Flying Fish appeared to the field before being engulfed by large tides.

"I call forth the Fortress Whale!"

Appearing from a huge tidal wave was a giant whale with fortress-like weaponry around its body (Level: 7/ATK: 2350).

"This is my most powerful monster!" Salty stated. "And thanks to Umi, it gets even more powerful!"

Fortress Whale grew stronger (ATK: 2350 - 2550).

"Wow, that is one big whale!" Mavis gawked, looking rather scared.

"Whoa..." breathed Percy in surprise.

"Legendary Fisherman-" ordered Salty. "-attack his facedown monster!"

In an instant, the facedown monster (Rocket Warrior) was impaled by a harpoon and destroyed.

"Oh dear!" cried Sir Topham Hatt. "Now Percy is open for a direct attack!"

"Now my Fortress Whale-" Salty went on. "-attack Percy directly!'

Percy watched with worry as Fortress Whale took aim...and fired its cannons.

"Oh, this is gonna smart..." he thought with a gulp.

The laser blasts struck Percy, causing him to yell in pain (LP: 500).

"PERCY!" cried out Edward, Toby, Emily, and Mavis at once.

When the dust cleared, Percy was still standing.

"I'm not giving up." he said bravely.

"I admire your courage, mate." said Salty positively. "But what hope do you have of defeating me? Fortress Whale has 2550 attack points, my Legendary Fisherman cannot be targeted for an attack, and Tornado Wall protects my life points from any and all of your attacks."

"I'll find a way through!" Percy insisted, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 500)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Kunai with Chain, Scapegoat, Lightning Blade, Panther Warrior, and Magical Arm Shield

* * *

Looking at his hand, the green-haired boy considered his current options. Eventually, he came up with a plan to defend himself.

"I place three cards facedown and summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" he said, as three facedown cards materialized.

Appearing in a battle stance was the beast warrior puma himself (Level: 4/ATK: 2000).

"I sure hope Percy knows what he's doing." Emily commented.

"I agree." nodded Edward. "If Salty manages to wipe out Panther Warrior and Percy's facedown cards can't help him, it will be all over."

"My turn!" exclaimed Salty, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Salty (LP: 1450)  
 **Deck** : (26)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Silent Doom and Fortress Whale Turret(!)

* * *

"I activate the Spell card Fortress Whale Turret!" He slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The card materialized face-up.

"In exchange for not letting my Legendary Fisherman attack this turn-" Salty explained. "-my Fortress Whale is able to attack twice!"

"If that Fortress Whale attacks-" exclaimed Toby, looking and sounding very worried. "-Percy's done for!"

"It's been fun, Percy-" sighed Salty. "-but it looks like I'll be going to the finals instead of you. Fortress Whale, attack Panther Warrior now!"

Fortress Whale obeyed and aimed its cannons...but Percy wasn't gonna lose.

"Go Trap card!" he called, motioning a hand out and causing one of his facedown cards to flip up and reveal itself. "Magical Arm Shield!"

The magic shield attached itself to Panther Warrior.

"What's that suppose to be?" Salty asked.

"This Trap card lets me use one of your monsters as a shield for the attack." explained Percy. "Grab The Legendary Fisherman!"

Panther Warrior obeyed and the shield launched its two latches...just as Fortress Whale opened fire. Before the helpless Salty knew what was even happening, The Legendary Fisherman was grabbed and used as the target instead.

"NNNOOOOO!" screamed Salty, watching in horror.

It was too late; The Legendary Fisherman got struck by the blasts and was destroyed in a massive explosion.

"HE DID IT!" cheered Toby, Edward, Mavis, and Sir Topham Hatt.

"Percy!" cheered Emily.

"And because it was your own attack that did your monster in, you do infact lose life points!" Percy pointed out.

Salty could only watch in complete silence (LP: 750).

"Hey, Earth to Salty!" called Percy. "Are you in there?"

"My Fisherman..." said Salty quietly. "That was a gift meant to be a last memory of my father."

Percy was surprised to say the least, but Salty didn't stop there at all...

"You'll pay for that!" he exclaimed, growing furious.

"Geez, don't get so worked up over a single card!" scolded Percy.

"Be quiet!" screamed Salty. "Thanks to the effect of Fortress Whale Turret, my monster can attack again! Demolish his Panther Warrior for good!"

Fortress Whale obeyed and charged up a second up a second blast.

"I'm gonna have to disagree with you there." sighed Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Kunai with Chain!"

A large anchor and chain appeared in Panther Warrior's hand as he threw the weapon up to Fortress Whale's horn, allowing him to swing to to the top of the whale monster.

"In addition, my Panther gains 500 attack points!" cried Percy.

"That won't be enough!" snapped Salty.

"We'll see. Counterattack now, Panther Warrior!"

Panther Warrior at first got a power boost (ATK: 2000 - 2500), and then charged at Fortress Whale with his blade.

"What part of ' _That won't work_ ' didn't you understand?!" Salty criticized.

"Then I'll play this Quick-Play Spell card." Percy answered, holding out his right hand as his final facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Lightning Blade grants my warrior or beast warrior monster a one-time 800 attack point boost for the rest of the turn!"

Panther Warrior howled as his attack points went up further (ATK: 2500 - 3300).

"Any last words?" Percy asked.

"Yes, six: This duel is not over yet!" Salty answered.

Fortress Whale was struck by Panther Warrior's sword and immediately exploded into nothingness... however, Salty's life points did not drop to 0 (LP: 150).

"Hey! Salty's life points didn't drop to zero!" Mavis exclaimed.

"What happened?" Emily asked. "Panther Warrior was strong enough to finish him off!"

"My Fortress Whale Turret card has another effect." Salty stated. "If I take more damage to my life points than I'm suppose to when my Fortress Whale is destroyed in battle, then before damage calculation occurs, I'm automatically set to 150 life points and can draw one card from my deck."

He drew from his deck, looked at it, and smiled.

"And I'll use my card right away." Salty remarked, holding it out. "Return of the Doomed!"

The card materialized face-up.

"This revives a monster of mine that was destroyed this turn and puts it in attack mode!"

The card sank into the water, and a shadow of a monster appeared.

"What could it be?" Percy thought. "Is it The Legendary Fisherman? ...or Fortress Whale?"

"My turn is done." Salty stated. "Now go!"

"Okay." Percy replied, drawing a card. "Here goes."

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 500)  
 **Deck** : (21)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Cyber-Tech Alligator, Flame Swordsman, Scapegoat, and Giant Trunade

* * *

Percy noticed the card he drew.

"Giant Trunade... this card could help me out here." he thought. "Umi would go back to Salty's hand, and expose the monster. But wait, what if it is the Fortress Whale monster? My Panther wouldn't stand a chance against it. What do I do?"

Salty grew impatient. "What on Earth are you waiting for?!" he demanded. "Hurry up and finish your turn so I can win!"

Percy then remembered something important about Umi.

"Umi grants his monsters extra power." he thought. "Without it, that monster would become much weaker."

Knowing what to do, Percy slotted his card into his Duel Disk.

"I activate Giant Trunade!" The green-haired boy declared, as the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. "Now all Spell and Trap cards on the field return to our hands!"

A giant black hole appeared in the sky and began sucking everything into it.

"Drain the sea!"

Within seconds, the extra water was gone, exposing Salty's hidden monster... The Legendary Fisherman (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).

"You've found my Fisherman." sighed Salty.

"Salty..." whispered Percy.

The old sea dog looked like he was gonna start crying any second.

"End the duel, now."

Sighing heavily, Percy took and slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

"Then I'll go and play Scapegoat." he said, just as four Sheep Tokens appeared...and one vanishes in a blue streak. "Now I'll offer one of them as a tribute so my Panther Warrior can attack!"

With one single sword slash, Panther Warrior went and destroyed The Legendary Fisherman. Because Umi and Tornado Wall were both gone, nothing could stop Salty's life points from dropping.

"I'm sorry, dad." Salty thought to himself.

The Legendary Fisherman, before fading away, gave the man a small smile. Salty sobbed quietly as his remaining life points finally dropped to zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Percy Avonside wins!**

* * *

The crowd cheered for Percy.

"Well I'll be." chuckled Sir Topham Hatt. "Percy won the duel."

"That means he's able to be in the Battle City Finals!" said Emily happily.

"Wait until Lady hears about this!" Mavis added.

Back at the aquarium tank, Percy saw that Salty was crying a little bit.

"Hey, you okay over there, Salty?" he called.

Hastily, the man dried his eyes and smiled brightly while accepting his loss.

"Yes, that was an excellent duel!" Salty said pleasantly. "Congratulations on winning."

"Thank you."

Salty walked over and handed Percy two Locator cards and his rare The Legendary Fisherman card.

"My rarest card...and two Locator cards." The man stated.

Percy was surprised to see this card. "Wait, you're giving me your Legendary Fisherman card?" he asked. "Why's that?"

"You've earned it." Salty pointed out. "Besides, I'll always carry on my father's memories, card or no card."

Nodding, Percy accepted the rare card.

"Thanks." he said, smiling. "And don't you worry; I'll use it well in my deck."

Smiling back, Salty held his left hand out, and Percy accepted the handshake.

"You'd better. And best of luck in the finals!"

"Thanks." grinned Percy.

A whale soared through the air at that point, causing the crowd to begin cheering very loudly. However, there was currently some bad news. What was the news? Easy. There were some uninvited guests somewhere near the entrance...and they were three Rare Hunters. They had been watching the duel, and now knew what to do.

"Looks like we'll have to get Billinton's friends." said one Rare Hunter.

"Let's first report this to the boss." replied a second Rare Hunter.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the aquarium, somewhere in the middle of town, Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff were still making their way through. For Thomas, he had to make sure his friends were safe and sound.

"I do hope Marik hasn't gotten to any of them." he said quietly.

"I'm sure they're fine." Spencer stated confidently.

"I can't be sure until I see it for myself."

"I'm rather worried, too." Skiff spoke up.

With that said, the three heroes raced on towards the aquarium, hoping that they weren't too late to save everyone.


	28. The Skyscraper Tag Duel (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the Rare Hunters's hideout, Marik and Montague were both in the middle of discussing their upcoming plan of action.

"Thomas's friends and Spencer's little brother are our targets." said Marik. "Capture them alive, and Thomas and Spencer will both shown themselves."

Montague nodded. "Agreed. But remember one detail... I need Thomas Billinton alive." he reminded. "So don't even think of betraying me."

"Relax." Marik said smoothly. "I remember your condition well. I'll capture Thomas, but I'll also keep him alive."

Too bad Marik was not one to keep a promise just like that... he was gonna kill Thomas one way or another, and not even promising Montague something like that was gonna stop him from accomplishing the deed. The Rare Hunter leader then watched then watched as his new partner took out a dagger from his coat pocket.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Marik quizzed without much interest.

Montague merely gave a savage smile, licked the sharp end of the blade, and pressed it to his own upper left arm.

"Just watch."

With a thrust, the green-haired spirit stabbed himself with the blade, causing lots of blood to spew out.

"Heh heh heh..." Montague laughed creepily. "That feels wonderful... so wonderfully PAINFUL!"

"Just what...are you?" asked Marik uneasily, looking a bit surprised to say the least.

"My true identity is none of your concern." retorted Montague. "Know that I now need you to now take my weaker self to find his friends. Then I will leave the rest to you and your boys."

With that said, the Millennium Ring glowed as Montague gave control back to Duck...who then weakly collapsed.

* * *

 **Title: The Skyscraper Tag Duel, Part 1**

* * *

Over with Percy and the others somewhere downtown, they had just met up with James R., Zack, Carlie, and Ben.

"You've actually qualified for the finals!" smiled James R., giving Percy a noogie. "Nice one, pal!"

Despite grimacing from the noogie, Percy was smiling big.

"If only Thomas were here to see this." The green-haired boy said. "He would be so proud at how far I've come."

"We're all proud of you, Percy." Emily pointed out.

"Yup." Toby nodded.

Percy honestly couldn't have asked for better friends. Unfortunately, a new voice had broken the good mood atmosphere.

"Help, anyone!" called a new voice. "I need help! Someone got badly hurt!"

The group of friends rushed to the sound of the voice. It was a teenage boy carrying an injured Duck. But they didn't realize that the boy was Marik.

"Duck!" cried Percy, Emily, Toby, Mavis, and Edward at once.

"My goodness!" exclaimed Sir Topham Hatt. "What's happened to him?!"

"I've found him like this!" explained Marik, looking and acting all panicked.

"Duck, speak to us!" yelled Percy. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't know..." moaned Duck weakly. "It came out of nowhere."

"Poor Duck." Carlie said sadly. "What kind of monster would do something like this?"

Sir Topham Hatt immediately knew what to do.

"I'll take care of him." The principal said willingly. "I'll drive him to the hospital."

"Thank you so much, sir." bowed Edward gratefully.

"No thanks are necessary." Sir Topham Hatt insisted, taking hold of Duck from Marik. "You kids enjoy the rest of the tournament. And good luck to you, Percy."

"Thanks, sir." said Percy.

(three minutes later...)

The car of the Topham Hatt family drove off, leaving Percy, Edward, Emily, Toby, Mavis, Carlie, James R., Zack, and Ben all behind with Marik.

"Thank goodness I was able to find help." Marik spoke up. "Otherwise, I don't think your friend was gonna make it."

"Well, thank you for finding help." smiled Emily. "But who are you exactly?"

Marik quickly thought of a false name he could use.

"My name is Namu."

Percy, noticing the Duel Disk on 'Namu's' arm, quickly realized something about him...

"Are you a Battle City contestant?" The green-haired boy asked curiously.

"I sure am." 'Namu' nodded. "I haven't won any Locator cards yet, and the tournament ends this evening. I was wondering if you could give me a few pointers?"

Getting a cocky smirk on his face, Percy immediately got all proud and such.

"Well, you've come to the right place when it comes to dealing with Battle City." he said proudly. "It's best that you always find a strong opponent to defeat and show how great your skills are."

Emily merely sighed. "Oh brother..."

"Percy's being Percy again." Toby muttered.

"Wow, just wow." said Zack deadpanly.

'Namu' merely smiled kindly...while thinking through his thoughts dangerously...

"These fools actually trust me." he thought. "This will be easier than I thought."

He eyed the group and decided which ones would be perfect to lure Thomas and Spencer both out.

"Percy and those three girls would be perfect." Marik thought, referring to Emily, Mavis, and Carlie respectively.

Just then, 'Namu' noticed something behind Zack and James R. that caught his attention.

"Hey!" 'Namu' cried out. "Those are the guys who harmed your friend!"

They looked behind and saw the Rare Hunters approaching them.

"Not these guys again." groaned Mavis.

"No sweat!" grinned Percy. "I can duel these guys with no problems."

"Count me in!" Carlie immediately offered.

"Make that me, too!" added James R..

But the Rare Hunters only laughed in response.

"We're not here to duel at all." said one Rare Hunter.

"We're here to get you under our boss's orders!" another Rare Hunter added. "...by force!"

A fight then broke out. One Rare Hunter, to his regret, went and slugged 'Namu' so hard that he hit and slid down the pavement unconscious. Percy saw that and got really mad.

"You're gonna pay for that, creeps!" he shouted, just as he charged in.

During the fight, Mavis and Emily were both grabbed from behind by a separate Rare Hunter and knocked unconscious with chloroform rags.

"Nighty night." snickered the Rare Hunter.

Toby angrily tried to punch the Rare Hunter who rendered his girlfriend unconscious...but ended up unconscious by another Rare Hunter, who punched the brown-haired boy very hard in the face. In addition, Zack, James R., and Ben were each quickly knocked unconscious by three Rare Hunters, leaving both Percy and Carlie the only ones on their feet.

"And there were only two." chuckled a Rare Hunter.

"Run, Carlie!" cried Percy. "I'll hold them off until you can find the others!"

But before Carlie could even try to escape, a hard chop to the neck knocked her to the ground and rendered unconscious. The one who did it was shown to be Odion.

"Come along quietly, boy-" The Rare Hunter second-in-command said darkly to Percy. "-and I promise that you won't get hurt."

"Like heck I would!" shouted the green-haired boy, rushing at the older man.

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." sighed Odion, as he went and delivered a neck chop to Percy as well.

The green-haired boy fell onto the ground unconscious as well. The Rare Hunters picked up their targets (Percy, Emily, Mavis, and Carlie) and turned to Marik, who was getting back onto his feet.

"Please forgive me, Master Marik." said the Rare Hunter who attacked the teenage boy. "I hope I didn't hurt you badly."

"You did very well." Marik stated, rubbing his cheek before smirking. "They all brought it."

"What about that nerdy boy?" asked another Rare Hunter, referring to Edward.

"He must have gotten away." Odion pointed out calmly.

"No matter." said Marik. "We got whom we've come for. Let's move out!"

The Rare Hunters followed their master with their unconscious targets, leaving an unconscious Toby, James R., Ben, and Zack all behind. Ben, however, managed to awaken in time to see the Rare Hunters leaving with the prisoners.

"N-No... Carlie..." he moaned, before blacking out again.

(elsewhere...)

Over with Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff at the aquarium, the blue-haired boy was very dismayed with the news.

"They were here?" he asked in disappointment.

Thomas was shown speaking to Salty.

"Aye." said Salty, smiling. "Percy showed a terrific duel and won. He's now got six Locator cards for the finals."

"Look, Salty." Spencer spoke up. "We're looking for Percy because he and some of Billinton's friends are in danger."

"Oh?"

Thomas and Spencer both explained about the situation with Marik and the Rare Hunters.

"Oh dear." Salty whispered in worry. "That is awful. But I'm sorry; they have just left."

Thomas sighed. "Well, thanks, anyway."

Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff walked away from the aquarium.

"Now what do we do?" The blue-haired boy moaned.

"Doesn't Emily have her cellphone on her?" Skiff piped up.

"I sure hope so."

Thomas rushed to a nearby payphone and punched in Emily's number. But what the blue-haired boy didn't know was that Emily had dropped her phone during the Rare Hunter ambush. After waiting a full minute for a pick-up, Thomas gave up.

"We must be too late." he sighed. "The Rare Hunters already got to them."

Spencer merely smirked. "Who says they have?"

"Huh?"

"Skiff, head back to the headquarters and try to track down Percy's duelist signal." The silver-haired boy commanded his little brother. "Contact us when you find him."

"Right." nodded Skiff, heading off.

Unfortunately, a few Rare Hunters were standing atop a tall building and watching everything going on down below. These two Rare Hunters had their hoods up.

"So they think they can find out where that Percy kid is?" said the first (shorter) Rare Hunter.

"They're sadly mistaken." said the second (taller) Rare Hunter.

They both gave sinister chuckles.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Boxford Corp's main headquarters, Discord was chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) when he suddenly started shaking with fear.

"Oh dear..." The creator of Duel Monsters mumbled.

"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"I don't know." Discord replied, looking serious. "But somehow...I feel like something bad is about to happen. Though I'm unsure on what it is."

"Oh dearie me." gasped Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Let's hope that what Discord is sensing isn't terrible...even though it likely will be.

(elsewhere...)

Skiff, meanwhile, was running down the street to head back to Boxford Corp.

"Almost there..." he said.

Just then, a new voice echoed the area.

"That's as far as you'll go." said a new voice.

Skiff found himself before a hooded Rare Hunter (the tall one).

"A Rare Hunter?" he gasped.

"And I'm not alone." The Rare Hunter claimed, snapping his fingers. "As so-!"

Skiff was suddenly grabbed by the second hooded Rare Hunter (the shorter one).

"Hey let me go!" he snapped.

The demand was met with more sinister laughs from the two hooded Rare Hunters.

(elsewhere...)

Over with both Matt and Michael at the garage. Their Duel Runners were being fixed up.

"I sure hope the others are safe." Matt said quietly.

"I'm sure they are." Michael assured.

He was dead wrong. A new, yet familiar, voice could be heard echoing throughout the area.

"Help! Someone!"

"Did you hear that?" asked Matt. "Someone's in trouble."

Running into the area was Edward.

"Isn't that one of Thomas's friends?" Michael asked.

"It is." Matt replied, and called out to the blue-haired boy. "Edward, over here!"

Edward raced over to the two. "Thank goodness I found you," he panted, out of breath.

"What's the matter?" asked Michael.

"My friends are in danger!" Edward exclaimed. "One of our friends, Duck, was found injured by some Rare Hunters. Shortly after he was taken to the hospital, we were attacked by them!"

"The Rare Hunters?" gasped Matt.

"Yes! After I managed to get away, I noticed they've captured Emily, Mavis, Carlie, and Percy!"

"No way!" muttered Michael in horror.

"I didn't know who else to go to." Edward said in despair. "I didn't know where James, Gordon, and Henry were."

"Easy, man." Matt said calmly. "Let's go and get James, Ben, Toby, and Zack first, then we'll go and search for those Rare Hunters."

"Our Duel Runners should be fixed by now." Michael added. "So you can leave this to us."

"Thank you." sighed Edward in relief.

(elsewhere...)

Over with Thomas and Spencer, both of them were still waiting for Skiff to call into them.

"Skiff should have called us by now." mumbled Spencer, and pressed a button on the collar of his jacket. "Spencer to Boxford Corp headquarters. Come in!"

"Hopefully the Rare Hunters didn't capture him, too." commented Thomas.

Spencer waited and waited...but all he got was static.

"Something must be wrong." The silver-haired boy said at last. "I can't get a hold of Skiff."

"Of course you can't!" a new voice announced.

Thomas and Spencer both looked around for the source of the voice.

"Who said that?" demanded Spencer.

A Rare Hunter leaped gracefully from the rooftop down into the streets below without getting hurt.

"That would be me!" he chuckled.

"A Rare Hunter!" gasped Thomas.

"And I would like to inform you that we have your friends captive!" said the Rare Hunter gleefully.

"Where are they?" demanded Thomas. "Tell me right now!"

"And tell me where Skiff is!" Spencer added.

The hooded rare Hunter merely pointed towards the sky as a helicopter sound started echoing throughout.

"Help! Help!" cried the voice of Skiff.

To Spencer's shock, Skiff was tied up and hanging under the helicopter on a rope.

"Let him go!" shouted Spencer.

"Not a chance!" The Rare Hunter cackled. "Your brother belongs to the Rare Hunters now!"

"SPENCER!" screamed Skiff in fright. "HELP ME, BIG BROTHER!"

"SKIFF!" screamed Spencer in anguish.

"Meet us at the top of that skyscraper." said the Rare Hunter, pointing to a very large building nearby. "Fail to do so, and your brother may have an unfortunate accident."

"Now you've really made me mad!" growled Spencer, becoming enraged. "Unless you give me back my brother, I'll make you regret it!"

"I'll only do so if you meet me and my friend atop the skyscraper!" The Rare Hunter replied, before addressing Thomas. "And Thomas, you'd be wise to come too...unless you never want to see your pals again!"

"Let them go!" thundered Thomas in anger.

The Rare Hunter merely laughed wickedly and jumped up to another building, leaping from building to building until he reached the skyscraper.

"Billinton-" said Spencer. "-it looks like your enemies are now my enemies, too."

"Agreed." nodded Thomas, grabbing hold of his coat collar and throwing it off. He was now wearing the coat like a cape. "We have to save our friends."

(elsewhere...)

Ten minutes later, Thomas and Spencer both arrived atop the skyscraper. There, the two hooded Rare Hunters awaited.

"How nice of you two to show up." said the shorter Rare Hunter.

"Where's my brother?!" demanded Spencer.

"He's safe." replied the taller Rare Hunter. "And the same for your friends, Thomas!"

"Release them at once!" Thomas commanded fiercely.

"Not a chance." said the shorter Rare Hunter. "We both challenge you both to a tag team duel."

"Just who are you two?!" Spencer asked angrily.

The shorter Rare Hunter snickered. "I believe an introduction is in order..."

The sun suddenly shined down as the short Rare Hunter revealed his face...one half was covered with a white smiling mask of a sort.

"My name is Lumis, the Mask of Light!"

The taller Rare Hunter revealed his own face as well... the opposite half of his face was covered with a black angry mask.

"And I am Umbra, the Mask of Darkness."

A flashback to Thomas and Spencer's earlier tag duel ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Obelisk the Tormentor used its Fist of Fate attack and defeated the two Rare Hunters.

"We're the commanders of the two Rare Hunters you both faced earlier." Lumis narrated.

"Since they had failed to stop you-" added Umbra. "-we're here to do the job instead."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Thanks to them both telling us what cards you both use, we've built our decks in order to counter them!" Lumis claimed. "There's no way you can beat us!"

"If I could defeat an Egyptian God-" said Thomas hotly. "-then I'm surely able to defeat you."

"You both can never defeat an Egyptian God monster." Spencer added. "But if you two want a lesson in pain, then you've come to the right place!"

Lumis and Umbra both grinned.

"This will be an easy victory." remarked Lumis.

"Well? What are the rules of the duel?" Thomas demanded.

"Each square we are standing on is rigged with an explosive box." explained Umbra. "When a player's life points reach zero, the box will detonate, shattering the glass, and sending the unfortunate duelist plunging to his doom!"

A vision of the duel of what would happen if Thomas and Spencer both lost ensured.

* * *

 **VISION**

The glass floor under Thomas and Spencer started to shatter.

"But don't worry; your decks would survive." Lumis narrated.

"Meaning we would get back Slifer the Sky Dragon and obtain Obelisk the Tormentor too!" Umbra also narrated.

The glass beneath Thomas and Spencer shattered completely, causing the two teenagers to plunge helplessly down, screaming.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended.

"As for the duel itself, it will be a tag team duel." Lumis continued. "The two of us against you two."

"Fine by me." nodded Spencer.

"Both teammates will have separate life points." Umbra explained. "And no one may attack on their first turns...and absolutely NO discussing strategies."

"Sounds fair." commented Thomas.

Lumis and Umbra both kept sinister smiles on their faces. That doesn't mean THEY themselves had to play fair. Before long, the four duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000) x4.

"Prepare yourselves, Thomas Billinton and Spencer Gresley!" Umbra declared.

"The duel of your lives is about to begin!" finished Lumis.

(elsewhere...)

Outside Boxford Corp, Discord had just exited the building from the main entryway and took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"Oh, I really needed this walk." he sighed.

It was then he saw Matt, Michael, and Edward running by.

"Boys, what's the matter?" asked Discord.

The three teenagers halted their movement the moment they saw Discord.

"Mr. Crawford!" Edward exclaimed.

"Dad!" came from both Matt and Michael.

Discord walked over to the three teenage boys.

"Where's the fire?" The man asked jokingly.

"Our friends are in terrible danger!" Edward bellowed, not meaning to do so. And he explained about the Rare Hunter ambush.

"My goodness!" Discord looked shocked. "Could I be of any assistance?"

"You can help spread the news about the situation and help us in our search." said Michael.

"Not to mention bring your limo." Matt added. "We need to go pick up Toby, James, Zack, and Ben. Our Duel Runners are still being fixed up from an earlier time."

"Very well." nodded Discord.

A few minutes later, Edward, Michael, Matt, and Discord were all riding in the limo Discord had ordered.

(elsewhere...)

Atop the skyscraper, the duel between Thomas & Spencer and Lumis & Umbra was all underway.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Lumis (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spell Sanctuary, Mask of Brutality, Mask of Restrict, Curse Transfer, and Tribute Doll

* * *

"For my first turn, I'll play the Continuous Spell card Spell Sanctuary!" Lumis slotted his card into his Duel Disk.

The card materialized face-up.

"This card allows each of us to add a Spell card from our decks to our hands." explained Lumis. "And as long as this card remains face up, all set spells can be activated like Quick-Play Spells."

The four duelists searched their decks for a card to add to their hands.

"Finally I'll place two cards facedown." Lumis continued, slotting two more cards into his Duel Disk, causing them to materialize facedown. "That ends my turn."

"It's my move!" Thomas declared.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Sage's Stone, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Beta The Magnet Warrior, Multiply, Archfiend of Gilfer, and Polymerization

* * *

Immediately, he placed one of his cards sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Beta The Magnet Warrior in defense mode!"

The yellow Magnet Warrior appeared in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600).

"Since no one can attack yet, I'll have to stall. Maybe for when Umbra's turn comes up, I can pickup on their strategy." Thomas thought to himself.

Umbra immediately took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Umbra (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Masked Doll, Shining Abyss, The Illusionist Faceless Mage, The Masked Beast, Spell Transfer, and Premature Burial

* * *

"For my turn I'll summon Shining Abyss in attack mode!" The Mask of Darkness stated, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing to the field was a metallic looking creature with yellow wings (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).

Suddenly, Lumis spoke up. "Now it is time to show you how we duel!"

"A team strategy!" Thomas gasped.

"I reveal my facedown!" declared Lumis, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing a facedown to flip up and reveal itself. "Mask of Brutality!"

A large mask attached itself to Shining Abyss (ATK: 1600 - 2600).

"This gives Umbra's monster a 1000 attack point boost!" Lumis explained.

"Thank you, Lumis." grinned Umbra.

"But won't you have to pay 1000 life points during each standby phase to keep it?" asked Spencer.

"Not with this Spell card; Masked Doll!" retorted Umbra, holding a Spell card out.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Thanks to this handy card, compliments of Spell Sanctuary-" Umbra went on. "-the cost of Mask of Brutality will be nullified!"

"Well done, Umbra." complimented Lumis.

"Why, thank you, Lumis." replied Umbra pleasantly. "Together, you and I will take those two mere boys down."

Thomas wasn't impressed. "If you two can work so well as a team, then so can I and Spencer." he proclaimed.

Unfortunately...

"Not this time." said Spencer coldly.

Thomas was shocked.

"I intend to take these two clowns on by myself." insisted the silver-haired boy. "Those two other Rare Hunters we faced were defeated by me, and only me. I intend to do the same here."

"Spencer, that's not a good idea!" Thomas argued.

"Just watch me." snorted Spencer, as he made his move.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Ring of Defense, Vorse Raider, Kaiser Glider, Ring of Destruction, Crush Card Virus, and Stop Defense

* * *

As expected, the silver-haired boy took two cards from his hand and readied them.

"Okay, you Rare Hunters-" Spencer went on. "Take this!"

He immediately slotted two cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk.

"I'll place two cards facedown!"

Two facedown cards materialized, followed by Spencer taking a third card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Then I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" continued the silver-haired boy.

The mighty ' _ **beast warrior**_ ' monster appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1900).

"That's all for me." said Spencer, smirking.

Thomas wasn't so sure on that play... "He didn't make as good a move as he did during the last duel we were in." he thought. "Why does he have to be so thick headed?"

Lumis and Umbra both laughed.

"You fools have no idea what you're in for." said Lumis.

"We'll make sure you never see your precious friends ever again!" added Umbra. "And now, since a turn has gone by for each of us. Let's see which team has the better teamwork."

"I don't need teamwork!" shouted Spencer stubbornly. "I can defeat you both on my own!"

"We'll see about that." Lumis grinned evilly.

"Unless Spencer and I win this duel as a team, we'll never see our friends or family members ever again!" Thomas thought to himself. "But convincing Spencer on that detail will be easier said than done."

Can Thomas and Spencer learn to work together and defeat Lumis and Umbra? Or will Spencer's arrogance and pride be the team's downfall?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	29. The Skyscraper Tag Duel (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up somewhere in town, Discord's limo was driving across the street.

"Are you boys okay?" The voice of Discord asked.

Inside the limo, James R., Ben, Zack, and Toby were all seated inside with Matt, Michael, Edward, and Discord.

"We're okay." sighed Zack

"But those Rare Hunters took our friends and my sister." said Ben, sounding very upset. "We have to save them...before it's too late!"

"We'll find them." Matt said reassuringly.

"Well, the first thing we should do is go find James, Henry, and Gordon." suggested Michael. "They're likely in danger as well."

"Right." nodded Edward.

With that, the limo drove away.

* * *

 **Title: The Skyscraper Tag Duel, Part 2**

* * *

Back atop the big skyscraper, Thomas and Spencer both were facing Lumis and Umbra. two Rare Hunters.

"You two won't know what hit you!" taunted Lumis. "Once we've beat you, both your Egyptian God cards will belong to our master!"

"Not to mention you'll be taking a long fall from here!" added Umbra.

"You're not going to beat us." insisted Thomas. "We will win and rescue our friends!"

"You mean 'I' will beat them." interrupted Spencer. "I don't need any help from the likes of you, Billinton!"

"Spencer!" Thomas argued.

"Anyone with half a gnat's brain would have enough common sense to listen to someone other than themselves, Spencer." teased Lumis. "No wonder everybody hates you."

"Enough!" shouted Spencer. "Let's just continue with the duel!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Lumis (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Curse Transfer, Tribute Doll, and Mask of the Accursed

* * *

"Very well." nodded Lumis, holding a card out. "And I believe it was my turn now."

The Mask of the Accursed card materialized face-up.

"I play Mask of the Accursed!"

A rather creepy looking mask appeared on Beta, causing it to leave its defensive stance.

"What did you do to my Magnet Warrior?" demanded Thomas.

"This card prevents you from using your Magnet Warrior to attack or defend with." laughed Lumis. "In addition, you lose 500 life points on all of your standby phases so long as my Spell card remains in effect!"

Thomas growled.

"Now I'll set one card facedown-" Lumis slotted a card into his Duel Disk. "-and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Thomas, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Sage's Stone, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Multiply, Archfiend of Gilfer, Polymerization, and Kuriboh

* * *

"And since it's your standby phase-" Lumis spoke up again. "-500 of your life points are depleted!"

Thomas kept his neutral expression as he went into his thoughts (LP: 3500).

"As long as that mask is out." he thought, "Beta can't attack or defend. And I lose 500 life points during each standby phase. So if I tribute Beta for Archfiend of Gilfer, I won't have to deal with that." Thomas then spoke out. "Say goodbye to your mask, Lumis, because I'm going to sacrifice Beta for another monster!"

"Oh no, you're not!" said Lumis, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I reveal the Continuous Trap card; Mask of Restrict!"

His facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This will be your ultimate downfall!" The shorter Rare Hunter declared. "As long as this remains on the field, you and your partner over there cannot tribute monsters to summon your more powerful ones!"

"Meaning-" added Umbra. "-both of your God cards have become useless too!"

The two Rare Hunters laughed with evil glee and triumph, while Spencer cast a furious glance over to Thomas.

"I knew he'd mess up!" The silver-haired boy thought angrily.

"I may not be able to dispose of your mask-" said Thomas. "-but I can still summon another monster to protect myself!" He went to select the Kuriboh card in his hand and placed it sideways on his Duel Disk. "I summon Kuriboh in defense mode!"

The brown fuzzball monster appeared with a gentle coo (Level: 1/DEF: 200), which was followed by the materialization of a facedown card.

"I place one card facedown and my turn is over."

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Umbra (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (6): The Illusionist Faceless Mage, The Masked Beast, Spell Transfer, Premature Burial, and Token Eater(!)

* * *

Upon drawing his card, Umbra started looking at his best possible choices.

"So many good cards to use," he said to himself. "But who to attack?" Umbra went into his thoughts. "I could attack that Magnet Warrior...but then we would lose the effect of Mask of the Accursed. On the other hand, Vorse Raider is a big and vulnerable target...but Spencer will just activate both of his facedown cards."

Suddenly, Lumis turned and spoke to him...secretly with a hidden transmitter in his mask.

"Go ahead and attack." he whispered. "I'll cover you."

Umbra heard his teammate (from his own transmitter) and smirked evilly in response.

"I've made my choice...Shining Abyss will go and attack Vorse Raider!"

Shining Abyss charged up a beam of light and fired at Spencer's monster.

"Just as I hoped you would!" grinned the silver-haired boy, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Trap card Ring of Destruction!"

The facedown card on the silver-haired boy's field flipped up and revealed itself before creating a large red, explosive ring around Shining Abyss.

"This ring with now destroy any monster on the field of my choosing and then deal damage to both of our life points equal to the current attack of the destroyed monster!"

"That monster won't be Shining Abyss!" called out Lumis, holding his right hand out. "I reveal the Trap card Curse Transfer!"

Lumis's own facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, Thomas gave a gasp of horror at another team strategy Lumis and Umbra had planned.

"This Trap will let me redirect your activated Trap card to another monster." explained Lumis. "...like Vorse Raider!"

The ring disappeared from around Shining Abyss and reappeared around Vorse Raider.

"Say goodbye to your only monster!" declared Umbra.

But Spencer wasn't licked yet, and held out his left hand dramatically.

"I'm not gonna lose life points!" he exclaimed. "I reveal my Ring of Defense Spell card!"

Spencer's remaining facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Now I won't lose any life points from your-"

"What was that?" mocked Umbra, holding up a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "You'll have to speak up louder as I play this Quick-Play Spell card; Spell Transfer!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This lets me use your Spell card as my own. So now I'M safe from the damage."

An explosion filled the arena. While Umbra was, as he said, safe, Spencer was not so lucky (LP: 2100).

"Spencer lost almost half his life points." thought Thomas.

"Now Shining Abyss-" commanded Umbra. "-wipe out the rest of Spencer's life points!"

Shining Abyss charged up its attack and hurled it towards a terrified Spencer.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, at the harbor, Emily and Mavis were both being taking by two Rare Hunters to somewhere.

"Let us go!" demanded Mavis.

"Where are you taking us!?" Emily asked angrily.

"You'll find out soon enough, foolish girls." said a Rare Hunter.

And by soon enough, he meant now. One Rare Hunter opened a door to an empty warehouse. With that, the Rare Hunter carrying the two girls tossed them both into the room.

"See you both in a few hours." snickered a Rare Hunter, shooting the two girls a flirting wink, much to their disgust.

He closed the door, leaving Emily and Mavis both trapped.

"Where are we?" Mavis asked, while looking around.

"I don't know." answered Emily. "But we have to escape and help Percy and Carlie somehow."

(another room...)

Speaking of Carlie, she was just thrown into another empty room along with Percy.

"And stay in there until we come for you two." A Rare Hunter grunted, closing the door.

"We have to get out of here." said Percy, looking around. "Before something all the more bad happens."

"What do they want with us?" asked Carlie.

"I wish I knew."

Yup, this was a bad situation for all four captives.

(elsewhere...)

Over somewhere in town, James, Gordon, Henry, and Molly were walking down the street...with James being as happy as can be.

"This is my lucky day." he said pleasantly. "I finally got six Locator cards, I won some awesome new cards for my deck, and I finally got the girl."

"We feel so proud of you, James." smiled Henry.

"Just...don't let it go to your head, okay?" suggested Gordon.

"I'll try not to." replied James.

Molly then heard a car horn honk out, catching her attention.

"Oh my, what was that?" she asked curiously.

The four teens watched as a limo drove up to them.

"A limo?" quizzed Gordon.

Out of the limo stepped Edward and Toby.

"Toby, Edward!" smiled James. "You two, I have some great news!" He held out his six Locator cards. "I've won six Locator cards!"

"Yeah, that's great, James...but right now, we have a serious situation." Toby replied.

James grew worried. "What's wrong?"

"Percy, Emily, Mavis and Carlie were captured by the Rare Hunters!" exclaimed Edward.

Upon hearing that bit of info, Gordon and Henry both reeled back in shock.

"No way!" They cried out in unison.

"Where are they now?" asked James.

"We don't know." came a voice from inside the limo.

Suddenly, a window rolled down, and Discord popped his head out.

"H-hey, you're Mr. Crawford, aren't you?" Molly asked.

"The one and only." smiled Discord.

"Hold on a minute." Gordon interrupted for a moment. "What exactly happened?"

Edward sighed. "You guys might want to get in, for this might take a while."

The four teens obeyed and got into the limo.

(elsewhere...)

Shining Abyss, meanwhile, fired off its attack towards a terrified Spencer.

"Say goodbye, Spencer Gresley!" laughed Umbra.

Just before the blast could hit, though, a Kuriboh token suddenly appeared and took the blow.

"Huh?!" Spencer was shocked.

"But how?!" cried Umbra, looking just as shocked.

Thomas's field now consisted of Beta The Magnet Warrior (still masked) and three Kuriboh tokens (one was destroyed protecting Spencer)...and a face-up card (Multiply).

"My Multiply Spell card multiplied my Kuriboh into four Kuriboh tokens." explained Thomas. "And I used one of them to protect Spencer."

"But I thought-" Lumis started.

"Just because we can't get along doesn't mean I have to let him die." protested Thomas.

Spencer, however, didn't seem or look thankful for the save.

"Don't do me any favors, Billinton!" he snapped. "Next time, I'll do it myself."

"Have you ever seen anyone so ungrateful, Umbra?" asked Lumis teasingly.

"I can't say that I have, Lumis." replied Umbra. "Here Thomas takes the effort to save Spencer from falling to his death, and he's so ungrateful for it!"

"If I were Thomas-" Lumis added. "-I would have just let you die, Spencer."

Thomas growled and looked back over to Spencer.

"Spencer, if you want your brother back, then we have to work as a team." he said almost pleadingly. "If one of us falls, then the other won't have a chance against their teamwork!"

"Are you questioning my skills as a duelist?!" Spencer demanded.

"I'm questioning your ability to be thankful to those who help you!" snapped Thomas. "They've been able to counter most of our best moves, and we can't tribute summon monsters, meaning that we can't summon our Egyptian Gods. Do you really want to risk never seeing Skiff again just for your egotistical pride?"

"Be quiet, Billinton!"

"I protected you this turn. If you don't do the same, then I might not be able to do so the next time." The blue-haired boy retorted. "And that will be a time where you will need it!"

"Good riddance." Spencer spat.

"This will be easier then we thought." said Umbra gleefully. "Master Marik will be thrilled to find out Thomas Billinton is dead because he and Spencer couldn't get along."

Without another word from anyone, Spencer drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Kaiser Glider, Crush Card Virus, Stop Defense, and Graceful Charity

* * *

"I activate Graceful Charity!" Holding his card out. "Now I draw three cards from my deck and discard two cards from my hand."

First, he sent Stop Defense and Crush Card Virus to the graveyard and draw his three cards. Suddenly, The silver-haired boy noticed what he had drawn.

"My Blue-Eyes White Dragon." he thought, seeing one of his beloved monster cards. "Too bad I can't summon it now... or maybe I can..."

Once he knew what to do, Spencer took two of his newly drawn cards.

"I place one card facedown and summon Battle Ox in defense mode."

A large minotaur-like monster wearing armor and wielding an axe appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1000).

"It's my turn!" announced Lumis.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the Rare Hunter's hideout, some voices could be heard coming from one of the rooms.

"Come on, Mavis, keep it together!" came the voice of Emily.

"I'm trying!" Mavis's voice could be heard grunting. "But being at the bottom isn't easy, you know!"

Inside one of the rooms, Mavis was struggling at the bottom to try and hold Emily up on her (Mavis) shoulders so she (Emily) could try and reach a window.

"You've gained weight." The blonde-haired girl grunted in pain as she struggled.

"Quiet, I think I can...make it!" Emily replied, nearly reaching for a window.

Unfortunately, Mavis eventually gave in and fell down...taking her dark green-haired best friend with her.

*CRASH*

Emily had fallen down and landed on something soft, thus breaking her fall.

"Wow, that landing wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be." she smiled.

"Ow..." moaned a voice.

On the other hand... Emily looked down where she was sitting and saw that she had landed atop of her best friend.

"I'm so sorry, Mavis." Emily apologized, helping the blonde-haired girl back up. "Are you hurt?"

"Only my back and butt are." Mavis groaned, rubbing her sore spots.

Suddenly, the nearby door opened and a Rare Hunter appeared carrying a protesting Skiff.

"Let me go, you creeps!" he exclaimed.

The Rare Hunter replied by throwing the young boy into the room and closing the door. Emily and Mavis both ran over to see if he was okay.

"Skiff!" cried Emily.

"Are you okay?" added Mavis.

"I'm fine." said Skiff, just before seeing his two friends. "Oh, Emily! Mavis!"

"What do those creeps want with us?" asked Mavis.

"I don't know." The young boy admitted. "But I think we're bait."

"Bait?" asked Emily.

"For Thomas and my brother."

"But why?" Mavis asked. "What do these Rare Hunters want with them?"

"The Rare Hunters want the Egyptian God cards from the two." Skiff answered.

"Egyptian what?" Emily blinked.

"The most powerful cards in Duel Monsters." explained Skiff. "Spencer has Obelisk the Tormentor, and Thomas recently obtained Slifer the Sky Dragon."

Emily soon realized something. "Is this why your brother enforced the Ante rule for the tournament?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Skiff nodded. "He wanted to lure the Rare Hunters and take back the God cards they had stolen."

"Stolen?" Mavis quizzed.

Skiff explained to the two girls what Ishizu told him and Spencer.

"So this is why we're under the Rare Hunters' clutches." Emily thought to herself. "They will do anything to get their hands on those cards...and kill Thomas."

"Emily, are you feelings okay?" Mavis asked with concern.

"Not really." said the dark green-haired girl unhappily. "We have to find a way out and warn Thomas."

"What do you suggest we do?" Skiff asked.

Emily wished she had an answer.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the skyscraper, it was currently Lumis's turn.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Lumis (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (37)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Tribute Doll and Grand Tiki Elder

* * *

"I summon Grand Tiki Elder in attack mode!" The shorter Rare Hunter declared, holding up his card.

Appearing to the field was a monster wearing a Tiki Mask and robes (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Destroy a Kuriboh token now!" Lumis commanded.

Grand Tiki Elder obeyed, waving its arms and hitting a Kuriboh token with magic.

"Now you have only two left."

Thomas grunted and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : (37)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Sage's Stone, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Archfiend of Gilfer, Polymerization, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"Now you lose 500 life points!" reminded Lumis.

Thomas grimaced (LP: 3000), just before looking back at his drawn card.

"This might come in handy." he thought, before looking up. "Okay, Rare Hunters, I'll begin my turn by playing Pot of Greed. Letting me draw two more cards."

Thomas drew his cards and noticed what one of them was. It was Card Destruction.

"Card Destruction!"

Thomas looked at his hand carefully before deciding a move.

"I should have known better than to trust Spencer." he thought crossly. "He's so stubborn and ungrateful."

"Hmph!" huffed Spencer, breaking the blue-haired boy's thought. "What are you waiting for, Billinton? Make a play already! I just hope you're done messing up because I have a card in my hand that could win the game for us...but thanks to your earlier foul-ups, I can't play it. I guess it's better off in the graveyard."

Thomas, despite feeling a bit upset with his friend/rival, started to get the hint.

"Spencer WANTS his hand discarded." he thought. "I guess I now know what I must do." Finally Thomas spoke out loud. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

A large facedown card materialized behind Beta The Magnet Warrior.

"Not even going to summon a monster?" teased Umbra. "Guess you DO want to lose."

Thomas kept himself calm. He knew that the two Rare Hunters were just trying to rile him up.

"Here's where it ends!" Umbra declared, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Umbra (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (37)  
 **Current Hand** (5): The Illusionist Faceless Mage, The Masked Beast, Premature Burial, Token Eater(!), and Curse of the Masked Beast

* * *

"I play a Ritual Spell card!" He slotted his card into his Duel Disk. "Curse of the Masked Beast!"

The card materialized face-up.

"Now I will offer my monster and Lumis's monster to call forth the mighty Masked Beast!"

A large mask shaped cauldron with Torches appeared. Both of Lumis and Umbra's monsters were absorbed into the cauldron.

"Now Masked Beast-" shouted Umbra. "-come forth!"

A large centaur-like monster appeared (Level: 8/ATK: 3200).

"Next I'll play this Spell card." Umbra went on, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Token Eater!"

The card materialized behind The Masked Beast. Both Kuriboh tokens were eaten alive by large monster-like Fly Traps.

"My Kuriboh tokens!" cried Thomas, before seeing his life points take a hit (LP: 2000). "Why did my life points go down?!"

"My Spell card deals 500 points of damage to you for each tokens destroyed," explained Umbra.

Spencer cast a glance towards the blue-haired boy.

"Masked Beast!" commanded Umbra. "Attack Thomas directly and finish him off."

Thomas could only watch in horror and defeat as The Masked Beast charged towards him in an attempt to defeat him. However...

"Battle Ox, defend my teammate!"

The Battle Ox suddenly ran in and took the blow instead, destroying it.

"What happened?!" Umbra asked in shock.

Thomas was shocked by what happened, too.

"It was Spencer!" Lumis exclaimed.

Spencer just chuckled.

"Why'd you save him?" demanded Umbra.

"You forget; this is a tag team duel." The silver-haired boy replied coolly. "And my partner was in danger of losing."

Thomas smiled. "Thank you, Spencer."

"Don't misunderstand me." replied Spencer firmly. "I only did it to repay you and your Kuribohs for saving me." He then went into his thoughts. "Now you just need to repay the favor."

Lumis and Umbra were both very cross.

"This can't be!" argued Lumis. "We were informed that Spencer would be so stuck up he wouldn't even help someone else."

"You thought wrong!" Thomas replied, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Reveal facedown card, Card Destruction!"

The blue-haired boy's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Oh no!" Lumis exclaimed in horror.

"Our entire hands!" added Umbra.

"That's right." confirmed Thomas. "All of our hands go to the graveyard and we redraw from our decks the same number of cards we've discarded."

The four duelists discarded their hands and redrew.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Soul Exchange and The Flute of Summoning Dragon

* * *

"That's not all." Spencer added.

"There's more?" asked Umbra nervously.

"Yes, thanks to your Mask of Restrict I was unable to summon the monster I had in my previous hand... But now I can summon it!"

"But how?" Lumis demanded.

"I reveal my facedown Spell card!" announced Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Monster Reborn! With this, I can bring back the monster I discarded! My Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

A shadow image of Blue-Eyes White Dragon was shown letting out a roar. Light filled the area as Lumis and Umbra both screamed in horror as the sight.

"This can't be possible!" wailed Umbra.

"It is!" Thomas smiled.

"This is the price you pay for kidnapping my family to get to me!" Spencer shouted dramatically. "Now prepare to feel a wrath like none you've ever experienced before! Go, Blue-Eyes!"

The dragon finally showed itself and let out a massive roar. Spencer laughed maniacally as he pointed forth like he had ordered his dragon to attack.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	30. The Skyscraper Tag Duel (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up atop the skyscraper in the middle of Knapford City, Spencer was laughing triumphantly at his move.

"My Blue-Eyes has finally arrived!" he shouted.

It was true; the silver-haired boy had just managed to call upon one of his three beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon without a single tribute (and bypassing Mask of Restrict). Thomas was also smiling in triumph...while Lumis and Umbra were both shocked beyond belief that their two opponents had worked together like that to bring out a very powerful monster.

"You may have brought out your Blue-Eyes-" growled Lumis. "-but it's no match for our Masked Beast!"

This brought a slightly worried look onto Spencer's face. That was because he knew that the Rare Hunter had a point; Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Level: 8/ATK: 3000) was weaker than The Masked Beast (Level: 8/ATK: 3200).

"Your move was great, but still a waste of time!" added Umbra, smiling smugly.

However...

"Don't listen to them, Spencer." called Thomas. "Your dragon IS stronger than their own monster."

Spencer looked to his teammate/rival in complete surprise.

"What?! How can you be so sure?" he demanded.

Thomas merely smiled. "Why not attack their monster and find out?"

Spencer thought that the blue-haired boy had gone mad. Why on Earth would he want him to attack even though his monster was clearly the weaker one? Suddenly, he remembered something important from their first duel.

"Wait a second..."

A flashback to Thomas and Spencer's first duel began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

In Knapford park, Spencer had XYZ-Dragon Cannon on his side of the field, and Thomas had summoned Dark Magician.

"So you've manage to call out your ace monster." said Spencer. "Impressive move, but your monster's nothing compared to mine! XYZ-Dragon Cannon, destroy his Dark Magician!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon fired more plasma from its twin cannons, but Dark Magician twirled his staff and countered the blow with a blast of black magic. After a struggle for a few seconds, the magic pushed through and hit Spencer's monster, causing it to shatter.

"My Dragon Cannon has been destroyed!" cried Spencer. "But how? It had 300 more attack points than your magician!"

"Think again." retorted Thomas. "Remember my Archfiend of Gilfer you destroyed? Well, when it was sent to the graveyard, it weakened the attack points of one of your monsters by 500 points. And the only monster around at the time was your XYZ-Dragon Cannon. So that made it weak enough to be destroyed by my Dark Magician."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"If what I think Billinton did was true... then maybe I should attack." thought Spencer to himself

"You're an idiot if you dare to try and destroy our Masked Beast." said Umbra rudely. "Your Blue-Eyes is nothing short of pathetic!"

Bad move...

"Nobody calls my dragon pathetic and gets away with it!" roared Spencer out of anger. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack and destroy the Masked Beast with all your might! WHITE LIGHTNING ATTACK!"

Blue-Eyes obeyed and charged up its attack.

"What an idiot." snickered Lumis.

The attack was fired...and the Masked Beast was quickly destroyed by the blast. Everyone (except Thomas) was shocked again by the outcome...though Spencer managed to recover from the shock to gloat.

"Your Masked Beast has been beaten!" he said in triumph.

"But how?" gasped Umbra. "Our monster was stronger!"

"Think again, Rare Hunter - one of the cards I ended up discarding thanks to Card Destruction was Archfiend of Gilfer," explained Thomas. "When it's send to the graveyard by any means, it weakens one monster on your field and lowers its attack points by 500 points. And the only monster at the time was your Masked Beast, making it weak enough to be destroyed by Spencer's Blue-Eyes."

"I knew it." Spencer thought.

Umbra grunted as he took some damage from the attack (LP: 3700).

"Do you see now, Rare Hunters?" Thomas asked aloud. "Spencer and I can both work well together when we have to."

"Save the speech, Billinton." snapped Spencer. "Your move may have weakened their monster, but it was my Blue-Eyes who did all the work."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "Back to being stubborn." he thought.

* * *

 **Title: The Skyscraper Tag Duel, Part 3**

* * *

After a moment of silence, Lumis took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Lumis (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Card of Sanctity and Melchid the Four-Fact Beast

* * *

The shorter Rare Hunter quickly held out his drawn card for his opponents to see.

"With my Card of Sanctity Spell card, we all draw until we hold six cards in our hands."

Everyone drew their cards. With his new hand, Lumis knew what to do.

"It will be risky-" he thought. "-but it will get rid of that Blue-Eyes for sure."

Lumis placed a card facedown (sideways) onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I place this monster in defense mode." he said.

A facedown monster materialized, followed by two other facedown cards.

"Then I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"It's my turn." announced Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Dark Magician, Magic Formula, Mystical Refpanel, Black Luster Soldier, Exile of the Wicked, Alpha The Magnet Warrior, and De-Fusion

* * *

"Don't forget that Mask of the Accursed is still in play." Lumis pointed out.

Thomas lost 500 more life points (LP: 1500).

"I summon Alpha The Magnet Warrior in attack mode!" The blue-haired boy declared, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing to the field was the greenish magnet warrior (Level: 4/ATK: 1400/DEF: 1700).

"Now, I can either attack Umbra directly, or destroy Lumis's facedown monster." thought Thomas. "But what if it's a flip effect monster with a deadly ability?"

Lumis and Umbra both chuckled wickedly.

"I have to take a chance." Thomas thought, and then spoke aloud. "Alpha, attack Lumis's facedown monster!"

Lumis grimaced in response. "No, I need to use my cards on Spencer's Blue-Eyes!"

Alpha, meanwhile, jumped up into the sky and slashed its sword down on the facedown monster, revealing it to be Melchid the Four-Fact Beast before it faded away.

Umbra was cross. "Lumis, why didn't you use your facedown cards?! Are you trying to get us to lose?"

"I was saving them to use them on Spencer's Blue-Eyes!" objected Lumis.

Umbra seethed, but recovered soon enough.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside one of the rooms at the warehouse from Brendam Docks, Percy and Carlie were both making an escape plan.

"Come on, Percy!" Carlie called, reaching for the window. "Keep it steady for just a bit longer."

Down below, Percy was trying to stay up while the brown-haired girl stood on his shoulders.

"Don't worry." The green-haired boy strained. "I'm not gonna fall down anytime soon! ...I hope."

"I almost got it..." grunted Carlie, reaching her hands to the window.

Unfortunately...the nearby door opened up and a few Rare Hunters were shown.

"Stop them!" shouted one of them.

The surprise caused Percy to fall down by accident...but Carlie kept a good grip on the window and managed to climb out...but not before looking down it in worry.

"Percy!" she cried.

"I'll be okay!" Percy called out, while being taken away. "Go find help!"

Carlie nodded and jumped crawled out the window.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere on the highway, the limo was driving along peacefully. Inside...it was not so peaceful.

"And that's what happened." James finished telling his story.

"I can't believe they were going to kill you if you lost." gasped Edward.

"But he ended up winning and saving me." Molly interrupted.

"And check out the new cards I won." smiled James, holding them out.

It was Super Polymerization (Quick-Play Spell card) and Yubel (Effect Monster).

"How interesting..." Discord took hold of the cards and looked at them.

"I don't think I ever saw cards like those." said Matt.

"Me neither." agreed James R..

"I think I have." Zack said, looking at the two cars his father was holding onto.

"You actually saw these cards?" asked Gordon.

"I can't be sure, but if what I saw a few years ago is what I saw-" nodded Zack. "-then those must be the cards."

"Well, what do you now about them?" Henry asked.

Zack began his story.

(elsewhere...)

Back with Skiff, Emily, and Mavis inside their room in a warehouse at Brendam Docks. The girls had finished placing boxes carefully atop each other to reach the window.

"Are you sure this looks safe?" Skiff asked nervously.

"Trust us, Skiff." said Mavis calmly. "It'll be fine."

The three prisoners started to climb up the boxes...which wobbled, but remained standing.

"We're nearly there!" Emily smiled in triumph. "Nothing can go wrong!"

Bad move on her part... the nearby door opened on cue.

"Oh, oil slick." Mavis cursed.

Five Rare Hunters entered, and they were not happy at all.

"Hurry! They're trying to escape!" shouted one Rare Hunter. "Get them!"

"Oh bother!" cried Skiff.

The Rare Hunters started scaling the boxes, causing them to wobble much more heavily.

"Stop it!" cried Emily. "Too much weight will cause-"

Too late; the boxes all collapsed and caused Emily, Mavis, and the Rare Hunters to all fall down below...while Skiff managed to reach the window in time.

"Girls!" cried Skiff.

"Never mind us, Skiff!" called Mavis. "Find help!"

"Go!" added Emily, just as she as grabbed. "Hurry!"

"Let go of us!" snapped Mavis, just as she was grabbed too...but not in a spot she liked very much. "H-Hey, watch where you touch me, you perverted-"

"Shut it, now!" The Rare Hunter interrupted with a growl. "Our master has big plans for you two and your green-haired friend."

Skiff, unable to watch any longer, made an escape out the window. Down below in the harbor, the young boy roamed around trying to find a way out when he was suddenly grabbed by someone and pulled behind some crates.

"Hey!" Skiff shouted.

But he was relieved when the person who jumped him...was Carlie.

"Shh! It's just me, Skiff." said the brown-haired girl soothingly.

"Carlie?"

"Yes, it's me." Carlie nodded with a kind smile.

"What are you doing here?" asked Skiff.

"Percy helped me get out. And I'm guessing Emily and Mavis both freed you just now?"

"We have to get out of here and find Thomas and Spencer." Skiff said unhappily.

"You're right." nodded Carlie. "And hopefully before it's too late."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the skyscraper, Thomas was finishing his turn.

"Now I place one card facedown and end my turn." he said, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized between the two Magnet Warriors.

"My turn!" announced Umbra, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Umbra (LP: 3700)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Mask of Impregnability, Rogue Doll, Tribute Doll, Masked Beast Des Gardius, Shining Abyss, Masked Doll, and Chosen One

* * *

His card was a Spell card called Chosen One.

"Now I summon Rogue Doll in attack mode!" The devil-masked Rare Hunter continued, placing another card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The purple cloaked doll appeared to his side of the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000).

"Heh, running out of moves are you?" Spencer smirked. "Well then, this will be much easier than I though."

Thomas, however, wasn't so sure...

"Why would he play a weaker monster like that?" he thought, before realizing something. "Lumis's facedown cards!"

"Rogue Doll, attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" commanded Umbra.

Rouge Doll obeyed, charging at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Your funeral." muttered Spencer.

Unfortunately, Lumis was up. "Time to activate the card which will allow Rogue Doll to win!" he yelled. "Go Trap card, Mask of Weakness!"

The first facedown card of his flipped up and revealed itself.

"This Trap card will weaken your Blue-Eyes's attack points by 700 points!" explained Lumis.

A large mask appeared on Blue-Eyes White Dragon, making it weaker (ATK: 3000 - 2300).

"My Blue-Eyes!" cried Spencer.

"While this may have weakened your dragon, it is still stronger." Lumis added, poking another button on his Duel Disk. "But this set card will change that! Go Mask of Brutality!"

A second copy of the mentioned Spell card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Now I will equip this to my partner's Rogue Doll! ...raising its attack strength by 1000 points!"

Rogue Doll gained a mask of a sort (ATK: 1600 - 2600).

"Destroy Blue-Eyes now!" commanded Umbra.

Rogue Doll continued to attack while Spencer could only watch in horror. A cloud of dust and smoke filled the top of the skyscraper. When it cleared...there was a purple-skinned fairy wearing a white gown and carrying a large mirror.

"What!?" cried both Lumis and Umbra at once.

"I activate Mystical Refpenal!" said Thomas. "This allows me to use your own Spell against you!"

The smoke fully cleared...and shows Blue-Eyes White Dragon now wearing the green mask (ATK: 2300 - 3300).

"Now Blue-Eyes is stronger than Rogue Doll!" Umbra panicked.

"Got that right!" sneered Spencer. "Counterattack with all your might, my dragon! White Lightning!"

Blue-Eyes obeyed, firing a blast of White Lighting and destroyed Rogue Doll.

"Billinton saved both me and my dragon again!" thought Spencer. "My Blue-Eyes would have been wiped out if he didn't use his Trap card. I guess Billinton was right all along... I might need his help to win this duel and save my little brother."

Umbra was mad (LP: 2000). "Look what you've done, Lumis!"

"How was that my fault?" objected Lumis. "I didn't know Thomas would use that card!"

"Still, thanks to your bumbling, I almost lost 2000 life points!" snapped Umbra.

Thomas watched the two Rare Hunters argue and fell into his thoughts.

"It looks like those two don't trust each other anymore." he thought. "This could be the advantage Spencer and I need."

Angrily, Umbra took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn!" The Rare Hunter huffed.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere at Brendam Docks, Percy was being lead by some Rare Hunters to a new room in the warehouse.

"Where are you guys taking me?!" The green-haired boy demanded.

"You'll see." said a Rare Hunter sneakily.

"You'd better let me friends will find where I am, and when they do you'll all be toast!"

"Don't be sure, boy." said a calm, collected voice.

Percy sound himself standing before Odion.

"W-Who are you?" The green-haired boy asked in a frightened tone.

"My name is Marik." replied Odion. "I am the leader of the Rare Hunters."

Suddenly, Percy got angry. "So you're the one who's been trying to kill Thomas!" he shouted. "What do you want with me?"

Odion held up the Millennium Rod in response. Suddenly, the real Marik was shown secretly hiding behind the nearby wall (unseen) with the REAL Millennium Rod in hand.

"Come under my control, Percy Avonside." The Rare Hunter leader thought with an evil smile.

As hard as Percy tried to fight it, he eventually succumbed to the Rod's power. His eyes immediately became blank and soulless.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the skyscraper, Spencer drew his card.

"Stand back!" The silver-haired boy sounded mad.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Soul Exchange, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Negate Attack, Obelisk the Tormentor, Vampire Lord, Absorb Spell, and Final Attack Orders

* * *

"Blue-Eyes, attack Umbra directly with White Lightning!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and charged up and fired off a blast of white lightning. Thomas watched on with concern.

"He's letting anger get the best of him!" he thought. "So much, that's he's ignoring that facedown card."

As expected...

"I reveal my facedown card!" exclaimed Umbra, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Mask of Impregnability!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This will protect my life points from direct attacks for the remainder of this turn!"

Thomas grimaced. "Spencer had attacked without even thinking."

Spencer, however, merely scoffed. The silver-haired boy seemed to have a plan up his sleeve...

"Oh really?" he asked in a snooty tone. "Then tell me, Umbra; what would you have done if I attacked Lumis instead?"

Lumis looked up. "Huh?"

"Would you have used that card to protect Lumis, or would you have let him take damage?" continued the silver-haired boy. "From the look on your face, it would seem you would have left your partner to get hurt."

Lumis started to get angry at hearing this. "Y-You...!"

Spencer, of course, continued. "Take my advice, Lumis; don't rely on teamwork to win tag team duels. Teammates would only slow you down. In the end, only you and you alone are the one who can win a duel."

Umbra gasped upon hearing Spencer's speech and looked to his teammate hastily.

"Don't listen to him! Of course I would have used my Spell card to protect you!"

Thomas was impressed. "He's trying to turn them against each other." he thought, grinning.

Lumis thought about what Spencer had said, and got even angrier about it.

"Spencer Gresley's right!" he snapped at last. "I can't trust anyone but myself."

"Oh, what are you complaining about?" asked Umbra angrily. "Even IF he had attacked and I didn't use my facedown, you'd still have at least 1000 life points left. I've only got 2000, so who do you think has the better chance to lose?"

"Shut up!" shouted Lumis. "My turn!"

Spencer smiled to himself. "Perfect."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the limo on the highway, Zack had finished telling everyone about Yubel and Super Polymerization the best he could.

"And that's pretty much it." said Zack.

"Wow." commented Henry. "Those are two rare cards."

"Not to mention powerful." Gordon added.

"I'm sure they'll be useful to you, James." said Edward.

"I bet." The red-haired boy agreed with a grin.

Suddenly, Discord took a card out of his coat pocket and handed it over to James.

"Take this." he said.

"What's this?" asked James, taking the card.

"Just take a good look at it, James-boy." smiled Discord.

James did was he was told and gasped.

"Whoa..."

The others looked at the card and were amazed as well.

"What...is it?" asked Gordon.

"Did you make that card, Dad?" asked James R..

Discord nodded proudly. "I sure did."

The card was a fusion monster called Neos Wiseman.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the warehouse at Brendam Docks, Mavis and Emily were both tie to a chair near the entrance way.

"Let us go, you creeps!" shouted Mavis.

Suddenly, walking from the shadows...was Percy.

"Percy!" Emily exclaimed in relief. "Thank goodness you're safe!"

"Untie us so we can get out of here!" added Mavis.

Percy didn't say anything.

"Percy? Earth to Percy!" called Emily. "Are you in there?"

The green-haired boy still didn't say a word.

"Answer us!" demanded Mavis. "This isn't funny, Percy!"

Finally, Percy looked up...his eyes as dull and empty as ever.

"I am not that fool, Percy." he said a mixture of two voices.

Mavis and Emily both gasped. It was also then Odion showed himself.

"Your friend is under my control." The Rare Hunter second-in-command said, raising the Millennium Rod up. "And now the same shall happen to both of you."

In a corner in the back of the room, the real Marik held up the real Millennium Rod up.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the warehouse, Emily and Mavis both let out a huge scream.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the skyscraper, Lumis took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Lumis (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Pot of Greed, Melchid the Four-Fact Beast, Tri-Horned Dragon, and Masked Doll

* * *

"I play Pot of Greed!" he said, holding his card out. "I draw two more cards!"

He drew two cards from his deck. He added both Chosen One and Card Exchange to his hand...looking rather displeased.

"There's nothing in my hand strong enough to defeat those two." he thought unhappily. Lumis then looked over to Spencer, who's Blue-Eyes White Dragon let out another roar in a threatening tone. "And I'm also under the threat of a Blue-Eyes attack! There is no way I'm gonna use these useless cards."

Sighing, the shorter Rare Hunter took one and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"I place one card facedown." Lumis said, before smiling and holding up another card. "And then I'll play Card Exchange!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This allows me to trade hands with one player." he explained, before pointing to his teammate. "And I choose Umbra!"

"What?!" Umbra shouted in outrage.

Lumis walked over. "Well, if you're not gonna use your cards to help me, then I'll just take them for myself."

Angrily, Umbra gave Lumis his hand.

"Here!"

Lumis gave his teammate his own hand, and then looked back over to both Thomas and Spencer.

"Now I'll reveal my facedown card!" he smirked some more.

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Chosen One!"

"What does that do?" asked Thomas.

"I'll show you." Lumis replied, placing three cards facedown on monster field slots on his Duel Disk. "But first I must place three cards facedown."

Three facedown cards appeared in a circle, followed by a machine of sort in the center of the three cards.

"This roulette will now choose one of the three cards on my field." Lumis explained. "If the machine chooses a Spell or Trap card, all three cards are destroyed."

"And if it's a monster?" asked Thomas, dreading the answer.

"Then I'll be able to summon it while ignoring the summoning conditions! Now go!"

The roulette began.

"Those are my cards you're risking!" Umbra growled. "If this fails, we'll both lose on Spencer's next turn!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to make." replied Lumis seriously.

The roulette started to slow down...and it landed on the center card.

"It worked!" shouted Lumis in glee, giggling wickedly as the card started to rise up. "Chosen One has selected our ultimate monster!"

The card was shown to be an effect monster with a star level of 8. Suddenly, some red claw marks slashed through the card.

"Now I summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

Out of the card came a huge creature with three masked heads (Level: 8/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2500).

"Meet the instrument of your demises!" laughed the shorter Rare Hunter.

"That thing is more powerful than my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" gasped Spencer.

"We're in big trouble now." Thomas sweated nervously.

"Well, maybe I was wrong after all..." said Umbra happily. "You were able to get us out of our jam just like that."

"Now, who should I destroy first?" asked Lumis teasingly. "Thomas only has his puny two Magnet Warriors, which are practically sitting ducks. But then there's Spencer and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"It doesn't matter who you choose." replied Umbra. "We'll win this duel very soon."

Thomas looked to his current (poor) hand in worry.

"They're both right..." he thought. "I haven't much useful cards in my hand except for Exile of the Wicked... But if he attacks any of my Magnet Warriors immediately, it'll be all over for me."

"As of this point, you both might as well forget about ever trying to rescue your friends from our rein!" shouted Lumis. "They all belong to Master Marik now!"

The Masked Beast Des Gardius towered over the two chosen duelists menacingly. Can Thomas and Spencer both win together? Or was Lumis right, and that it was all over for them?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	31. The Skyscraper Tag Duel (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up somewhere in Knapford, Skiff and Carlie were both on the run from the Rare Hunters chasing after them.

"You both can run, but you both can't hide from us!" taunted a Rare Hunter.

As the two escaped prisoners ran, Skiff wasn't watching where he was going and accidentally ran into a bunch garbage can, causing him to fall down as the garbage cans scattered about.

"Skiff!" Carlie cried, and ran over to help her young friend back up. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." groaned Skiff.

"You won't be for much longer..." laughed the voice of a Rare Hunter from nearby.

"Oh no..." came from a worried Skiff.

The four Rare Hunters approached the two escaped prisoners. Carlie bravely stood up and faced her enemies on her own.

"Get out of here, Skiff." she ordered. "I'll stay behind and hold these jokers off."

"No way!" Skiff protested. "I'm not leaving you!"

"GO NOW!"

Skiff reluctantly obeyed and raced off without another argument.

"I hope she knows what she's doing." he thought.

Carlie bravely faced the Rare Hunters as she activated her Duel Disk.

"You like picking on those smaller than you?" she asked harshly, drawing a card. "Well maybe this will teach you a lesson. I summon Rose Tentacles!"

"Heh, what hope could a weak little girl like you do to big, strong men like us?" mocked a Rare Hunter.

"What a pathetic loser!" laughed another Rare Hunter.

Carlie suddenly had a burning purple aura (rather than a dark aura) around her body as a look of severe anger melted onto her face. So those Rare Hunters would dare to call her names like that? That was the poorest, and last, decision they've made just now.

"You're going to regret ever saying that to me!" The brown-haired girl roared, just as the huge plant-like creature appeared behind her.

Suddenly, the plant reached out with its vines and grabbed the Rare Hunters (because the plant monster was now real), who screamed in terror from being grabbed and squeezed by the...tentacle thing.

"Let us down! Let us down!" wailed the Rare Hunters.

Carlie just kept her cold, angry look as the purple aura started to fade away from her. Once it did, Rose Tentacles faded away as well and dropped the Rare Hunters.

"Run!" cried one of them, scampering away.

"That girl is evil!" yelled another Rare Hunter.

The other Rare Hunters raced away as fast as they could. Yup, that was a very scary moment for them indeed. They were not going after Carlie again anytime soon. Speaking of whom, the brown-haired girl, now calmed down, turned around and ran off before more Rare Hunters could come after her.

* * *

 **Title: The Skyscraper Tag Duel, Part 4**

* * *

Back atop the big skyscraper, things were not too good for Thomas or Spencer. Why not? Well let's see... Lumis had managed to special summoned the Masked Beast Des Gardius (Level: 8/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2500) from using a Spell card called Chosen One.

"You two are done!" said Lumis in triumph. "The only question is who do I take out first..."

He shifted his eyes from Thomas's field to Spencer's field.

"The smartest thing to do would be to wipe out Thomas first."

Thomas merely grunted. His field only contained a masked Beta The Magnet Warrior and Alpha The Magnet Warrior.

"Wait a second!" Umbra spoke up.

"What is it, Umbra?" sighed Lumis.

"We should destroy Spencer's Blue-Eyes first." objected Umbra. "That way he won't have his strongest monster to protect him."

"Unfortunately, this is my monster and I will use it as how I please!" Lumis grunted.

Umbra was outrage. "We're suppose to be a team!"

"Enough! It's my turn, and I will make the decision!" The shorter Rare Hunter then looked over to Thomas dangerously. "Masked Beast Des Gardius, attack Thomas's Alpha The Magnet Warrior with your-"

Umbra interrupted. "You're making a big mistake in leaving that Blue-Eyes out!"

"Shut up, Umbra! I know what I am doing."

The two Rare Hunters argued until, suddenly, Spencer closed his eyes and smiled very smugly.

"How pathetic." he said.

Lumis and Umbra both stopped arguing and looked to the silver-haired boy in confusion.

"What?!" They both quizzed, but mostly Lumis.

"Sending your monster to destroy another one that weak when I've got my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon." mocked Spencer. "Even if you defeat Billinton, that would leave me free to finish Umbra off on my next turn."

"Are you calling me a coward?" seethed Lumis.

Spencer laughed coldly. "If the shoe fits a shrimp like you."

Lumis was very cross...mostly over being called a shrimp.

"Fine then..." he huffed. "Masked Beast Des Gardius, attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon instead!"

Masked Beast Des Gardius obeyed and slashed at the Blue-Eyes White Dragon with its claws. The might dragon roared in agony before exploding into a cloud of smoke and dust.

"So much for your big and powerful Blue-Eyes!" smirked Lumis.

Spencer closed his eyes in shame (LP: 1800).

"Spencer..." said Thomas quietly, feeling bad for his teammate.

"Billinton better not make me regret saving him." thought Spencer bitterly, before opening his eyes and speaking aloud. "Avenge my Blue-Eyes, Billinton!"

"I will!" Thomas nodded, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Dark Magician, Magic Formula, Black Luster Soldier, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, and Gamma The Magnet Warrior

* * *

"Don't forget you lose 500 more life points from Mask of the Accursed!" Lumis spoke up.

"I know, but this duel is almost over, anyway." Thomas replied (LP: 1000), as he placed his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Now I summon Gamma The Magnet Warrior in attack mode!"

The pink magnetic warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1800).

"What good will that thing do?" asked Lumis mockingly. "You forget that as long as Mask of Restrict is in play, you cannot tribute your monsters to summon stronger ones."

"You're about to see how wrong you are." grinned Thomas. "When Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are together, they can merge into something far more powerful!"

"What?!" cried Lumis.

"Is he serious?" added Umbra.

"Magnet Warriors!" commanded Thomas. "Break apart and combine!"

The three Magnet Warriors each came apart, rose into the sky, and starting merging together... In addition, this destroyed Mask of the Accursed in the process.

"I give you Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!"

The combined form of the three Magnet Warriors lowered down until it was touching the glass rooftop (Level: 8/ATK: 3500/DEF: 3850).

"That thing is even stronger than my monster!" wailed Lumis.

Spencer, meanwhile, was pleased.

"Looks like Billinton didn't take my Blue-Eyes's sacrifice in vain." he thought to himself.

Thomas looked back at his hand.

"If I use Exile of the Wicked-" he thought. "-I can destroy Des Gardius more easily and then mount a direct attack on either Lumis or Umbra."

Suddenly, Lumis and Umbra both smirked to themselves...and Thomas noticed this.

"But...now they're smiling." The blue-haired boy thought on. "But why is that? Are they...expecting me to attack or something? If so, then Des Gardius must have an effect or something... but what is it?"

"What are you waiting for Billinton?!" snapped Spencer. "Avenge my Blue-Eyes, now!"

Thomas sighed, taking another card from his hand.

"I place one card facedown." he said, sliding a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Spencer, I know you're angry about the loss of your dragon, but you need to get a grip on it."

"What did you say-?" Spencer growled.

"The key to winning lie in your own hand." The blue-haired boy went on. "You'll know when the time comes."

Spencer responded by looking to his current hand.

"He's right." he thought, looking at one of the cards in his hand. "...Obelisk the Tormentor."

It was true - for one of the cards the silver-haired boy drew from Card Destruction earlier was his Egyptian God card.

"All I need to do is summon you, and it will be over for those fools." But Spencer frowned and looked over to Lumis's side of the field and remembered one little detail... "But they have that Mask of Restrict card out." he thought. "With it on the field, I can't tribute any monsters...unless."

Spencer spotted the Soul Exchange card in his hand.

"Thomas-" he said, a rare moment of calling his rival by his actual name. "-go ahead and attack them."

"What?" asked Thomas in surprise.

"Trust me." Spencer continued. "We can win this duel."

Thomas smiled, and then looked to his monster.

"Valkyrion, attack the Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

Valkyrion the Magna Warrior obeyed, charging at Masked Beast Des Gardius and slashing it with its sword.

"Your monster has fallen!" Thomas declared.

Masked Beast Des Gardius was destroyed... but Lumis and Umbra both merely laughed.

"You've just sealed your fate!" Lumis declared (LP: 3800).

"What do you mean by that?" asked Thomas.

His question was answered when he noticed Masked Beast Des Gardius's three masks were on the ground.

"When you destroyed my monster-" Lumis explained. "-it left behind the dreaded mask of Remnant... which equips itself to the monster that destroyed Des Gardius and giving control of the monster in question to me!"

The three masks merged together into one and attached itself to Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, taking it over to Lumis's side of the field.

"I should have know." Thomas groaned.

Spencer didn't look very worried.

"Now here is where it ends for one of you." said Umbra, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Umbra (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Melchid the Four-Fact Beast, Tri-Horned Dragon, Masked Doll, and Masquerade

* * *

He readied his drawn card.

"I'll take care of Thomas this turn." The taller Rare Hunter said to his teammate. "You finish off Spencer on your turn. Understand?"

"Right!" Lumis nodded.

Umbra then held out his drawn card. "I play the Spell card Masquerade!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This allows me to take control of one monster on the field equipped with a 'Mask' Equip Spell." explained Umbra. "That means Valkyrion goes to me for the rest of the turn!"

Valkyrion the Magna Warrior was transferred over to the taller Rare Hunter's side of the field.

"Attack your former master now!" commanded Umbra.

"Don't celebrate just yet." Thomas interrupted with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" asked demon-masked Rare Hunter, looking confused.

"I reveal my facedown card!" announced the blue-haired boy, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "De-Fusion!"

Thomas's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. Valkyrion the Magna Warrior disappeared and in its place was Alpha The Magnet Warrior, Beta The Magnet Warrior, and Gamma The Magnet Warrior. The three Magnet Warriors were each rather confused as to why they were on the Rare Hunter's field and not Thomas's.

"But isn't Valkyrion suppose to be an effect monster?" Lumis protested.

"Yes, but Valkyrion is also part fusion monster, too." Thomas pointed out. "Meaning that De-Fusion does indeed work on it."

"Check the rule book if you don't believe us." added Spencer. "And since your attack has failed, your turn is all over."

He then drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1800)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Soul Exchange, Negate Attack, Obelisk the Tormentor, Vampire Lord, Absorb Spell, Final Attack Orders, and Command Silencer

* * *

"And some worse news for you two... I've found a way past your Mask of Restrict card."

Lumis gasped. "But how?!"

"Explain yourself!" Umbra demanded.

"Your Trap card prevents us from sacrificing our own monsters." said Spencer. "...but it says absolutely nothing about sacrificing your own monsters!" With that said, he took out a Spell card and held it out towards them. "I activate Soul Exchange!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now I can take any number of monsters you control and put them under my control and tribute them for a new monster!"

Lumis and Umbra both did not like the sound of that one bit, because they knew exactly what was coming.

"Lumis, do something!" panicked Umbra.

"What CAN I do?" protested Lumis. "If Spencer calls out Obelisk, we'll both have no chance at winning the duel!"

"I sacrifice your three Magnet Warriors in order to summon the Egyptian God Obelisk the Tormentor!" announced Spencer.

Alpha The Magnet Warrior, Beta The Magnet Warrior, and Gamma The Magnet Warrior each vanished into a forming pink tornado. Spencer started to smile savagely at the build of power in the tornado.

"I've warned you two clowns."

Lumis and Umbra both screamed in horror as the tornado stormed into the sky. Spencer pointed forth dramatically as a huge blue monster (Obelisk the Tormentor) started to rise from behind the skyscraper.

"And now, it's time for both of you to experience the power of a life time...from the Egyptian Gods themselves!" The silver-haired boy thundered before laughing demonically.

Obelisk the Tormentor soon fully appeared atop the skyscraper (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere at Brendam Docks, Marik was relaxing aboard his private boat when he suddenly sat up on his bed and sensed something strange.

"It feels as though an Egyptian God card has been played..." The Rare Hunter leader said to himself.

Marik clearly had no idea how right he was.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the skyscraper, Lumis and Umbra both stared in complete disbelief that their opponents were able to summon an Egyptian God monster even though Mask of Restrict was still in play.

"It's payback time for all that you've done!" Spencer yelled gleefully. "Obelisk, attack Umbra directly!"

Obelisk the Tormentor obeyed, charging its fist and punching Umbra with it. The Rare Hunter yelled in pain and horror as his life points were depleted (LP: 0).

"UMBRA!" cried out Lumis.

The Fist of Fate attack was so powerful that it rocked the whole entire skyscraper from top-to-bottom... but when it stopped, all was now quiet.

"Umbra! Umbra!" called Lumis. "Are you okay?"

The taller Rare Hunter was lying on the ground wearily. Spencer kept the sinister grin on his face.

"He's fine...for now." he said. "But didn't you forget one minor detail before our duel began?"

Spencer was right... As Umbra's life points had hit zero, the explosive box under his square started to countdown to 0!

"No! The box will explode and take me-" Umbra thought in panic.

Upon hitting zero...

 ***BOOM!***

The box exploded and shattered the glass under Umbra's feet and sending him falling down screaming in dread.

"UMBRA!" screamed Lumis in horror for his partner and friend's safety.

As he fell, Umbra pulled a cord from the sleeve of his cloak and a parachute opened up.

"Safe..." he whispered quietly.

The parachute soon got caught on a pole in the middle of the building, while Umbra was now unconscious (likely due to the shock). Up above, Thomas saw everything.

"A parachute?" he thought bitterly. "I guess I should have known there would be a few tricks from you Rare Hunters." The blue-haired boy then spoke out loud in the most dark of deadpan tones. "Some ' ** _Death Match_** ' this turned out to be!"

Lumis glanced over to Thomas and Spencer in fright, but was too scared to say anything.

"The wise thing to do now would be surrender." said Thomas firmly. "Unless you wish for the same fate as your friend."

"Forget him surrendering!" snapped Spencer. "My anger will not be satisfied until this little shrimp has had a taste of Obelisk's power, too!"

"Please don't hurt me!" Lumis practically cowered, dropping on his knees.

"Now you'll pay for kidnapping Skiff!"

Just before Spencer could order Obelisk the Tormentor to attack again (which would be an illegal move), Thomas stepped in and stopped him.

"Don't do something you'll regret, Spencer!"

"Out of the way, Billinton!" demanded Spencer.

Before anything more could happen, a loud yell from Lumis was heard, and the two rivals turned around and noticed it happen.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Spencer.

"No, master!" begged Lumis as he gripped his head. "Don't be angry! We tried our very best!"

"It's happening again!" Thomas said with wide eyes. "And that means..."

Suddenly, Lumis had the Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead.

"Greetings, Thomas Billinton and Spencer Gresley." said Lumis (with a mixture of his and Marik's voice).

"Marik!" exclaimed Thomas. "Where are my friends?"

"Heh heh heh, now that isn't nice." chuckled Marik. "I'm just here to congratulate you both on defeating Lumis and Umbra."

"Cut the rubbish act out!" Spencer shouted.

"Let our friends go!" Thomas added.

"All in due time." Lumis (possessed) retorted. "But I must say... three of your good friends, Thomas, are most excellent mind slaves. Now, what were their names again?"

Thomas dreaded the answer so very much, but what Marik said next pretty much made his blood run cold...

"Ah yes, Percy, Emily, and Mavis."

The blue-haired boy gasped in complete horror, but mostly when Marik mentioned the names of the first two.

"No... not Percy and Emily..."

Spencer looked just as shocked. Lumis (possessed) only laughed cruelly at his enemy's stunned reaction.

"That means if you want to get to me-" said Lumis (possessed) wickedly. "-you'll have to get through them first. Good luck finding them though..."

"You're a coward..." Thomas seethed in anger. "Why not show yourself and face me directly instead of getting your mind slaves to do your dirty work?!"

"Now where would the fun be in doing that?" The image of Marik snickered teasingly.

Spencer lost all patience with the Rare Hunter leader and grabbed Lumis by the collar of his robe.

"Tell us where they are right now!" he demanded.

"And why should I do that?" Lumis (possessed) asked once more. "Maybe they'll come and find you instead."

Spencer was about to thrash the shorter Rare Hunter when Thomas separated the two.

"Save your breath and anger, Spencer." The blue-haird boy said harshly. "Marik has no intention of freeing or telling where our friends."

Finally, Marik released control over Lumis, and the Rare Hunter collapsed. Thomas remained in his thoughts over the matter...

"No matter what you do, Marik-" he thought to himself. "-we will find and save our friends from your evil hands."

Spencer walked over and picked up the Locator cards Lumis and Umbra had both dropped, tossing one to Thomas.

"Now we both have six Locator cards." The silver-haired boy pointed out. "This means we both qualify for the Battle City Finals."

From there, he began searching Lumis's deck for a rare card.

"I don't care about the tournament right now." Thomas stated heatedly and such. "All I care about is finding where Marik's hideout is so I can rescue Percy, Emily, and Mavis from him."

Spencer didn't say a word, and instead pocketed the card he took from Lumis as part of the Ante rule of the tournament.

"Don't forget about my brother, Skiff." said Spencer quietly.

Just then, they both heard the whirling of helicopter blades.

"A helicopter?" Thomas blinked. "Isn't that one of the ones from your family's company, Spencer?"

"It is." The silver-haired boy nodded, before his eyes widened. "You don't think...?"

The doors to the helicopter opened...

"Thomas! Big brother!" called Skiff, exiting the helicopter. "I'm so glad to have found you both!"

"It's Skiff!" Thomas exclaimed.

"How did you escape?" asked Spencer.

"Emily and Mavis helped me." explained Skiff. "They're both at Brendam Docks with Percy. Carlie escaped too, but she stayed to fight off the Rare Hunters."

The helicopter landed on the nearby helipad, which allowed the two teenage boys to run over.

"We have to get there as soon as possible." said Thomas seriously.

"Do you know the way over there?" Spencer asked Skiff.

"Of course I do." confirmed Skiff, nodding. "I have a map."

"Good." smiled Spencer, before looking to Thomas with a stern look. "Get in."

A few minutes later, Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff were flying in the helicopter through the city.

(elsewhere...)

Back down at the limo, it was still driving along the highway when it suddenly made a screeching stop and startling the passengers.

"What happened?" Ben asked.

Discord rolled down the window to the front seat of the vehicle.

"What's wrong?" he asked sternly.

"Just...look up ahead, sir." said the driver in fear.

Discord looked ahead at what the driver was talking about.

"Good heavens!" he cried.

Standing ahead on the highway...were tons of Rare Hunters... Michael quickly noticed this and became alarmed.

"Rare Hunters!" he exclaimed. "How did they find us?"

"Never mind that!" argued James R., putting on his Duel Disk and smirking. "Let's go teach those jerks a lesson they'll never forget!"

"I'm with you, man." agreed James, putting on his own Duel Disk.

"Save some action for me, kids." Discord even put on a Duel Disk and inserted his deck.

"Let's do it!" Matt commanded, readying his Duel Disk.

This is gonna be brutal. Am I right?

(elsewhere...)

Back with the helicopter flying over the city, Thomas looked out the window in worry for his friends' safety.

"Hang on, guys." he said to himself. "We're coming!"

And the helicopter flew off into the distance. Can Thomas reach the harbor and stop Marik? Or is he too late to save his friends? We'll find out very soon...


	32. Countdown to Destruction (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in the skies above the city of Knapford, a helicopter belonging to Boxford Corp was flying around.

"We should be there in a few minutes." The voice of Skiff stated.

Inside the helicopter, Thomas and Spencer both nodded to the young boy.

"I hope Percy, Emily, and Mavis are not hurt." The blue-haired boy whispered.

"I'm sure they are." Spencer reassured. "Either way, I have a score to settle with those Rare Hunter punks myself."

Thomas raised an eyebrow as the silver-haired boy continued to speak.

"Nobody kidnaps my little brother and gets away with it."

A few minutes later, Skiff saw something... "We're here!"

He was right. The two duelists could see Brendam Docks down below.

"Shall we land, sir?" asked the pilot.

"They could be expecting us." Skiff pointed out. "Land us outside of the harbor. We'll head over there by foot."

"At once, sir."

The helicopter soon lowered onto the ground. Getting out, Thomas was ready for whatever Marik had to throw at him.

* * *

 **Title: Countdown to Destruction, Part 1**

* * *

A few minutes later, Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff were walking slowly into the area.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here." Skiff commented. "Where is everyone?"

"Hello?" called Thomas. "Percy? Mavis? Emily? We're here to rescue you guys!"

"Be quiet!" hissed Spencer. "You wanna let the Rare Hunters know we're here?"

"Well excuse me for being concerned for my friends." snapped Thomas.

Before Thomas and Spencer could start arguing, Skiff spotted something up ahead.

"Look over there!" he cried.

Two teenagers stood near a warehouse. One was a 14-year old boy with bright green hair, and the other was a beautiful 15-year old girl with long dark green (almost emerald) colored hair. In an instant, Thomas knew who they were.

"Percy! Emily!" he exclaimed, running forth.

"Billinton!" called Spencer, following close behind.

"Wait for me!" added Skiff, also following behind.

As soon as Thomas was close enough to the two teens, he smiled at his best of friends.

"I'm so glad you're safe." The blue-haird boy said happily.

Suddenly, Emily turned around and slapped Thomas across the face. As the blue-haired boy staggered back and clutched his cheek, he could see that something was seriously wrong. Percy and Emily's eyes were dull and their faces had no expressions.

"Oh no." said Thomas quietly. "Marik's taken over their minds!"

Percy (possessed) snickered quietly. "Quiet right, Pharaoh." he said.

"We've been waiting for you." added Emily (possessed).

On cue, several Rare Hunters came storming into the area...with a possessed Mavis leading them.

"We're trapped!" said Skiff in fear.

"Let my friends go from your control, Marik!" demanded Thomas. "Face me in person if you want me dead so badly!"

Mavis (possessed) merely gave a cruel laugh. "Face you in person? That's exactly what Master Marik is doing! ...by getting you to face your own friends!"

"But why possess Mavis?" Thomas asked. "She's not even a duelist!"

"Maybe not, but once you and Spencer follow me to the arena, everything will be come clear."

"Come on, you guys-" begged Thomas. "-snap out of it! You're not Marik's puppets! You have to fight his power!"

But his words were ignored. The three possessed teenagers lead Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff to a docking with a large hole in the center.

"This is the duel arena." Mavis (possessed) explained. "This is where your final duel ever will take place."

"Against me." smirked Percy (possessed), raising his left arm (with the Duel Disk).

"And I will face the head of the Battle City tournament." Emily (possessed) added, now wearing a Duel Disk of her own.

"What reason do I have to duel you?" demanded Spencer.

"You have something Master Marik wants." said Mavis (possessed). "And if he has to send one of Thomas's friends after you to get it - then so be it."

"This is nuts!" Skiff complained. "Spencer, you can't let these guys get away with it!"

Spencer remained in his thoughts over this situation.

"Marik's that desperate to get his hands on the remaining Egyptian Gods." he thought. "Even if someone has to die...and I can't allow it."

"Come on!" demanded Emily (possessed). "Duel me, right now!"

Finally, the silver-haired boy spoke up in a very official tone... "As the head of the Battle City tournament-" he said seriously. "-I declare that these duels are illegal and to be cancelled!"

"Heh! I had a feeling you would be against my fun, Spencer." said Percy (possessed). "Which is why I had a backup plan."

He looked over to Mavis (possessed), who nodded and walked over to a nearby chair with loads of mechanical straps.

"In case you've forgotten when I said everything would be clear when you followed us here, this is what I meant!"

The blonde-haired girl sat down in the chair and allowed a few Rare Hunters to strap her in.

"Now look up above my head." Mavis (possessed) continued.

The two teenage boys looked and, to their shock, saw a huge container suspended up a crane.

"Should you attempt to stop the duel-" smirked Mavis (possessed). "-I'll have one of my Rare Hunters press a button on that device in his hand, and... well, you likely know what will happen."

"You snake, Marik!" thundered Thomas in anger.

Spencer, likewise, was furious, too. "Then it looks like I have no other alternative." he muttered in defeat. "I'll duel, too."

"I knew you'd see things our way." said Emily (possessed) smugly.

But regardless of the situation, the silver-haired boy kept a smirk on his face.

"But do you honestly think you stand a chance against me? My deck is one of the most powerful decks in existence. I'll mop the floor with you within five minutes."

"If you're so confident, then come with me to our duel arena." remarked Emily (possessed), motioning an index finger.

Spencer and Emily both proceeded to a second dock with a large hole built in the center. Percy then looked over to Thomas.

"I wouldn't forget about you, Thomas." he said snidely. "Come with me now."

"Percy..." said Thomas pleadingly. "Marik's controlling you! You have to fight it! I'm your friend! Your best friend!"

"Your pleading won't work." retorted Percy (possessed). "Now, hurry over here, now!"

Reluctantly, Thomas obeyed.

(elsewhere...)

Carlie was running down the streets. Unfortunately for her, she was being tailed by a few Rare Hunters...and these ones were far braver than the last ones she scared off.

"Get back here, girly!" yelled one Rare Hunter. "Use your psychic powers for the Rare Hunters!'

"Never!" shouted Carlie defiantly.

The brown-haired girl kept running until she found herself trapped in a alleyway.

"Heh, no where out now!" taunted another Rare Hunter.

Bravely, Carlie turned around and faced her enemies.

"You'll never take me alive!" The brown-haired girl said hotly.

"Enough talk... Nab her!" cried a Rare Hunter.

The Rare Hunter squad charged forth.

(elsewhere...)

Back with Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Toby, Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, Ben, and Discord...they were surrounded by numerous Rare Hunters.

"Get out of our way!" demanded James.

"Sorry, but not a chance." snickered a Rare Hunter. "We have our orders to either capture you all or destroy you."

"So, will you come along quietly?" asked another Rare Hunter.

"Not a chance!" snapped Michael. "You kidnapped our friends and our sister! And we want you to let them go right now!"

"I see." sighed another Rare Hunter, looking somewhat sad...but then gave an evil smile. "Get them."

The Rare Hunters activate their Duel Disks and placed a card onto a monster field slot.

"GO!"

Various creepy and/or strong monsters started appearing all around.

"Those holograms can't harm us." scoffed Gordon.

"Oh, really?" smirked a Rare Hunter.

One Rare Hunter's Vorse Raider sliced at a lamp post with its weapon...and the lamp post actually split in two.

"Okay...never mind." Gordon gulped.

"Those monsters are real!" cried Molly. "But how did they do that?"

"Our master's magic." explained a Rare Hunter. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"I have to admit that is rather cool." admitted James R. without thinking. The other teenagers (and Discord) just gave him a dirty look in response. "What?"

"No matter what, you Rare Hunter scum won't get away with this!" seethed Matt.

Yeah, let's hope he can back those words up.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the harbor, Thomas took his spot at one dock, and Spencer took his spot at the other. The area for Thomas and Percy's duel was the same look of Spencer and Emily's, but with some differences. There were four tall girders around the edges of the dock and a giant anchor hung over the water.

"Put this on." called Percy (possessed), tossing something over. "Around your ankle."

Thomas looked at what had been thrown to him. It was a shackle with a chain at the end.

"What is this for?" he asked, putting it on around his ankle.

"Making the duel a little bit more exciting." said Percy (possessed) in a sinister tone.

Over with Emily and Spencer...

"I do hope you're prepared to lose it all, Spencer Gresley!" laughed Emily (possessed).

"Like I'll lose to the likes of you!" snorted Spencer. "Beating you will be easier than my duel with James Hughes!"

"Then this will be something you'll need to hear: You are forbidden from using your Egyptian God card in the duel!"

Spencer gave a look of surprise and horror. "What did you say?!"

"You heard me loudly and clearly." said Emily (possessed). "Take it out of your deck so that this duel will be a bit more fair."

Spencer grunted. "And if I were to refuse?" he asked.

"Then Mavis over there will be crushed."

Nearby, the possessed blonde-haired girl flashed the silver-haired boy an evil smile, while the Rare Hunter next to her (Mavis) nodded in agreement while waving the remote in his hand.

"What do you say to that?" taunted Mavis (possessed).

"Dammit!" thought Spencer in anger, before taking his deck out of his Duel Disk in surrender. "Fine! I'll agree to your terms."

"Very good, my friend." Emily (possessed) cackled.

Over with Thomas and Percy...

"If you'll look above you-" pointed out Percy (possessed). "-you'll notice the large anchor hanging in the air."

Thomas did so...and gasped.

"What is that box nearby?" The blue-haird boy asked wearily.

"A timer of sort" explained Percy (possessed). "Once the duel starts, the timer will begin with 30 minutes. Once the timer runs out, the box will explode and the anchor will drop into the ocean and drag whoever is still chained to their shackle down with it. Now look between your feet."

Thomas did so, and saw a locked box.

"This box contains a key which you use to unlock your shackle. It only opens up when your opponent's life points reaches 0."

"So only the winner will escape?" asked Thomas in great shock.

Percy (possessed) nodded. "Correct! However, if neither of us win when the timer reaches 0... then we will BOTH drown."

Thomas did not like hearing this one bit. "Stop this, Marik!" The blue-haired boy ordered. "My friends don't have anything to do with this!"

"I don't care!" snapped the image of Marik, who had appeared beside Percy. "I want you to suffer, Thomas Billinton. And if that means turning your own friends against you, then so be it!"

Percy then pointed forth. "Now, as with Spencer, I want you to remove your Egyptian God card from your deck, too! That way, when you lose Slifer will be undamaged by the water."

"Fine by me." nodded Thomas. "I had no intentions of using Slifer against my friends. It's too dangerous."

He took Slifer out of his deck and put it inside the spare deck box on his belt. As Thomas slid his Egyptian God in, another card caught his eye.

"Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon..."

(new location...)

Suddenly, Thomas blacked out and found himself back inside a pyramid of a sort.

"Where am I?" asked Thomas. "Isn't this the place I saw Spencer and Emily's spirits during my Shadow Game with Sailor John?"

A screeching roar echoed the room.

"Is that...?"

Turning around, Thomas saw the source of the roar. It was a spirit of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon itself.

"Red-Eyes?" asked Thomas in bewilderment. "What are you doing in here?"

Suddenly the spirits of both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared by the blue-haired boy's sides.

"Red-Eyes wants you to put it in your deck." Dark Magician explained.

"Huh?" blinked Thomas.

"Percy doesn't realize it-" said Dark Magician Girl. "-but the Red-Eyes Black Dragon is his own duel spirit."

"Perhaps if he saw it, he might break him out of Marik's trance." Dark Magician finished.

Thomas thought over it for a minute.

"Alright..." he said at last. "Let's get our friend back."

(new location...)

"HEY!" snapped a voice, breaking Thomas out of his thoughts. The voice came from Mavis (possessed). "Are you gonna duel, or will you let your friends get hurt?!"

Thomas replied by inserting the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card into his deck.

"I'm dueling." The blue-haired boy said firmly, tossing his card hold aside. "And I will free my friends from your control, Marik!"

Spencer, who had finished rebuilding his deck, stood ready as well.

"I will also stop you, Marik!" The silver-haired boy shouted. "As the head of the Battle City tournament, I will not allow you to get away with your twisted games."

He activated his Duel Disk and drew his opening hand (LP: 4000).

"Now show me what you've got!"

Emily (possessed) activated her own Duel Disk and draw her own opening hand, too (LP: 4000).

"I'm ready whenever you are!" she announced.

Thomas and Percy (possessed) both activated their own Duel Disks as well.

"Let the end commence!" laughed Percy (possessed), as the timer started ticking down.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the barge, Marik was pleased with everything going according to plan.

"At long last." he said. "Thomas Billinton will die! Soon my family will be freed from this curse forever!"

Marik's Millennium Rod started glowing.

(elsewhere...)

Back with the possessed Mavis, she suddenly passed out. When her eyes opened...

"Where...am I?"

"Mavis?" asked Thomas, looking over.

"Thomas?" Mavis was confused...but her confusion turned to fright when, after regaining her vision, she saw the state she was in. "What the-?! What's going on? What am I doing strapped to this chair?!"

"You got the best seat in the house!"

Mavis looked and saw a Rare Hunter holding onto a remote control and smiling sinisterly.

"Let me out of here!" she demanded.

"Forget it." The Rare Hunter refused. "Besides, if any of your friends over there try to stop these duels, one button press, and SPLAT! You're roadkill!"

Poor Mavis didn't have much of a choice. Over with Emily and Spencer...

"I'll take the first move!" The silver-haired boy announced.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Absorb Spell, Blade Knight, Negate Attack, Magical Trick Mirror, and Ryu-Kishin Powered

* * *

Spencer looked pleased with himself.

"This will be easy, yes." he thought.

"Well?" Emily (possessed) yawned. "I'm waiting."

"I place three cards facedown and summon Blade Knight in attack mode." said the silver-haired boy, as three facedown cards materialized.

A warrior wearing medieval-style armor and wielding a sword and shield appeared as well (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"My monster also gains 400 attack points if I have one card or less in my hand too."

Blade Knight grew stronger (ATK: 1600 - 2000). Emily (possessed) didn't look at all that worried.

"Is that all?" she asked, before drawing. "Then it's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Emily Sterling (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Kinetic Soldier, Soulpatch(!), Heavenly Light, Dark Witch, Trap Jammer, and Magic Spring(!)

* * *

"For my move, I'll summon the Kinetic Soldier in attack mode!" she said, placing a card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

A robotic looking soldier appeared to the field (Level: 3/ATK: 1350/DEF: 1800).

Spencer frowned. "That's a card I've never seen in your deck, Emily." he remarked.

"We had some more cards added to our decks to make them more powerful." explained Emily (possessed), taking another card from her hand. "Now I equip my monster with Soulpatch!"

The card materialized face-up.

"This card can only be equipped to a Earth or Light attribute monster. With it, my monster gains 1000 attack points!"

Kinetic Soldier grew stronger (ATK: 1350 - 2350). However...

"Actually, your card's effect will go to my own." Spencer smirked.

Emily (possessed) frowned in response, but didn't say anything.

"I reveal my facedown card!" shouted Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Absorb Spell!"

The silver-haired boy's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Now your Equip Spell card's effect is transferred over to my own monster!"

Kinetic Soldier became weaker as Blade Knight became stronger (ATK: 2000 - 3000).

"I'm not impressed." grunted the silver-haired boy. "You're not exactly putting up a good duel so far."

Emily (possessed) merely growled. Over to Thomas and Percy...

"I'll go first." said Thomas.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spellbinding Circle, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Archfiend of Gilfer, Big Shield Gardna, and Exchange

* * *

"Okay, with only 30 minutes until the anchor drops, I can't mess up." he thought, taking a card from his hand.

On cue Gazelle materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1200).

"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode." said Thomas.

"That overgrown cat won't save you!" taunted Percy (possessed), drawing his card. "My turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current** Hand (6): Alligator's Sword, Raigeki, Hinotama, Attrition, Rocket Warrior, and Flame Swordsman

* * *

"For my move, I'll use the Spell card Raigeki to destroy your monster!"

A large bolt of lighting struck Gazelle, destroying it.

"Gazelle!" cried Thomas.

Skiff was shocked. "That card is forbidden in this tournament!" he cried. "You should be disqualified for playing something that!"

Spencer, who had overheard Skiff protesting, turned around and spoke up as well.

"Raigeki is one of the several cards that are outlawed in this tournament." he stated. "You were unable to play something like that!"

Percy (possessed) only laughed scornfully at how naive his opponents were acting right now.

"This duel has nothing to do with your stupid tournament." he sneered, taking another card from his hand and placing it on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "That means I'm free to use it. Now watch as I summon Alligator's Sword in attack mode!"

The alligator-like warrior wielding a sword and shield appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Direct attack, now!" commanded Percy (possessed).

Alligator's Sword obeyed, charging at Thomas and slashing at him with his blade, causing the blue-haired boy to yell (LP: 2500).

"No, Thomas!" cried Mavis.

Thomas grimaced in pain, but remained standing.

"Percy, I know you're still in there!" he shouted. "I know you can hear me! Break free!"

"Percy's gone!" Marik retorted. "Now make your move!"

Growling, Thomas complied.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2500)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spellbinding Circle, Archfiend of Gilfer, Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, and Kuriboh

* * *

Disappointed that he didn't have anything strong enough to stop Alligator's Sword, Thomas took a card from his hand and placed it on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode!"

The warrior with the large shield appeared (Level: 4/DEF: 2600).

"Trying to show more resistance against me?" taunted Percy (possessed). "Well, you'll never break your friend free that way!"

"He's right." Thomas thought to himself. "But I can at least hold off until I can be able to summon Red-Eyes." He then spoke aloud. "My turn is over!"

"Then it's back to me." Percy (possessed) drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Hinotama, Attrition, Rocket Warrior, Flame Swordsman, and Gamble

* * *

Seeing what he drew made Percy frown.

"Not what I need." Marik thought, before noticing a certain card in his hand. "That, on the other hand, is just what I need to deal some damage anyway."

He slid the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate my Hinotama Spell card!" Percy (possessed) declared.

Over at the duel between Spencer and Emily (possessed), the silver-haired boy was about to draw his next card when he overheard what Percy had just said.

"That's another forbidden card!"

"Impressive, is it not?" Emily (possessed) remarked. "Before we confronted you and Thomas, Master Marik strengthened our decks with the best possible cards he had."

Percy (possessed) started to laugh insanely. "Now be struck by the flames of the underworld!"

A huge fireball shot out of the card and struck Thomas, causing him to yell in extreme pain (LP: 2000).

"STOP IT!" screamed Mavis, sounding like she was about to cry. "PLEASE, STOP HURTING HIM!"

But Percy only continued to laugh savagely, with even Emily joining in the evil laughter. As the two possessed teens laughed and laughed, an image of Marik appeared between them.

"Farewell, Thomas Billinton!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	33. Countdown to Destruction (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at Brendam Docks, a loud explosion had been heard from one of the piers. What was that loud explosion? Well then...

Thomas, Spencer, and Skiff had found out that Marik had taken control of both Percy and Emily, and was using them to duel and try to kill Thomas. Mavis was also tied up and would be killed by being crushed by a large wooden crate hanging above her head. Thomas and Spencer would both be force to duel the two possessed teens separately in a winner-takes-all duel (Emily vs. Spencer) or a life-or-death duel (Percy vs. Thomas).

So far, Spencer was off to a good start with controlling a 3000 attack point Blade Knight and two cards facedown. Thomas on the other hand...was not in a good spot. He had been hit by a direct attack by Alligator's Sword and hit by a direct damage Spell card called Hinotama, and the damage felt almost so real.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the nearby boat, Marik was observing the duels on his two television sets.

"Excellent." he said deviously. "Soon Thomas Billinton will die and the three Egyptian Gods will be mine! After all these years, the Ishtar Family will never be forced to live underground again!"

"Master Marik." said the voice of Odion.

The second-in-command of the Rare Hunters walked in.

"Yes, Odion?" Marik grunted.

Odion replied by reaching into his cloak and pulling out six Locator cards he had won.

"Your Locator cards." he said. "And I've also won six for myself, as you requested."

"Good work." said Marik, smiling while taking his Locator cards. "I knew you'd never let me down."

"Yes, my master." Odion replied, bowing politely.

Marik then looked back to his televisions. "But if everything goes according to plan, we may not even need to enter the finals."

"Quite a shame." said Odion, not changing any emotion. "Having to gather those locator cards for nothing."

"Have faith, my servant." Marik assured. "They won't go to waste."

* * *

 **Title: Countdown to Destruction, Part 2**

* * *

Back at the first pier, the smoke had soon cleared away and revealed Thomas trying to stand back up (LP: 2000).

"That damage..." said Thomas to himself wearily. "It felt almost real."

Over at the other pier, Spencer watched what had happened.

"Although that was a hologram-" he thought. "-the scream Billinton gave made it seem like the meteor felt so real."

The silver-haired boy looked back over to the possessed Emily, who had been laughing sadistically over her former friend's screams of agony, had suddenly felt her hand shaking...like she was trying to fight Marik's power (or felt the pain Thomas was in right now), and Spencer saw that.

"Listen, I know you're in there, Emily!" he called out. "I know you can sense Thomas's pain."

Back over to the other pier, the possessed Percy only continued to mock his opponent.

"How does it feel, Thomas?" he taunted. "The pain of being attacked by your very best friend, unable to do anything without risking someone's death?"

Thomas, meanwhile, tried to stand back up.

"I just need some more time until I can summon Red-Eyes..." he thought.

"Still want to go, eh?" Percy (possessed) asked. "Very well. Make your move!"

Thomas complied and drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spellbinding Circle, Archfiend of Gilfer, Exchange, Kuriboh, and Card Destruction

* * *

Looking at his hand, Thomas tried to think of a plan.

"I have to hurry and snap Percy out of Marik's possession without hurting him." he thought, while taking two cards from his hand. "Maybe these can help."

"Hurry up!" snapped Percy (possessed). "Not unless you want both of you to drown!"

Thomas mere slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

"I'll place one card facedown-" he said, as a facedown card appeared. "-and summon my Kuriboh in defense mode!"

The brown furball monster appeared (Level: 1/DEF: 200).

"You dare to summon a weakling like that against me?" Percy (possessed) snickered. "You must be wanting to lose on purpose!"

Thomas grunted in response, while Kuriboh felt upset. Back at the other nearby pier, Emily (possessed) finally stopped shaking and made a move.

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!" she said, as two facedown cards appeared.

"She choose not to attack." said Spencer to himself. "Even though Kinetic Soldier gains 2000 attack points when it battles a warrior. She probably doesn't want to set off any of my facedowns."

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Ryu-Kishin Powered and Kaiser Sea Horse

* * *

"I'll pass my turn!" Spencer announced, before going into his thoughts. "Maybe if I can summon my Blue-Eyes, I can snap Emily out of it."

Back at the other pier, Percy (possessed) drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Attrition, Rocket Warrior, Flame Swordsman, Gamble, and Hinotama

* * *

"Alligator's Sword, destroy that weak Kuriboh now!" commanded Percy (possessed).

Alligator's Sword obeyed, charging at the terrified Kuriboh.

"Hold it right there!" yelled Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap card Spellbinding Circle!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before creating a magical circle around Alligator's Sword, stopping it in its tracks as its strength dropped (ATK: 1500 - 800).

"Now your attack has been stopped and Alligator's Sword loses 700 attack points!"

Percy (possessed) was cross, and so took a card from his hand.

"In that case-" he said, slotting another card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, "-I'll just activate another copy of Hinotama!"

A fireball rained down and slammed into Thomas, making him yell in agony (LP: 1500). Back at the second pier, Emily again felt her hand shaking from hearing Thomas yell in agony.

"T-Thomas...?" she whispered in her regular voice.

Nearby, Mavis saw that her friend was fighting to break free of Marik's possession.

"Emily!" she cried. "You have to regain control of yourself from Marik! Remember your true feelings for Thomas Billinton-!"

Suddenly, the blonde-haired girl screamed in pain as the nearby Rare Hunter slapped her across the face.

"I'd keep quiet if I were you." he warned, holding the remote up. "Unless..."

"You've got no right to hit girls!" snapped Mavis. Her cheek felt hot and burning. It hurt.

The Rare Hunter then made it look like he was gonna press the button, causing Mavis to decide to just shut up than risk her own death. Back with Emily, an image of Marik made an appearance behind her.

"She's trying to break free!" he scowled. "I can't let her do that! I must have that God!"

The Millennium Eye symbol on the dark green-haired girl's forehead reappeared and she returned to being possessed.

"Nice try." Emily (possessed) said snidely. "But that won't work."

Spencer scowled in frustration.

"It's my turn!" continued Emily (possessed), drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Emily Sterling (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Heavenly Light, Dark Witch, and Graceful Charity

* * *

"Now I'll reveal my facedown Trap card!" The possessed dark green-haired girl held her hand out, causing her first facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Magic Spring! Now, for my battle phase this turn, you cannot activate any facedown cards of your own and also take 500 points of damage per Spell and/or Trap card you have facedown!"

"What?! cried Spencer.

Magic Spring started to take effect. Rain drops fell from the sky onto both of the silver-haired boy's facedown cards, while he himself took damage per card (LP: 3000).

"Spencer!" cried Skiff.

"Now, Kinetic Soldier-" Emily (possessed) commanded. "-time to make yourself useful. Attack Blade Knight now!"

The robotic warrior obeyed and attacked.

"But that monster's much weaker!" protested Spencer, before remembering a little something about Kinetic Soldier... "No! I forgot about its special ability!"

"So you did." remarked Emily (possessed). "My Kinetic Soldier gains 2000 attack points on damage calculation whenever it battles a warrior-type monster."

Kinetic Soldier grew remarkably stronger (ATK: 1350 - 3350) and Blade Knight (ATK: 3000) was now the weaker target.

"Destroy Blade Knight!"

Kinetic Soldier obeyed and punched at Blade Knight, destroying it and making Spencer grunt (LP: 2650).

"What was that about me not dueling well?" teased the possessed dark green-haired girl.

"I'll have to admit she is better than I initially thought." Spencer thought, drawing his card. "But I'm still the better duelist."

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Ryu-Kishin Powered, Kaiser Sea Horse, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon

* * *

Spencer's eyes widened as he saw what he drew.

"Blue-Eyes..." he said quietly. The silver-haired boy then took another card from his hand. "I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode!"

A seahorse-like warrior monster appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

(elsewhere...)

Back at the alley way where Carlie was trapped by Rare Hunters closing in on her.

"No where to run now!" taunted a Rare Hunter.

Carlie merely closed her eyes. She was not gonna let those Rare Hunters capture or destroy her. Suddenly, a glow under her gloved right hand appeared.

"What's going on?" asked a Rare Hunter.

Unfortunately, the brown-haired girl wasn't the only one who was glowing.

(elsewhere...)

Back with the other teenagers (and Discord), Matt, Michael, and James R. also had markings from somewhere that was glowing.

"Um, what's up with that?" Gordon asked dumbfounded.

"Beats me." replied James, looking just as confused.

But Discord knew exactly what was happening.

"The Crimson Dragon..." he said to himself. "The chosen duelists of the dragon."

The Rare Hunters were stunned to see what was happening.

"What the heck?!" came from one Rare Hunter.

Suddenly, a huge dragon made of red light descended from the blue sky.

"A dragon?" blinked Edward. "It has to be a Duel Monster!"

"But I've never seen anything like that before." added Ben.

"The Crimson Dragon." Matt whispered while looking upward.

The Crimson Dragon gave a loud roar. The Rare Hunters watched what was happening, and were frightened to boot.

"What the heck is that thing?" asked the same Rare Hunter.

"It must be a dragon!" said another Rare Hunter.

"But that can't be!" A third Rare Hunter protested. "WE have the power to summon real monsters! It must be a trick!"

"It's no trick!" snapped Matt, stepping forth. "This is the legendary Crimson Dragon."

The dragon let loose a powerful blast of fire, destroying the Rare Hunters' monsters.

"Only those chosen by this dragon can wield its great power." said Michael, joining Matt in staring down the Rare Hunters.

In terror, the Rare Hunters quickly raced away.

"They will be back." Zack commented. "And in greater numbers."

"Let's find Carlie now." James R. suggested.

With that statement in agreement, the group got back into the limo and drove off.

(elsewhere...)

Back with Carlie, she was still facing the gang of Rare Hunters...but she was not alone this time. The enormous Crimson Dragon was hovering above the alley way and staring down the enemies.

"What the heck is that thing?" asked a Rare Hunter.

"That is the Crimson Dragon." answered Carlie fiercely. "It only can be summoned by the chosen ones of it...such as me. And unless you guys want to witness its fury, I suggest you go away and never bother me again!"

The mighty dragon roared in agreement, causing the Rare Hunters to fall back.

"Retreat!" cried another Rare Hunter.

The Rare Hunters fled the area, leaving Carlie alone with the legendary Dragon.

"That'll teach them." she said to herself.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Marik's boat at Brendam docks, the Rare Hunter leader was watching both of the televisions containing the two duels going on at the pier.

"Yes, my mind slaves." he said. "Destroy those fools."

At that point, Odion had returned with some grave news.

"Master." he began. "I'm afraid I have some bad news: The Rare Hunters that I've sent to capture the Thomas boy's other friends have returned empty handed."

"What?!" snapped Marik. "How could they have failed?"

"They claimed to have seen some sort of dragon created by the duelists from the United States." explained Odion.

Angrily, Marik smacked his most loyal servant with the Millennium Rod.

"Then send another squad of Rare Hunters after them for all I care!" he shouted.

Despite being hit by his own master, Odion merely bowed.

"As you wish."

Odion left as Marik gathered his thoughts.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the harbor warehouse, Mavis continued to watch her friends duke it out while still trapped in her chair.

"I still can't believe that this Marik guy is turning innocent people against each other just for the sake of killing Thomas." she thought sadly.

Back over to Emily (possessed)...

"It's my turn now!" she declared, while drawing her card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Emily Sterling (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Heavenly Light, Dark Witch, Graceful Charity, and Wingweaver

* * *

"I'll activate the Spell card Graceful Charity!" The dark green-haired girl declared, whilst slotting a card into her Duel Disk.

Raindrops gentled rained down onto Emily's deck, and causing the possessed teen to smirk darkly.

"This allows me to draw three cards and discard two." she explained, drawing her three cards.

Emily (possessed) had drawn Cry of the Wingweaver(!), Just Desserts, and Wingweaver's Shield(!). She discarded Just Desserts and Dark Witch to the graveyard.

"Now I play a powerful Spell card!" Emily (possessed) went on, holding her card out. "Cry of the Wingweaver!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"What does that card do?" asked Spencer.

"By spending 1000 life points-" Emily (possessed) explained (LP: 3000). "-I can special summon from my hand the powerful Wingweaver!"

A pillar of light shone from the activated Spell card, and emerging from the pillar of light was a beautiful woman with long brown hair, wearing yellow clothing, and came with...count 'em, six wings (Level: 7/ATK: 2750/DEF: 2400).

"Her ace monster..." said Spencer to himself.

"In addition, my monster also gets doubled attack points for the rest of the turn!" Emily (possessed) added.

Wingweaver grew even stronger (ATK: 2750 - 5500).

"That's enough attack points to wipe my brother out!" cried Skiff.

"Wingweaver!" shouted Emily (possessed). "Attack his Kaiser Sea Horse and end this duel!"

Wingweaver obeyed and started a rain of light to fall towards Kaiser Sea Horse. Unfortunate, the silver-haired boy wasn't beaten yet...

"I'm not about to lose!" shouted Spencer, holding his hand out. "I reveal Negate Attack!"

The silver-haired boy's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, while creating a vortex that absorbed the rain of light all up.

"This negates your attack and immediately ends the battle phase."

Nearby, Mavis gave a relieved sigh. "Oh, thank heaven." she whispered.

Back at the duel, Emily (possessed) scowled in frustration.

"My turn is over." she grumbled. "Now go!"

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Ryu-Kishin Powered, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Power Balance

* * *

"Prepare yourself, Marik!" Spencer shouted, taking a card from his hand. "Your mind slave is about to meet my most feared servant!"

Kaiser Sea Horse began to glow all white.

"I will now activate my Kaiser Sea Horse's effect; I can use it to count as tributes to summon a high-level light attribute monster. Now watch as I summon forth the one monster that represents my pride and soul as a duelist... The legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kaiser Sea Horse vanished...in order to make way for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which gave off a mighty roar to signal its arrival (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500). Upon seeing Blue-Eyes White Dragon, something inside the possessed Emily triggered. Her eyes even briefly turned back to normal.

"Blue...Eyes..." regular Emily's voice could be heard.

"She's trying to regain control!" cried Skiff happily.

Back over to Thomas and the possessed Percy's duel, Thomas was recovering from the heat of the Hinotama Spell card.

"I'm not giving up yet!" he declared. "I will save you, Percy! I swear on my life I'll save you!"

With that, he fiercely drew.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Archfiend of Gilfer, Exchange, Card Destruction, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon

* * *

"I did it!" Thomas thought to himself. "I've drawn the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. If I play it, it might help snap Percy out of Marik's control! ...but, what if he has a way to stop it the moment I play it? I can't take that chance now...but maybe I can do this."

He selected a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk. Before long, the Exchange Spell card materialized face-up.

"I play the Spell card Exchange!"

"Exchange?" asked Percy (possessed).

"This Spell allows us to exchange one card in our hands," explained Thomas, as he started to walk over and show his current hand.

"Hmph! It does not matter what cards the fool has." thought Marik. "My mind slave cannot be beaten that easily."

As soon as he got close enough, Percy gasped at a certain card he saw in Thomas's hand.

"It...can't...be!"

The card in question was Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Red-Eyes?" asked Percy in his normal voice.

"Yes, Percy, it is your Red-Eyes." Thomas said softly.

An image of Marik appeared behind Percy in anger.

"Do as I command, mind slave!" he snapped. "Take the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Go ahead, Percy. Take any card you want. Even Red-Eyes." Thomas stated.

Percy struggled on what card to take.

"Red...Eyes..." he whispered in pain.

"Do it! Take it!" command Marik.

"N-no..."

Percy's hand struggled. He remembered his promise to Thomas not to touch Red-Eyes Black Dragon until he had become a True Duelist. Unfortunately for the blue-haired boy...

"Sorry, little Thomas, but your trick won't work." said Percy (possessed) and started to take the card.

"Yes... YES!" laughed Marik. "Take it!"

But suddenly, Percy's other hand grabbed hold.

Marik was shocked. "What?!"

The card Percy had picked was shown to be the Spell card Card Destruction.

"Impossible!" raged Marik. "I'm losing control of both my mind slaves!"

The other slave he was referring to was Emily when she saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"Thank goodness." sighed Thomas in relief.

"What goodness?" replied Percy (possessed) giving Thomas the Gamble Trap card. "I don't need that stupid dragon to take you down."

"I know you're still in there, Percy." said Thomas, while Percy (possessed) walked back over to his side of the field. "You're beginning to resist Marik's control. And to help you even more, I now sacrifice both Big Shield Gardna and Kuriboh to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The blue-haired boy's two monsters vanished, and appearing in their place was the mighty Red-Eyes Black Dragon, who gave a screeching roar to signal its arrival (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).

"Take a good look, Percy, your favorite monster has finally appeared to help me save you!"

Percy (possessed) noticed his old monster and...started to slowly come back to his senses.

"Red...Eyes..." he mumbled in his regular voice.

Nearby on the other pier, Emily (possessed) also saw Red-Eyes Black Dragon and even began to slowly come to her senses too.

"Percy's... Red-Eyes?" she muttered in her regular voice.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside his boat, Marik was furious with what was happening.

"No!" he shouted. "They're showing resistance! I won't let them leave my control!"

(elsewhere...)

Back at the pier, Thomas spoke out to his best friend.

"Percy." he said. "This card represents the courage you were fighting to take back after Battle City. Don't you remember the promise?"

"My...promise..."

"Yes!" Thomas nodded. "The promise where you would face me in a real duel after you became a True Duelist. Don't you remember it?"

"Y-yes..." Percy mumbled, but immediately cried out in pain as he felt something in his head.

"No!" Thomas cried out, before falling into his thoughts. "Maybe if I attack with Red-Eyes, it might help snap Percy out of it."

Alligator's Sword (ATK: 800) was weaker than Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400), you see.

"Red-Eyes!" called Thomas. "Attack Alligator's Sword with Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon obeyed and charged up a ball of fire from his mouth and firing it out. The ball of fire struck Alligator's Sword and caused a massive explosion that clouded the pier with lots of dust.

"This is it." Thomas thought. "I hope this works. Because with only twenty minutes left, I have to make this count."

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	34. Countdown to Destruction (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at Brendam docks, Red-Eyes Black Dragon had fired off an attack by the command of its new master, Thomas. The Inferno Fire Blast had struck Alligator's Sword and caused an explosion to cover the pier Thomas and Percy were both dueling on.

"This just has to work." Thomas thought to himself, before calling aloud. "Are you there, Percy?"

The cloud of dust soon faded away, revealing Percy, who, despite losing a heavy amount of life points (LP: 2400), was sadly still under possession of Marik.

"Percy is gone." he chuckled wickedly. "There is only Marik now!"

Nearby on the other pier, Emily was also still possessed by Marik, too.

"Emily is also gone, too." she added. "Now these two slaves will win both of the duels and your Egyptian God cards, Thomas Billinton and Spencer Gresley!"

"NO! Please, Thomas, you and Spencer can't give up!" Mavis called out. "Please save-"

She was suddenly slapped in the face by the same Rare Hunter again.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your mouth shut, blondie?!" he demanded. "Unless you have a death wish on your person!"

Mavis again fell silent, but didn't give up hope that her friends could be saved.

* * *

 **Title: Countdown to Destruction, Part 3**

* * *

Back at the other pier, Spencer decided to make a move.

"Blue-Eyes!" he called. "Destroy Wingweaver now with White Lighting!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and charged up and fired off a white blast. It got closer and closer towards Emily's favorite monster...

"Reveal set card!" announced Emily (possessed). "Wingweaver's Shield!"

Her facedown card (a Quick-Play Spell card) flipped up and revealed itself; granting Wingweaver a magical shield of a sort.

"Now my monster will be protected by a shield." Emily (possessed) explained. "Deflecting your attack towards my Kinetic Soldier while halving all battle damage I take in the process!"

The blast hit the shield and was redirected towards Kinetic Soldier, destroying it and causing Emily (possessed) to grunt slightly as she took damage (LP: 2175).

Spencer grunted a bit. "So be it, but you've still lost some life points."

"A small price." huffed Emily (possessed), brushing her right arm in an uncaring gesture.

Over at the other pier, Thomas had another idea to try and free Percy from Marik's control.

"Percy-" The blue-haird boy called out. "-I know that you can hear me. You can't let Marik control you. You're stronger than that! Do you remember when Gator came to the Island of Sodor years ago?"

A memory came to Percy's mind. A flashback then began...

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It had been two years ago. James had recently bullied Percy severely with the ' _Scrap Monster_ ', and, even with both Thomas and Emily defending him, this convinced the green-haired boy that he was unloved and tried to run away from the island.

"If they don't think I'm brave-" said Young Percy to himself in sadness. "-I'll prove it by leaving Sodor forever."

At Brendam docks, the green-haired young boy was about to board a ship when a new voice called out to him.

"Hello, young lad."

Young Percy looked to the source of the voice. "W-Who's there?" he called out.

"Hey! What's the hold up?!" snapped a person in the line. "Are you going or not?"

"Not to worry, I'll take it from here." said the voice.

Coming through the line was a man in green mountain gear.

"Come along with me, lad." The man said kindly. "I'll take you home."

Young Percy stared at the man for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No one wants me around." The green-haired young boy said sadly.

"Why would you think such a thing?" asked the man.

He started to lead Young Percy to a nearby bench. Once they sat down, the green-haired young boy began to tell the man everything.

"Nobody believes me about the monster I saw." explained Young Percy, starting to tear up. "So I'm going to prove to them I'm brave by leaving."

The man was surprised. "But, surely you have friends that care about you greatly, right?"

Young Percy thought for a bit. "I guess I do." he admitted. "But even they wouldn't believe me."

"But do you think running away is the best possible answer?"

Young Percy looked up at the man.

"Being brave isn't the same as not feeling scared. Being brave is about what you do even when you do feel scared." The man pointed out to the green-haired young boy.

Young Percy thought for a while about this.

"You're right." The green-haired young boy finally said. "Thank you, Mr. um...?"

The man smiled. "Call me Gator."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, as Percy continued to fight Marik's power.

"He's trying to resist." growled Marik, as an image of him appeared beside Percy.

Unfortunately for Thomas, Percy remained possessed and drew his next card.

"Your tricks won't work!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Attrition, Rocket Warrior, Flame Swordsman, Card Destruction, and Hinotama

* * *

Percy (possessed) held his card up.

"I play a third copy of Hinotama!" he announced. "Attack Thomas directly now!"

A third large fireball shot at Thomas, making him yell in agony (LP: 1000).

"Now I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!" The possessed green-haired boy added, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The rocket armored warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Now I'll add this Equip Spell card!" Percy (possessed) slotted a card into his Duel Disk, causing the card called Attrition to materialize face-up. "Attrition!"

"Attrition?" quizzed Thomas.

Nearby, Skiff was watching and then remembered seeing a combo like that from somewhere.

"I remember a combo like that when I was in that tournament." he said to himself.

"I'll equip the card onto Rocket Warrior!" Percy (possessed) announced. "And then I'll have Rocket Warrior transform into its invincible mode!"

Rocket Warrior hid inside its armor which now turned into a rocket of sorts.

"Now attack the Red-Eyes Black Dragon now!"

Rocket Warrior obeyed, firing off at Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"But Red-Eyes is stronger than Rocket Warrior!" protested Thomas,

"Not for long!" laughed Percy (possessed). "Just watch!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon fired a blast at Rocket Warrior, but it did nothing.

"What?!" gasped Thomas.

Rocket Warrior then struck Red-Eyes, causing an explosion of dust to fill the pier. Nearby at the other pier, Spencer saw what had happened.

"I know what will happen now..." The silver-haired boy mumbled.

"Keep quiet, Spencer!" snapped Emily (possessed), drawing her card. "It's my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Emily Sterling (LP: 2175)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (2): Heavenly Light and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialize face-up.

"I'll now play Pot of Greed!" The possessed dark green-haired girl drew her two cards. "Now I draw two more cards!"

Upon seeing what she drew, Emily (possessed) gave an evil smile.

"Next I activate Emergency Provisions!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up, causing light particles to come from Emily's only facedown card.

"This will increases my life points by 1000 for every Spell or Trap I sacrifice." she explained (LP: 3175).

"I know what the card does!" snapped Spencer angrily. "You don't need to explain its effect to me!"

Emily (possessed) chuckled at the silver-haired boy's anger and held out, from her hand, a Spell card called Bearers of Heaven(!).

"Now I play Bearers of Heaven!" she announced.

Spencer knew what was about to happen...mainly because he knew what that card did, too.

"Now at the cost of 2000 life points-" said Emily (possessed), taking a life point hit (LP: 1175). "-we both can special summon up to four light attribute monsters from our decks to the field in defense mode. -oh, and they cannot be destroyed so long as they are in defense mode."

The two duelists looked through their decks.

"I only need two to help me." said Spencer quietly, taking two cards from his deck and holding them up. "I summon two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

Two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared next to the already present dragon, roaring proudly (Level: 8/DEF: 2500) x2.

"How interesting." Emily (possessed) remarked, taking four cards from her hand. "But these four monsters are all I need."

Shining Friendship (Level: 4/DEF: 1100), Key Mace (Level: 1/DEF: 300), Mystical Elf (Level: 4/DEF: 2000), and Light Breather(!) (Level: 3/DEF: 0) all appeared.

Spencer laughed arrogantly. "Four weak monsters?! How pathetic!"

"Tell that to my Light Breather's special ability." retorted Emily (possessed). "As soon as she is summoned to the field, I draw an extra card from my deck for every light attribute monster I control on my side of the field!"

Back over to the other pier, the smoke started to clear...and there was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, still alive...but now very weakened (ATK: 2400 - 400).

"Red-Eyes!" cried Thomas.

Percy (possessed) was laughing menacingly... until he saw the shape his favorite monster was in...

"Red-Eyes..." The green-haired boy whispered in his regular voice.

The image of Marik reappeared, looking none too pleased.

"I'm losing control again!" he snarled.

"That's right." said Thomas softly. "Thanks to Marik, your favorite monster is in great pain."

"Don't listen to him!" Marik ordered the green-haired boy. "Kill him by any means!"

Percy immediately returned to being possessed. "Like I even care! My turn is over now! And because of that, Red-Eyes regains 500 of the attack points it lost."

Red-Eyes Black Dragon regained some strength (ATK: 400 - 900).

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in Knapford, Carlie was trying to find her way back to her friends. She was just about to cross the street when she bumped into someone.

"OOF!"

The brown-haired girl and the person that was bumped into fell down.

"H-Hey! Watch where you're going!" scolded the girl. "You could hurt someone if you're not careful."

"I'm sorry." apologized Carlie, before seeing who the girl was. "H-Hey! Aren't you Lady Stone?"

"Yes, I am." The girl (Lady) confirmed, shaking her head a little bit before seeing who she was talking to... "Aren't you Carlie Crawford?"

"That's me." The brown-haired girl nodded. "I need your help."

"My help?" blinked the beautiful blonde-haired girl. "Whatever for?"

Carlie immediately explained the whole situation.

"So now, I need to find the others now so we can go and save the rest of our friends." The brown-haired girl finished. "Please, you must help me!"

"I'll be happy to help." said Lady kindly. "But...where do we even start looking?"

Carlie started to wish she knew...

(elsewhere...)

Back at one of the piers, Emily (possessed) drew her four cards. Upon seeing what she drew, another evil smile grew on her face.

"It's time..." she whispered.

Spencer looked up with a grunt. From there, the possessed dark green-haired girl held a card out.

"The Ritual Spell card! Heavenly Light!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized facedown, but it immediately flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"This special card requires Wingweaver to be on the field as well as monsters with a combined level of twelve from my field or hand." explained Emily (possessed).

"Twelve stars?" Spencer gasped. "Each of your monsters equals that level!"

"How right you are! Now be sacrificed, my monsters!"

All of Emily's monsters vanished into beams of light.

"Now behold the most powerful monster of this girl's deck!" cried Emily (possessed) holding up and placing her card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk. A celestial light completely filled the sky. "I summon the almighty Serapheem!"

Lowering from the light in the sky came a monster resembling Wingweaver. However, her clothes were orange in color, and her wings were more yellow in color (Level: 12/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2500).

"I never knew Emily had something as rare and powerful like that!" Skiff reeled back in shock.

Mavis watched with a look of worry on her face. Emily (possessed), meanwhile, started to laugh loudly and wickedly.

"Get ready to lose your Egyptian God card, Spencer Gresley! I activate my monster's special ability!"

Cards started coming out of her graveyard, and the dark green-haired girl took hold of them and showed them to her opponent.

"My monster gains 600 attack points for every light attribute monster in my graveyard, and I count five of them!"

Spencer and Skiff both gasped in horror. Serapheem started to blow all gold as she grew even more powerful (ATK: 2900 - 5900).

"If she attacks the one Blue-Eyes White Dragon in attack mode, my big brother will lose!" Skiff cried out in worry.

"Serapheem!" called Emily (possessed). "Destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and end this duel!"

Serapheem suddenly heard the maliciousness in her master's voice and turned around to look down towards Emily...only to find wickedness and greed both in her eyes. This upset Serapheem greatly...not that Emily (possessed) noticed or really cared.

"What are you waiting for?!" demanded the possessed teenage girl. "Destroy that attack position Blue-Eyes this instant!"

Still Serapheem ignored the command to attack and only watched Emily (possessed) with a look of pure hurt on her beautiful face.

"It looks like Serapheem doesn't want to attack." said Skiff, feeling sorry for the female monster. "She looks so sad seeing Emily like this."

Over with Spencer...

"Spencer..." echoed a voice in Spencer's head.

"What in the world?" The silver-haired boy gasped.

"Spencer... Spencer..." echoed the feminine voice some more.

Spencer looked around to see where the voice was coming from.

"Who's there?!"

(new location...)

Suddenly, the silver-haired boy found himself alone inside a pyramid.

"Not this place again." Spencer groaned. He knew that this was the pyramid where his spirit (as well as Emily's spirit) had encouraged Thomas in his ultimate battle with the now dead Sailor John.

"Spencer..." came a feminine sounding voice.

Spencer turned...and saw Emily's Wingweaver spirit monster standing nearby.

"You're Emily's Wingweaver!" he exclaimed.

"I am." confirmed the spirit. "You must help free Emily."

"Tell me something I don't know." muttered Spencer, whilst folding his arms. "That Marik's hold on her, as well as Percy, is much greater than Billinton and I both have anticipated."

"The key to freeing Emily lies in your Blue-Eyes White Dragon." said Wingweaver wisely.

Spencer was surprised. "My Blue-Eyes? What are you talking about?"

"Your dragon is a part of your own soul." explained the spirit. "Use it to purify Emily from Marik's control."

Spencer still didn't quite understand what Wingweaver was trying to tell him.

"Let me make it more simple-" said Wingweaver calmly. "-sometimes, duelists's souls are able to reach out to others even if they're not aware of it."

"What?" Spencer quizzed.

"Your dragon carries your pride and soul as a duelist. Use it to reach out to Emily. It should help her regain control."

Spencer knew that Wingweaver had a very good point; while Obelisk the Tormentor was currently his most powerful monster, Blue-Eyes was still his favorite monster. Always was, always will be.

"Alright." The silver-haired boy said, nodding. "I'll try."

"Thank you, Spencer." smiled Wingweaver. "May my powers help you succeed..."

Light filled the room.

(new location...)

When the light faded, Spencer found himself back at the pier. Emily (possessed) was still trying to get her ultimate monster to attack.

"I command you to attack!" The possessed dark green-haired girl ordered ruthlessly. "Attack and destroy the attack positioned Blue-Eyes White Dragon right now!"

Finally, Serapheem obeyed, reluctantly, raising her hands up and charging up her hands with magic. Spencer actually felt sorry for Emily's most powerful monster at the moment. As the orbs of light rained down towards the middle Blue-Eyes, the silver-haired boy made a move.

"I activate my Trap card!" announced Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Magical Trick Mirror!"

"Magical Trick Mirror?" Emily (possessed) blinked.

"That could help him." thought Skiff. "But which card will he choose?"

"As you know-" said Spencer, explaining his Trap card's effect. "-this Trap allows me to activate a Spell card from your grave as my own!"

"But which one?" Emily (possessed) demanded. "None of the Spell cards in my graveyard will remotely help you!"

The silver-haired boy gave a teasing smirk. "Wrong! There is one card that will help me."

The mirror made a reflection...of the Spell card Wingweaver Shield.

"My Wingweaver Shield?!" Emily (possessed) yelled angrily. "Not that card!"

"That's right!" smirked Spencer. "In addition to Wingweaver, it also affects Serapheem... no matter WHO controls the monster!"

On cue, the large shield appeared in front of the roaring Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"And it's too late to call off my attack!" cried Emily (possessed).

The raining orbs of light finally struck Blue-Eyes...but the shield deflected the attack over to one of the two other Blue-Eyes that were in defense mode.

"And thanks to your earlier Spell card-" Spencer reminded. "-my monster cannot be destroyed in battle so long as it remains in defense mode!"

When the dust settled, the one Blue-Eyes White Dragon was still standing and roaring in triumph.

"Looks to me like your attack has failed!" taunted Spencer.

Emily (possessed) growled.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the barge near the middle of the harbor, Marik crushed the glass he was holding (containing juice) out of anger.

"Blast it all!

(elsewhere...)

Back at the pier, Spencer looked up at Serapheem, who looked down at Spencer with a very sad look on her face (tears were even falling from the monster's face).

"Serapheem's crying in pain." he said quietly. "Don't worry. I will free your master. I promise you that."

Filled with renewed determination, Spencer drew a card from his deck while slashing a colourful wave in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : (29)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Ryu-Kishin Powered, Power Balance, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I'll start by playing Pot of Greed!" Spencer slotted his card into his Duel Disk. "Now I draw two cards!"

He had Polymerization and Soul Release (both Spell cards) both added to his hand. Suddenly, the silver-haired boy heard Wingweaver speaking to him privately.

"You know what to do, Spencer." The angelic-like monster said mentally.

"Watch and learn." Spencer replied mentally, before speaking aloud. "Prepare to meet a monster like no other!"

"But you can't summon your God monster!" protested Emily (possessed) "Remember our agreement at the start?!"

Spencer smirked. "Oh, I know that."

"Then what...?"

"I activate the Spell Polymerization!" exclaimed Spencer, holding the mentioned Spell card out.

The Polymerization Spell card materialized face-up.

"Y-You're gonna fuse your three Blue-Eyes White Dragons together?!" stuttered Emily (possessed).

"That's right!" confirmed Spencer, before raising his voice into a dramatic tone. "Now, my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, merge yourselves into one!"

The fusion commenced. Once it finished, there stood the mighty three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon itself, giving off a very powerful roar in the process (Level: 12/ATK: 4500).

" _ **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**_!"

Emily (possessed) reeled back in shock from seeing this mighty monster. Suddenly, Spencer felt something sharp inside his head.

"Augh! What's going on?" he thought in pain.

Suddenly, he started to have a vision of a sort.

* * *

 **VISION**

In this vision, he was in the middle of an Egyptian desert at night time. There was also a girl with pale white skin, long white hair, and gentle blue-eyes standing before Spencer with her back turned.

"Who are you?" asked Spencer.

The girl turned around...yet didn't say a word. She just smiled warmly at the silver-haired boy.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?!" snapped Spencer, growing a little irritated.

Suddenly, the girl started glowing all blue, causing Spencer to gasp in shock.

"Huh? What?"

The girl disappeared, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon took her place with a roar.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon..." Spencer whispered, looking amazed.

Suddenly, the dragon lowered its head until it as close enough to Spencer's body, growling softly like it was trying to communicate with the silver-haired boy.

"Are you trying to speak to me?" asked Spencer.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon continued to growl softly. Spencer approached and patted the dragon atop its head gently.

"Are you saying...you want us to join together?"

The dragon nodded. Spencer stared on in disbelief for what seemed like forever...but eventually, he gave a small smile and nodded.

"Very well then... Let's go!" The silver-haired boy commanded.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon gave a massive roar in agreement.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended, and Spencer found himself back at the pier. He was confused, but his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was still ready to attack.

"Where...?"

Suddenly, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's three heads turned to look at Spencer and gave a roar for him to climb aboard. It was almost like the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was calling out to him. Quickly, the silver-haired boy nodded in agreement.

"Here I come!"

Spencer jumped up high into the sky...and landed safely on the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon's middle head, much to everyone's shock.

"Grease and oil!" exclaimed Mavis, surprised to see Spencer riding one of the heads of his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"How did he do that?" asked Skiff.

"He must have received a spirit monster in the Blue-Eyes..." thought Thomas, seeing what was happening.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the barge, Marik's Millennium Rod was starting to glow all gold.

"What's going on?" he asked in genuine shock.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the pier, Spencer slotted another card into his Duel Disk.

"Next I activate the Spell card Soul Release!"

Down below, the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Now I can banish up to five monsters from either player's graveyard!" said Spencer. "And I'll banish all five of those light attribute monsters in your graveyard, Marik!"

Emily (possessed) gasped. "NO! DON'T DO IT!"

But it was no use. Her light monsters disappeared from her graveyard.

"And that means Serapheem loses her attack bonus." Spencer pointed out, grinning.

Suddenly, Emily (possessed) smirked to herself. "Not for long..." she thought, looking at her hand.

She had a monster card in her hand (Mystical Fairy Servant(!)), in which by discarding it to the graveyard, it would negate the effect of a Spell or Trap card used by the opponent and destroy it. Emily (possessed) was about to take the card when suddenly, she stopped...like something inside her head was trying to fight back for control.

"Huh?!" gasped the possessed dark green-haird girl. "Something's..."

"Oh no, you don't!" snapped a voice.

Emily (possessed) suddenly had a vision of herself holding her back.

"Keep away!" shouted the evil Emily.

"Forget it!" The good Emily shouted back. "This is my body!"

"Not anymore, it isn't!"

The two sides began to fight for control of the body. Outside, Emily (possessed) was in a struggle with herself to send her card to the graveyard.

"I...must...not..." came regular Emily's voice.

"I must!" came Marik's voice from Emily's mouth, reaching for the card.

Suddenly, without any warning, Emily went...and slapped herself twice across the face.

"AAUUGGHH!" The possessed dark green-haired girl screamed...in Marik's voice.

"She's trying to regain control!" cried Skiff.

Thanks to the delay, Serapheem's attack value soon dropped back to its original amount (ATK: 5900 - 2900).

"N-No!" screamed Marik's voice from Emily's mouth. "She's my mind slave!"

"Not for long!" shouted Spencer. "Finish off Serapheem with Neutron Blast attack!"

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon obeyed, charging a blast with its three mouths.

"No!" ranted Marik's voice from Emily's mouth. "Call off your attack!"

Too late, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon finally fired off its attack.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the barge, Marik had a sore cheek because he felt the slap he was given and was holding onto his Millennium Rod and struggling to keep the hold on Emily his.

"Her will is stronger than I thought." The Rare Hunter leader said in horror.

Suddenly, the Rod began to glow as Marik had a vision of his own.

* * *

 **VISION**

Marik found himself in the middle of the Egyptian desert at nighttime. Suddenly, the Rare Hunter leader spotted someone nearby.

"Who's there?" he asked.

Marik ran towards the figure and soon stopped. The figure was the same white-haired woman Spencer encounter in his vision. Like with Spencer, she had her back against the Rare Hunter leader.

"Who are you?" Marik demanded.

The woman didn't seem to hear him. This only made Marik angrier...

"I said who are you?!" he shouted.

The woman turned around at last...but unlike with Spencer, her gentle blue-eyes instead had hints of anger in them.

"Leave those innocent people alone!" she demanded angrily.

"And who are you to order me around like that?" sneered Marik.

The woman started glowing all blue once again.

"You will leave those innocent people...alone!" The white-haired woman shouted at last.

Suddenly, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared in the girl's place and gave off a menacing roar.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" Marik exclaimed, taking a step back out of reflex.

The angry dragon began charging a White Lightning attack and quickly fired it off.

 **END VISION**

* * *

Outside the vision, the Neutron Blast attack finally collided and destroyed Serapheem.

"How could I...?" Marik's voice whispered from Emily's mouth.

Finally, unable to take it any long, Emily (possessed) screamed in horror as she lost the rest of her life points (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Spencer Gresley wins!**

* * *

When the amount of light faded away, Emily was standing again! ...but her eyes were normal.

"W-what happened?" she asked...in her regular voice.

"Emily's alright!" cried Skiff.

The dark green-haired girl looked around for a moment in pure confusion.

"What have I been doing?"

"You were in a duel against my big brother." explained Skiff, walking over. "But you were being mind controlled and Spencer here was able to free you."

Unfortunately for everyone... nearby, the Rare Hunter was furious.

"This was not suppose to have happened!" he bellowed.

"I guess there's a first time for everything." teased Mavis.

"That's it!" The Rare Hunter roared, holding the remote up. "Time for you to die!"

"He's going to kill Mavis!" cried Skiff, being the first to notice what was happening.

"NO! MAVIS!" screamed Emily, once she got a clue as to what was going on.

But Spencer was not about to let that happen. No sir'e, he was not.

"Not so fast, Rare Hunter!" The silver-haired boy through, starting to draw the top card of his deck. "Feel the power of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon card!"

With a powerful yell, Spencer hurled the drawn card really hard...almost like a shuriken star. The card soared and clipped the Rare Hunter's hand.

"AUGH!" he yelled, whilst dropping the remote.

Before the Rare Hunter had the chance to pick the remote back up, Spencer had attacked him.

"Take this!" exclaimed Spencer, punching the Rare Hunter.

The Rare Hunter was hit so hard by the silver-haired boy's fist that he landed on the ground and fell unconscious. This allowed Skiff and Emily to both run over to the tied up Mavis.

"Thank goodness." sighed Mavis.

While Skiff freed the blonde-haired girl, Spencer walked over and retrieve his card from the Rare Hunter. Once the silver-haired boy saw what the card was, it brought a small smile to his face.

"Guess you really are my spirit monster now." Spencer said only to himself.

The card in question was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the barge, Marik was on his hands and knees gasping and panting while his body was smoking from being hit by an attack of a sort.

"T-That attack..." he said to himself. "It felt so... so... real."

The Rare Hunter leader was also furious that his control over Emily had been broken successfully by Spencer.

"Nevertheless-" Marik seethed, standing back up. "-I still have Percy as my slave. I will kill Thomas and get his Egyptian God card one way or another."

(elsewhere...)

Back at the other pier, Thomas was trying to think of a way out of his situation.

"Now how am I going to get Percy to snap out of it?" The blue-haird boy thought to himself.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon was laying on the ground, giving off a weakened roar (ATK: 900).

"Thanks to Attrition, poor Red-Eyes won't be able to do much." thought Thomas, before looking to his deck for a brief moment. "But I can't give up... Not when my best friend is counting on me to save him." He then spoke aloud. "Marik, it's my turn now!"

Bravely, the blue-haired boy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Archfiend of Gilfer, Gamble, and Pot of Greed

* * *

The drawn card was the Pot of Greed Spell card.

"Alright, Pot of Greed should be able to help me." Thomas thought to himself, looking at the card. "But... I have to make sure that those cards I draw are absolute. Because with only ten minutes left, this could be my last chance to save us both."

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	35. Countdown to Destruction (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up at one of Brendam docks' piers, Spencer was atop the middle head of his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Finish off Serapheem with Neutron Blast attack!"

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon obeyed, charging a blast with its three mouths.

"No!" ranted Marik's voice from Emily's mouth. "Call off your attack!"

Too late, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon finally fired off its attack. It quickly collided and destroyed Serapheem.

"How could I...?" Marik's voice whispered from Emily's mouth.

Finally, unable to take it any long, Emily (possessed) screamed in horror as she lost the rest of her life points (LP: 0).

When the amount of light faded away, Emily was standing...but her eyes were normal.

"W-what happened?" she asked in her regular voice.

"With the use of my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon-" narrated Spencer. "-I was able to defeat Emily and release Marik's hold on her."

Back at the other pier, Thomas was trying to think of a way out of his situation.

"Now how am I going to get Percy to snap out of it?" he thought.

"Unfortunately, Marik's hold on Percy was much greater, and Billinton's Red-Eyes Black Dragon was also greatly weakened from the use of a dangerous combo attack." Spencer narrated some more.

"Alright, Pot of Greed should be able to help me." Thomas thought to himself, looking at his drawn card. "But... I have to make sure that those cards I draw are absolute. Because with only ten minutes left, this could be my last chance to save us both."

* * *

 **Title: Countdown to Destruction, Part 4**

* * *

Back at the second pier, Thomas was still looking at his drawn Pot of Greed card.

"Hurry up and play something!" snapped Percy (possessed). "Not unless you want you and your best friend to both be fish food!"

After giving it a few more seconds, the blue-haired boy made a play.

"I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards." announced Thomas, slotting his card into his Duel Disk.

The two cards added to his hand were Mystical Refpanel and Beta The Magnet Warrior.

"Beta The Magnet Warrior." Thomas thought to himself. "I could use it to attack Percy directly... but I can't risk his life points hitting zero."

Thinking up a plan, the blue-haired boy slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I place one card facedown and summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" Thomas announced, as a facedown card materialized.

The yellow gadget-looking warrior appeared in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1600).

"Heh, not planning on attacking are we?" taunted Percy (possessed). "Very well."

Nearby, Emily and Mavis both watched the death trap duel continue.

"We have to get them out of there!" said Emily, worried for her friends' safety.

"Unfortunately, Marik made his hold on Percy much stronger than his hold on you." Mavis pointed out.

"Can't we at least try to free them from those shackles?"

Emily started to approach when...

"Stay back!" warned Thomas. He had overheard the dark green-haired girl speak. "I think I'm starting to get Percy to come around."

"You have not!" Percy (possessed) responded back, drawing his card. "Percy is gone, and there is only Marik now!"

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Flame Swordsman, Card Destruction, and Panther Warrior

* * *

Seeing what he drew, Percy gave an evil smile while an image of Marik showed himself.

"Panther Warrior..." he said evilly. "Powerful enough to destroy Thomas's Red-Eyes and wipe out his life points!"

But then Marik looked up at the clock, which had about nine minutes left.

"On the other hand, I could let the timer run out... but I'll just humor the boy for a while longer!"

Percy (possessed) placed the monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!"

The armed panther-like warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1600).

"Don't forget that you need to sacrifice another monster for it to even attack." Thomas reminded. "And you certainly don't want to give up Rocket Warrior right now, do you?"

Percy (possessed) scowled. "You're right... I end my turn."

"My turn!" declared Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : (28)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Archfiend of Gilfer, Gamble, and Card of Sanctity

* * *

"I activate card of Sanctity!" he announced, as the card materialized face-up. "Now we both draw from our decks until we hold six cards!"

Thomas drew four cards, showing them to be Magic Jammer, Mirror Force, Dark Magician, and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. Suddenly, the Duel Monster spirit of the Dark Magician appeared beside the blue-haired boy.

"Dark Magician!" Thomas exclaimed in surprise. "Do you want me to summon you?"

To Thomas's surprise, the spirit of Dark Magician declined and shook his head.

"No." The purple-haired male spellcaster said calmly.

"Why not?" asked Thomas.

"Keep the Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field."

Thomas was surprised. "But...Red-Eyes is very weak right now!"

Nearby, Red-Eyes Black Dragon gave a sickly roar.

"It may be weak-" said Dark Magician wisely. "-but it wants to keep fighting to free its master from Marik's control."

Thomas nodded. "I understand."

Dark Magician faded away while Thomas took two cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Disk, causing two facedown cards to materialize behind the two monsters.

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in the middle of town, Carlie and Lady were both running in search for their friends.

"Where could they be?" asked Lady.

Suddenly, Carlie felt the marking on her hand glowing.

"This way!" She pointed to a nearby street and running off.

"Alright!" nodded Lady, following.

The two girls ran across the road to the other side...and nearly got run over by a limo driving by.

"H-Hey! Watch where you two kids are going!" scolded the driver, just before he recognized Carlie. "M-Mistress Carlie, it's you!"

"Carlie?" asked Ben, poking his head out of the ceiling window.

"Ben!"

Once the word was given, it was a nice reunion for the friends and siblings.

"Thank heaven you're safe." Discord said, nearly bursting into tears.

"I am too, Dad..." Carlie whispered.

"And nice of you to join us, Lady." Edward said to the beautiful blonde-haired girl.

"Likewise." nodded Lady. "But I must ask this; where are Percy, Emily, and Mavis?"

No one had an answer...until Carlie spoke up.

"I know where they are."

Everyone looked at her, hoping she wasn't making anything up.

"They're at Brendam Docks." said Carlie quietly.

"Then we have no time to waste." Matt took charge immediately. "We have to get over there before it's too late!"

The limo drove on its way.

"Hang on, guys, we're on our way!" thought the dirty blonde-haired boy, looking out the window seriously.

(elsewhere...)

Back at one of the pier's at Brendam docks, the duel was still on...with seven minutes remaining.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : (25)  
 **Current Hand** (7): Flame Swordsman, Card Destruction, Graceful Dice, Skull Dice, Swordsman of Landstar, Monster Reborn, and Crush Card Virus

* * *

"Thanks to your Card of Sanctity card, I now have many more options to destroy you!" mocked Percy (possessed), taking a card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Meet the Swordsman of Landstar!"

The small warrior appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1200).

"Now I'll transform Rocket Warrior back into its invincible mode!"

Rocket Warrior transformd itself back into a rocket. An image of Marik appeared, and he looked very pleased with what was about to happen.

"This is all over for you, Thomas Billinton." The Rare Hunter leader sneered. "Now I'll have my mind slave use Panther Warrior to destroy Red-Eyes and..."

Unfortunately...

"And I'll attack...with Rocket Warrior!" Percy (possessed) declared.

Marik was shocked. "What?!"

"And I'll have it target your Beta The Magnet Warrior!"

"No!" snapped Marik. "I wanted you to attack Red-Eyes with Panther Warrior!"

But it was too late; Rocket Warrior had already charged towards Beta.

"Reveal facedown card!" Thomas shouted, as one of his three facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself. "Mirror Force!"

"No! Not that card!" exclaimed Percy (possessed).

Rocket Warrior hit the mirror-like force field and caused all of Percy's monsters to be destroyed. Spencer kept a neutral expression on his face from watching what had happened.

"A good play by Billinton." he thought.

Back at the pier, two facedown cards materialized.

"I place two cards facedown!" Percy (possessed) grumbled, before holding out another card. "And activate Monster Reborn!"

Reappearing in attack mode was Swordsman of Landstar.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : (23)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Archfiend of Gilfer, Gamble, Dark Magician, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and Magic Formula

* * *

"I sacrifice my Beta The Magnet Warrior to summon the mighty Archfiend of Gilfer!"

Beta vanished as Archfiend of Gilfer took to the field (Level: 6/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2500).

"Please, Percy, I know you can hear me! I know you have what it takes to break free of Marik's control!" Thomas called out.

Percy closed his eyes and groaned a bit.

"No! You'll obey me and only me!" snapped Marik, making his Millennium Rod glow.

Percy raised his head back up...showing he was still possessed.

"Nice try!"

Thomas scowled. "I guess I'm left with no choice! ...attack the Swordsman of Landstar, my Archfiend of Gilfer! Scorching Flame Attack!"

Archfiend of Gilfer obeyed, charging a blast of fire.

"I activate my facedowns!" announced Percy (possessed), poking two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Graceful Dice and Skull Dice!"

Both facedown cards flipped up and revealed themselves...but Thomas was ready for one of them.

"Counter Trap card!" Thomas announced right back, as another facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Magic Jammer! By discarding a card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate the activation of Graceful Dice and destroy it!"

The blue-haired boy discarded a card from his hand to the graveyard...and Graceful Dice was destroyed.

"I still have Skull Dice!" snapped Percy (possessed). "Go Dice Roll!"

The devil carrying the red dice tossed the die into the air...and landed on a lousy one.

"A one?!"

Because of a one, nothing in the Archfiend of Gilfer's attack power had changed. The fire attack was launched and destroyed Swordsman of Landstar in a single attack and causing Percy (possessed) to cry out from the heat of the attack (LP: 900).

"They're about even now!" Skiff announced.

"All Thomas has to do is attack with Red-Eyes and he's won." added Mavis.

"But if he does that-" Emily reminded. "-then Percy will..."

"That's why he WON'T attack." said Spencer seriously.

Percy (possessed) recovered and chuckled darkly. "Go ahead...attack me, now. I'm wide open for Red-Eyes to strike me down."

Thomas knew that Marik WANTED him to attack Percy.

"No." he said, shaking his head. "I end my turn."

Nearby, the screeching sound of tires could be heard from nearby.

"What?!" came from Emily.

Suddenly, a limo drove into the harbor area.

"It's a limo!" exclaimed Skiff.

Scrambling out of the limo was the rest of the group's friends.

"Guys!" cried Mavis. "You're safe!"

"Of course!" Toby replied, as he and the blonde-haired girl embraced.

"What about you, Emily? Are you hurt?" Edward asked anxiously.

"I'm fine..." The dark green-haired girl sighed, before pointing to nearby. "But take a good look over there!"

The rest of the gang looked over and saw Thomas and Percy's duel.

"Get those shackles off of them before that timer goes off!" ordered Discord.

"We can't." Spencer pointed out. "Those shackles are not gonna come off unless one of those two loses to the other."

"You mean...someone's gonna drown?" Molly asked in dismay.

"Not unless Billinton finds a way to save himself and Percy."

"He won't." retorted Percy (possessed), overhearing the conversation and drawing a card. "It's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 900)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Flame Swordsman, Card Destruction, Crush Card Virus, and Meteor of Destruction

* * *

The card that the green-haired boy had drawn was shown to be...

"Meteor of Destruction!"

Percy looked at the card emotionlessly while an image of Marik smiling wickedly appeared beside him.

"Play the card, my mind slave-" he said. "-and then Thomas Billinton's death will be certain!"

"The card I hold will be the key to finishing you off, Thomas Billinton!" Percy (possessed) taunted.

Thomas stood firm. Percy (possessed) began to slot the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk when suddenly...

"N-No." Percy said weakly in his original voice.

"What are you doing?!" demanded Marik. "Play the card!"

"Percy, please!" Thomas called out. "You can do it! Fight back against Marik!"

"Do it, Percy!" smirked Marik. "You'll finally be your own man. All you have to do is kill your best friend with the Spell card you've drawn!"

"I won't do it!" cried Percy. "I won't kill my best friend!"

"Hmph! In that case, just wait out... and die with him!"

Thomas could notice that Percy was fighting with himself more than ever. With only three minutes left, he had to make this count.

"You can do it, Percy!" cried Thomas.

"Get out of my mind, Marik!" snapped Percy, putting a hand to his head. "Get out of my mind!"

"Hey, Marik!" called Thomas suddenly. "That's right, I'm talking to part of you inside of Percy!"

The image of Marik frowned, but said nothing. He just continued to listen on...

"I've finally figured out who the real loser of this duel is..." The blue-haired boy pointed forth. "It's you, Marik!"

The image of Marik's face twitched in shock and anger.

"You can implant evil thoughts in Percy using the Millennium Rod... but Percy will never give in to you! Percy has beaten you! Sure, there's still three minutes left on the clock, but in that time I will have Percy back to himself! And when I do, even if we both sink into the ocean and lose our lives, the fact you lost will be branded into your memories forever!"

The image of Marik seethed in great anger. Nearby, Spencer was curious to what Thomas was up to.

"What are you up to, Billinton?" The silver-haired boy thought to himself.

"Marik, there's no time left... so give it your best shot! Try to defeat me and get your revenge! ATTACK ME, MARIK!" Thomas dared.

By this point, Marik's anger with the blue-haired boy had reached its absolute breaking point.

"Very well!" The Rare Hunter leader snarled, as his Millennium Rod glowed at maximum power. "I'll blast you out of this world with this Spell card!"

"No... I won't... play it!" Percy struggled to resist.

"SHUT UP!" roared Marik. "YOU WILL PLAY THAT CARD NOW!"

Percy screamed in agony...and once again fell under the possession of Marik.

"It's over, Thomas Billinton!" The possessed green-haired boy cackled. "I activate Meteor of Destruction!"

The sky darkened as a huge fireball started to appear in the sky.

"AH HA HA HA HA! This is the price you pay for defiance, Percy Avonside!" Marik laughed savagely. "Now you'll forever retain the memory of how you killed your best friend!"

"Percy!" cried Thomas in desperation.

At that point, the green-haired boy started to realize what he had done.

"What have I done...?"

All of this had become too much for Percy to bear, and he let out a monstrous scream.

"THOMAS!" The Millennium Eye symbol then shattered from the green-haired boy's forehead. "HELP ME!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the barge, Marik was horrified that Percy's will broke him free of control.

"No..." he whispered. "Percy's will IS too strong to be controlled!"

The Rare Hunter leader gave a loud scream as everything around him faded to white.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the pier, the fireball was fast approaching Thomas.

"Thomas, you have to stop that meteor now!" called James.

Thomas didn't answer at first. He smiled as tears streamed down his eyes; for the blue-haired boy had managed to bring his best friend back.

"I knew you could do it, Percy." thought Thomas. "Now to take care of the meteor!" The blue-haired boy spoke aloud. "I reveal my Trap card - Mystical Refpanel!"

Thomas's set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. A purple fairy wearing a dress and carrying a large mirror appeared and stopped the meteor.

"This Trap lets me redirect your activated Spell card to whomever I choose!"

Percy, meanwhile, finally regained his senses, and his eyes were normal once more.

"W-Where am I?" The green-haired boy asked aloud. "And...why are we both shackled to that anchor? What has been going on?"

"Marik had mind controlled you into dueling me with our lives on the line-" explained Thomas. "-but our duel is over..."

As he said that, the blue-haired boy started to remove the Duel Disk from his left arm.

"Actually when you think about it... we weren't actually fighting. YOU were fighting the piece of Marik implanted inside of you. As for me, I wanted to make sure that we stayed friends no matter what happened."

"Thomas..." whispered Percy.

"And we've both won in the end!" Thomas continued.

Nearby with the gang, Spencer was thinking of what Thomas was going to do thanks to Mystical Refpanel.

"Because of Mystical Refpanel, Billinton has a tough choice to make." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "He could aim the attack at Percy...or target himself instead!"

Skiff noticed that his big brother looked worried. "What's wrong, Spencer?" The younger boy asked.

"No matter what Thomas does now-" said Spencer quietly. "-one of the duelists will drown. The question is who will it be."

"But he can't!" Emily protested.

Back at the nearby pier...

"I've played Mystical Refpanel so I can buy a little bit of time... so I can say everything I wanted to say to you at the end, Percy." Thomas said slowly.

Back with the gang...

"' _At the end_ '?" quizzed Michael. "What's he talking about?"

"He must be planning to sacrifice himself." said Matt quietly.

"What?!" Emily didn't like hearing that one bit.

"He can't!" added Molly. "He can't die!"

Back with Thomas and Percy at the pier...

"Percy, you're my best friend." said Thomas, crying now. "And...I'm afraid this is the end for me. Please, take care of our friends. I know you'll become a great duelist."

Percy also began to cry. "No... don't do it!"

It was too late...

"Mystical Refpanel, redirect Meteor of Destruction at me!" Thomas commanded.

The fairy was surprised, but reluctantly obeyed and fired the blast directly at Thomas. As the meteor approached, spirits of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both appeared and watched in horror.

"MY PHARAOH!" They both screamed at once.

"NOOOO!" screamed Percy through his tears.

It was too late, Meteor of Destruction had slammed dead-on into Thomas, causing him to scream in agony (LP: 0).

"THOMAS!" cried out the rest of the gang in horror.

"This can't be happening!" Spencer, with bloodshot eyes, thought to himself in horror.

The fiery ball of fire had knocked Thomas unconscious. The timer, meanwhile, had ticked to thirty seconds...and opened the box at Percy's feet.

"The key!" cried Percy. "But I can't let my best friend drown. What do I do?!" Suddenly, he remembered something. "Wait! Meteor of Destruction has a second effect; Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon lifted its head up and weakly looked at Percy.

"Attack me directly!" Percy begged tearfully. "Please! Attack with Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon surprisingly obeyed, charging a small fireball and firing it at Percy, striking him and making him yell a little (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: This duel is a draw!**

* * *

The box beside Thomas opened up and revealed his key.

"Thank you, Red-Eyes..." thought Percy.

Red-Eyes Black Dragon growled softly as the holograms finally vanished. Percy then removed and tossed his Duel Disk aside.

"I have to make this right..."

"Percy! Get your key!" called James R.. "You only have ten seconds left!"

But Percy didn't care about his own key right now. He grabbed his chain and swung over to Thomas's side.

"I'll save you, Thomas!" The green-haired boy cried.

"Hurry!" called out both Gordon and Henry.

Five...

Percy slowly swung over...

Four...

He was inches away from reaching the key...

Three...

"I have to make!" thought Percy.

Two...

Almost there...

One...

Percy reached out...and grabbed the key!

"Got it!" thought Percy triumphantly.

But...

*BOOM!*

The box exploded and the giant anchor fell into the sea.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Percy cried out in alarm, starting to be pulled away by his chain.

Thomas, still unconscious, also started to be pulled up into the air by his chain.

"THOMAS!" screamed Percy as he was pulled into the ocean first.

Finally, the blue-haired boy was pulled into the water also, just as the rest of the gang ran over to the pier.

"NOOOO! THOMAS! PERCY!" cried Emily and Lady both at once.

(elsewhere...)

Under the water, Percy still had Thomas's key, and thus he went over and unlocked the blue-haired boy's shackle. Thomas slowly floated upward towards the surface.

"Thomas, I'm so sorry for all of this..." thought Percy sadly. "Goodbye forever, my best friend..."

(elsewhere...)

When Thomas reached the surface, he was conscious and started gasping for air.

"THOMAS!" screamed Emily, nearly bursting into tears.

"Hold on!" Gordon dove into the water, and managed to bring his younger friend onto dry land.

"Percy's... still down there." said Thomas, coughing and trying to catch his breath.

"He didn't even get his key!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Then give it to me and I'll dive down after him!" Zack suggested, taking his glasses off.

But when Mavis went over to Percy's opened box... the key wasn't in there.

"It's not there!" she cried out.

Suddenly, Spencer was shown to be standing right next to the blonde-haired girl.

"W-What...?"

The silver-haired boy gave a small smile while holding...the key...up.

"Hmm... I wonder how long a fish like Percy can hold his breath?" Spencer asked in a teasing tone. "Only one way to find out..."

He then went and dropped the key into the water.

(elsewhere...)

Underwater, Percy was far down and felt like his lungs were gonna explode from the lack of air.

"I don't know how much longer I can last." The green-haired boy thought to himself. Suddenly, he spotted the key to his shackles floating down to him. "The key!"

(elsewhere...)

Back up on the surface, everyone waited and waited and waited.

"He's not coming up..." James sighed.

"Do you think he's...?" Henry started to say, but didn't finish.

Everyone began to grieve over their friend drowning. Suddenly, breaking through the surface gasping for air...was Percy!

"PERCY!" Everyone (except Spencer) cried out in surprise.

Quickly, James and Henry both pulled their friend out.

"Phew...m-made it..." Percy groaned...before he was met upon by Emily, Mavis, Carlie, Molly, and Lady, nearly crushing him in their hugs.

"Thank heaven you're alright!" sobbed Lady.

"You nearly scared us to death!" added Molly.

Thomas was also happy that his best friend was alive. Skiff then spoke up to the green-haired boy.

"My brother here was the one who saved you." The young boy said cheerfully.

Percy was shocked while looking over to Spencer. "What?! YOU?! Out of all the people who decided to rescue me, it was you?!"

"And what might be wrong with that?" teased Spencer. "It was the right thing for me to do, you know."

"Great... I guess I owe you one now." fumed Percy.

(ten minutes later...)

After a few minutes of the reunion and sundown began to happen, Percy immediately spoke to Thomas.

"Thomas...I..." The green-haired boy said in shame. "I'm so sorry!"

"It wasn't your fault, Percy." assured Thomas. "This was Marik's fault! HE made this happen!"

"But I should done something to prevent myself from falling under his control!" insisted Percy sadly. "He made me almost kill you... I...I can't forgive myself for it!"

"Percy..." said Thomas gently. "You weren't to blame. Besides, it was thanks to Red-Eyes that you were able to break free."

"That still doesn't change what I tried to do to you!"

"Okay, that is enough!" snapped a voice.

Percy looked up and was met by a slap to the face...by Lady.

"Lady?!" gasped much of the group.

"Why'd you do that?" Percy asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm sorry if I had to hurt you-" said Lady with guilt in her tone. "-but it was the only way I could get some sense into you and get you to stop blaming yourself for this incident."

"A True Duelist doesn't whine like that." agreed Thomas.

Matt started to speak up and add to that. "Thomas is right; you have to get back up and keep fighting to prove yourself."

"Just learn from your mistake and move on." Michael added.

"It's one of the few ways to become a True Duelist." James R. finished.

Percy thought about what his friends had said before nodding.

"You're right." The green-haired boy said at long last.

James raised both his arms up. "Looks like the gang's all together again!"

"You said it." nodded Gordon.

"I think we would've been in less trouble if we didn't split up a lot." said Toby jokingly.

As everyone chattered, nearby was Spencer and Skiff. the silver-haired boy turned to leave.

"Wait up!" called Skiff, following his big brother.

"Spencer, wait!" Thomas yelled out, causing the silver-haired boy to stop. "I want to thank you for everything you've done to help us out with dealing with Marik's Rare Hunters and rescuing my friends from him... I'll never forget your selfless assistance!"

"Don't mention it." said Spencer coolly, resuming walking away. "But now that this is all taken care of, I think it's time we all got back to the Battle City tournament."

The silver-haired boy and his younger brother walked away, leaving everyone else behind to remember about the tournament.

"Spencer's right; we've been so caught up in this Marik situation that we forgot about the tournament finals!" commented Edward.

Thomas nodded. "No doubt that's where ' _ **he'll**_ ' strike next."

Yup. The friends would be ready for Marik if he should strike at the finals. But would it be as simple as they think? That's for you all to figure out.


	36. Attack of the Occults

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Nightime... that's exactly what it was, right now. It had been a very long and tiring day for the gang of friends from the Island of Sodor. Considering that several of them had been chased around by Rare Hunters, while a few of them were even captured and brainwashed at one point. But regardless of it, Thomas, Percy, James, and Lady had all won enough Locator cards to enter the Battle City Finals.

"This is awesome!" cheered James. "We've now qualified for the finals!"

"We're all very proud of you, Lady, Percy, and Thomas, James." Edward smiled.

"It wasn't easy, but now we can show the whole island just how good we really are now!" said Percy cheerfully.

"But, um..." Toby spoke up. "Where are the finals exactly?"

"That's what these Locator cards are for." Thomas answered, holding up his six Locator cards.

"What are you going to do with them?" Matt asked curiously.

"I think you're supposed to place them on your Duel Disk and they'll make a map." said Percy.

Thomas did what his best friend told him to do; he activated his Duel Disk and placed the first five Locator cards onto the monster field slots, and then placed the sixth into the Field Spell slot.

"There we go!"

Suddenly a holographic projection of a map appeared before them.

"Whoa..." gasped Henry.

"It is a map!" added Molly. "And look at that!"

There was a red dot near the center of the map.

"It's at the Knapford Airport!"

"Then that must be where the finals are being held." Michael claimed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Emily. "Let's go!"

Thomas, Percy, James, and Lady all gave a nod and readied their Duel Disks.

"It's time to duel!" They said in unison.

* * *

 **Title: Attack of the Occults**

* * *

Inside the city hospital, Duck was in his room asleep. He was there due to an unknown injury he received. Also present inside the room was Sir Topham Hatt.

"You must have been exhausted from that incident." said Sir Topham Hatt. "I've never seen anybody sleep so peacefully like that."

Suddenly, his cellphone began to ring.

"Hmm...I wonder who that could be?" The high school principal quizzed, taking it out of his coat pocket and pressing a button on it. "Hello?"

As Sir Topham Hatt spoke to whoever was calling, Duck was shown to be asleep...but inside his mind, Montague was shown scheming a plan when Marik suddenly appeared.

"Aha!" said Marik in triumph. "Found you."

"What do you want?" demanded Montague.

"My mind slaves have failed to get the two other Egyptian God cards from Thomas and Spencer." The Rare Hunter leader sighed unhappily. "Now I'm here to request your assistance for Plan B."

"Plan B?" asked Montague, growing angry. "I've already put my host in the hospital thanks to your first plan. What more do you want from me?"

"I need you to enter the tournament and help me win the two Egyptian God cards back."

Montague frowned. "And if I do this for you, will you finally give me your Millennium Rod?"

"Yes." sighed Marik once more. "I'll surrender my Millennium Rod to you."

Montague thought it over for a minute and gave a heavy sigh of his own.

"Very well, I'll enter the tournament." he said at last. "What do I need to do to enter the finals?"

"First you must obtain a Duel Disk." explained Marik. "Then you need to acquire six Locator cards."

Montague listened carefully. "Sounds simple enough."

"You'd have to hurry though, the finals begin tonight."

Just then, outside of Duck's mind, Sir Topham Hatt was shaking the green-haired boy excitedly.

"Wake up, Duck! Wake up!" he said happily. "I've got great news!"

Montague (pretending to be Duck) opened his eyes.

"W-What is it?" he asked in Duck's voice.

"I've gotten a call from Mr. Crawford, and he's told me that Thomas, Lady, Percy, and James have all qualified for the Battle City Finals! Isn't that great?"

"Well I'm not surprised on Thomas and Lady both making it-" said Montague in Duck's voice. "-but James and Percy? They've really gotten better in the game. Since I'm feeling much better, I think I should go catch up with them."

Montague started to get out of bed, but Sir Topham Hatt stopped him from getting up.

"Oh no, you can't leave now." he scolded. "The doctor said you need more rest."

The look on Montague's face grew dangerous. He had no time to waste, and yet this geezer would not let him leave.

"Out of my way, you old fool!" The green-haired spirit growled in his own voice, just as his Millennium Ring glowed all gold.

"Wha...?"

Before long, Sir Topham Hatt was knocked unconscious, thus allowing Montague to stand up and slip on his coat and sneakers.

"That's better." he said to himself. "Now to get me one of those Duel Disks."

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in the middle of town, some cries were coming from a nearby alleyway.

"Hey, come on!" shouted a voice (male). "Give that back!"

Unfortunately, the shout was met with some punching sounds.

(elsewhere...)

In the alleyway, a teenage boy was thrown against the wall with several bruises forming on his face. His deck then landed on the ground and the cards all scattered around. Nearby, Montague put the Duel Disk on his left arm and held the Locator card up.

"You can keep your lame deck, but I'm taking your Duel Disk and Locator card." The green-haired spirit chuckled softly. "With both of them, I can now compete in the tournament."

The boy was frightened. "His strength was almost superhuman..." he thought.

Now a Battle City contestant, Montague needed to win five more Locator cards to enter the finals.

"There has to be a Battle City duelist here somewhere..."

(elsewhere...)

When Montague arrived at the park, he overheard some teenagers chatting...

"Hey, did you hear? Some duelists have qualified for the finals." said one boy.

"One of them is the San Francisco champion!" added a second boy.

"The other three duelists also competed in the San Francisco tournament, too!" came a girl.

Montague listened carefully. "Time is running out for me." he thought, and then walked over to the teenagers. "Excuse me, where could I find a Battle City duel?"

"Scram, loser!" snapped one of the two boys.

Monatgue was cross...

"Perhaps you didn't hear me." The green-haired spirit said threateningly, grabbing the rude boy by his shirt collar and pulling him closer until the two were seeing eye-to-eye. "Where...can...I...find...a...Battle City...duel?"

"I-I heard rumors of duelists in the cemetery!" whimpered the teen boy, growing scared of Montague. "Don't hurt me!"

The spirit of the Millennium Ring, satisfied with the information, dropped the boy back onto the ground.

"That's all I needed to know."

Montague then walked away, leaving the three teenagers behind and shocked with that guy's attitude. They were also surprised by the rather dark atmosphere that seemed to be around him also.

"That guy is creepy." said the girl, not knowing how right she was.

(elsewhere...)

At the local cemetery, a male duelist was taking a stroll... and was also shivering from the terrifying atmosphere.

"Man, this place is creepy..." The boy whispered to himself.

Suddenly, a wolf and mummy showed themselves from behind some tombstones.

"BOO!"

The poor duelist cried out and tried to escape! ...only to bump into...a zombie.

"AUGH!" screamed the boy again, dropping his entire deck and only two Locator cards and then running out of the cemetery scared out of his wits.

The zombie laughed and picked up the Locator cards. "Another sucker took the bait."

"Man, Bowler, this sure was a great idea!" said the wolf happily, removing his mask and revealing himself to be...Dodge." Our leader, Diesel, may have failed to enter the finals and win it all, but we can all go there instead and make him proud of us fellow Smelter Class students!"

"I'll say!" added the mummy, removing his mask and revealing himself to be...Splatter.

"This is just the beginning." said the zombie, taking his mask off to reveal...a dark green-haired teenage boy named Bowler. "When we win the finals, we'll dedicate the victory to him and all of the other Smelter Class students!"

The three Smelter Class teenagers then heard footsteps coming from nearby.

"Fresh meat..." snickered Bowler, putting his mask back on.

They took their positions as Montague stepped inside and looked around carefully for any duelist.

"Hmm..."

As the spirit of the Millennium Ring walked further into the cemetery, he was quickly met upon by a mummy and wolf making roaring noises in an attempt to scare the green-haired spirit away. But was Montague even scared? Not even close.

"Is this meant to scare me?" The green-haired boy asked in a deadpan tone.

Quickly, Montague reached over and removed the masks and revealed Dodge and Splatter still making roaring sounds without realization. The spirit of the Millennium Ring then sensed that he was about to be attacked from behind by a zombie (or another person wearing a mask) and immediately moved aside, causing the zombie to accidentally crash into Dodge and Splatter.

"Idiots..." The zombie mask-wearing teenage boy muttered in annoyance.

"You poor fools." mocked Montague, noticing a deck of Duel Monsters cards lying on the ground nearby. "Earning your rare cards and Locator cards like this rather than just by dueling. Well, I'm not easily so scared. If you want my rarest card and Locator card, you'll have to duel me for it!"

Bowler got up and removed his mask in anger, but grew confused upon seeing who was mocking him...

"Hey, I recognize you." The Smelter teen said in surprise. "Aren't you one of Thomas Billinton's friends from school?"

"What if I am?" asked Montague darkly.

Bowler replied by activating his Duel Disk. "Then that's all the better to get rid of you, so we three can enter the finals and avenge Diesel's loss!"

"Well I propose a more—how should I say—higher stakes wager?" Montague offered. "Wager all five of your Locator cards in this match."

"Why should I?" Bowler huffed.

"To prove you're not afraid to risk losing to someone like me. Not to mention the finals are not far away."

"He's right." agreed Dodge.

"We only have two more hours." added Splatter.

"Fine!" said Bowler haughtily, accepting the challenge. "This will be a winner-take-all match."

Montague smiled wickedly to himself. "The poor fool does not realize the potential danger he has put himself in." he thought, activating his own Duel Disk. "Prepare to face a duelist unlike any you've ever faced!"

"I can duel circles around you!" boasted Bowler.

The two duelists drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

Montague's evil smile suddenly grew wider. "Let the Shadow Game commence!" he thought to himself some more, just as purple fog started appearing all around the area.

This was a sign the duel had become a Shadow Game! ...not that Dodge, Splatter, and Bowler each knew this at first, but they would soon know...

"I'll take the first turn." offered Montague.

Bowler grunted without much interest.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Montague (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Headless Knight, The Shallow Grave, The Earl of Demise, The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, Spiritualistic Medium

* * *

Upon finishing looking over his opening hand, Montague looked up with a cruel smile on his face.

"Do you know about the legend of this cemetery?" The green-haired spirit asked sinisterly, waving his empty hand about.

"What legend?" asked Bowler.

"It is once said that this cemetery is haunted by a lone knight who had lost his head in battle. He now wanders the cemetery looking for his head." Montague said, still smirking evilly and placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Bowler was looking very frightened indeed.

"Now... say hello to my Headless Knight!"

Suddenly a hand popped out of the ground, causing the three Smelter teens to scream in fright.

"A MONSTER!" They each wailed at once.

Emerging from the ground was a knight...with no head (Level: 4/ATK: 1450).

"Now I'll add this card facedown." Montague slotted a card into his Duel Disk, causing a facedown card to materialize. "Okay, let's see what you've got."

"Nothing to be creeped out at..." thought Bowler to himself. "It's just a hologram. It's not real."

With that thought on hand, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Bowler (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Premature Burial, Snake Hair, Skull Invitation, Call of the Haunted, Polymerization, and Zanki

* * *

On cue, a facedown card materialized, followed by a monster card called Snake Hair appearing face-up.

"I place one card facedown and summon my Snake Hair in attack mode!" said Bowler bravely...although he really was scared.

A green-skinned woman with snakes for hair appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Attack his Headless Knight!"

Snake Hair obeyed, launching two of her snakes out. The two snakes bit the Headless Knight and causing it to shatter into pieces.

"Your knight is dead once more!" taunted Bowler.

Montague grunted (LP: 3950). "You haven't seen the last of him!" he insisted, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Montague (LP: 3950)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (4): The Earl of Demise, The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, Spiritualistic Medium, and Monster Reborn

* * *

Upon adding the drawn card to his hand, the green-haired spirit poked a button on his Duel Disk.

"Now observe my facedown card!" Montague's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "The Shallow Grave!"

A coffin rose from the ground and opened up.

"This Spell card allows both of us to special summon a monster from our graveyards to the field in facedown defense position." explained Montague. "But you have no monsters in your graveyard—yet I do!"

"I bet it's your Headless Knight, too!" scoffed Bowler. "I can beat it just as easily as before!"

The Headless Knight returned, kneeling in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1700).

"But he won't be around for long." said Montague, readying a new card. "Why? Because now I sacrifice him in order to summon The Earl of Demise!"

The Headless Knight was swallowed into the ground, and appearing in its place was a zombie-like fiend monster wielding a sword (Level: 5/ATK: 2000).

"T-The Earl of Demise!" shivered Dodge and Splatter, hugging each other out of complete fear.

"Taste fear!" cackled Montague. "Attack the Snake Hair, now!"

The Earl of Demise obeyed, slashing at Snake Hair with his sword and destroying her in an instant.

"So much for your monster."

Bowler shivered like a leaf as he took a small life point hit (LP: 3500).

"It's not...over yet!" He drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Bowler (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Premature Burial, Call of the Haunted, Polymerization, Zanki, and Dragon Zombie

* * *

Noticing what he drew put a smile back on Bowler's face.

"This duel is going into my favor now." The Smelter Class teen said aloud. "I summon Dragon Zombie in attack mode!"

A zombie looking dragon appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 1600).

"Next I play an Equip Spell called Premature Burial!" Bowler continued, holding his card out as his life points took a hit (LP: 2700). "This revives a monster from my graveyard and puts it in attack mode!"

Snake Hair returned to the field.

"And now for the Polymerization Spell card!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. Very quickly, Dragon Zombie and Snake Hair both began to fuse together.

"I fuse my monsters together to fusion summon Great Mammoth of Goldfine!" Bowler announced.

When the fusion ended, an undead mammoth made entirely of gold bones appeared and gave a high-pitched screech (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"Not so tough now, are you?" taunted Bowler. "Attack his The Earl of Demise, now!"

The large mammoth obeyed, charging at Montague's monster and destroying it.

"Very interesting..." smirked Montague (LP: 3750). "This might actually be fun!"

"So you say!" Bowler replied. "Now observe as I activate a Trap card!"

The facedown card on Bowler's side of the field flipped up and revealed itself.

"It's called Skull Invitation, and what it does is it deals 300 points of damage to either players' life points whenever a card is sent to their respective graveyards!"

"Oh, you're in for it now!" teased Splatter.

"Yeah!" agreed Dodge.

"Oh please!" scoffed Montague, drawing his card. "That won't help you!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Montague (LP: 3750)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (4): The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, Spiritualistic Medium, Monster Reborn, and Pot of Malice(!)

* * *

"I'll play Monster Reborn and revive my fallen The Earl of Demise!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. From there, Montague's recently destroyed monster returned to the field.

"Because a card has been sent to your graveyard, you lose 300 life points!" Bowler pointed out.

"Oh, I know that." Montague acknowledged (LP: 3450), before taking another card and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "Now watch as I play Pot of Malice! Like Pot of Greed, this let's me draw two cards from my deck... but if I control a face-up zombie or fiend-type monster, I draw three cards instead."

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up, and Montague drew three more cards (because he controlled a face-up fiend-type monster).

"Now say goodbye to another 300 life points!" teased Bowler.

Montague still didn't look worried the slightest (LP: 3150). "Actually... I don't need my hand to defeat little boys like you! So, I think I'll go ahead and discard it..."

And that's what the green-haired spirit did; he discarded his whole hand to the graveyard.

"But why would you go and do that?" Bowler asked, before seeing a face-up card on his opponent's side of the field. "Not that!"

"That's right!" confirmed Montague (LP: 2250). "Spiritualistic Medium! In order to activate this card, I have to discard my entire hand. After discarding my hand to the graveyard, my The Earl of Demise gains 500 attack points for every monster card sent to the grave this turn by this effect."

He held his Duel Disk up, showing the graveyard section.

"And as you see, I've sent four monsters there, meaning The Earl of Demise gains a total of 2000 attack points!"

The Earl of Demise grew stronger (ATK: 2000 - 4000).

"Attack now!" commanded Montague.

The fiend-type monster obeyed, using its sword to slash Bowler's Great Mammoth to pieces.

"My mammoth..." whispered Bowler (LP: 900).

"And don't forget your own Trap card!" reminded Montague, pointing forth.

Bowler shivered even more (LP: 600). Montague merely laughed sadistically at the sight of his pathetic opponent.

"What's the matter?" The green-haired spirit teased, as The Earl of Demise's attack returned to its original amount (ATK: 4000 - 2000). "Not having fun anymore?"

The three Smelter teens continued to shiver in complete fear.

"And what's more is when I win, you three will remain here forever!"

"F-Forever?!" gasped Bowler. "What are you talking about?"

"Look around!" said Montague sinisterly, spreading his arms out. "The moment our duel began, I turned it into a Shadow Game... where the loser will remain here in the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

"S-Shadow Realm?!" screamed Dodge. Now scared to death, he started to escape. "Get me out of here!"

"Wait for me, brother!" added Splatter, following close behind.

Montaue only smirked. "They'll be back."

He was right, of course. Within seconds, Splatter and Dodge both ended up right back where they started.

"Huh? What?"

"The only way to save yourselves is if your friend there manages to beat me in this little Shadow Game." Montague explained.

"Come on, Bowler!" called Splatter desperately.

"You have to win or we're doomed!" added Dodge.

"O-Okay..." whimpered Bowler, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Bowler (LP: 600)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Call of the Haunted, Zanki, and Nightmare's Steelcage

* * *

Noticing the card he drew make Bowler smile once more.

"I activate the Spell Nightmare's Steelcage!" he announced, slotting the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

Two large cages materialized over Montague and Bowler.

"Now neither of us can declare an attack for two turns!" laughed Bowler. "I'm safe for the time being."

"So you think." retorted Montague, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Montague (LP: 2250)  
 **Deck** : (30)  
 **Current Hand** (1): Ectoplasmer

 **Nightmare Steel Cage:** 2 Turns

* * *

Upon seeing what he drew, the spirit of the Millennium Ring scowled.

"Oh, look!" taunted Dodge. "He got a bad draw!"

"Ha! What a maroon!" Splatter howled rudely.

"On the contrary-" sighed Montague, slotting the drawn card into his Duel Disk. "-I'm afraid the duel is about to be over so soon. You fools were so much fun to toy with... but now all good things must come to a close!"

The Ectoplasmer Spell card materialized face-up.

"Not Ectoplasmer!" gasped Bowler, now looking really frightened.

"Yes! Now by sacrificing my The Earl of Demise, I can deal half of its current attack points to you as life point damage...!"

The Earl of Demise's soul was pulled from his body and into the Spell card itself.

"Now then..." began Montague, pointing at Bowler. "FIRE!"

The soul was fired through the cages and struck the frightened Bowler, causing him to fly back and yell (LP: 0), crashing into both Dodge and Splatter in the process.

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Montague wins!**

* * *

Montague walked over and stood over the three injured and terrified Smelter Teens.

"I've won the Shadow Game." The green-haired spirit said cruelly. "Now you three will wander here in the Shadow Realm for all eternity! ...at least until I choose to set you free...!"

The three Smelter teens cowered before the evil spirit as shadowy hands from the ground reached out for them.

"HELP! HELP!" Bowler, Dodge, and Splatter each screamed at once.

But it was no use; the three Smelter Class teenagers were grabbed by the hands and pulled into the ground. When they were finally gone, all that was left when the purple fog faded away were only the five Locator cards, Duel Disk, and deck.

"Now I qualify for the finals." said Montague, taking the Locator cards. "Watch yourself, Thomas Billinton... I'm coming for you next!"

In his mind, an image of Marik suddenly appeared looking very pleased indeed.

"Excellent work." The Rare Hunter leader commented pleasantly. "You've earned your way to the finals."

"That kid was way too easy." Montague proclaimed.

"Now all that's left is for you to face Thomas Billinton and relieve him of his Egyptian God card." continued Marik. "I will focus on getting Obelisk the Tormentor from Spencer Gresley."

Montague smirked darkly. "I will beat them both with my own two hands... one way or another!"

Outside his mind, the spirit of the Millennium Ring started to chuckle slow and quietly before erupting into full blown psychotic laughter into the night sky. Okay, this can't be a good sign, can it?

* * *

 **Battle City Chronicles Arc...**  
 **The End.**


	37. Battleship Blimp

Beginning with this chapter, the story is based on the Battle City Finals.

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

(The sun rises as it lights reveals from the darkness Thomas, Percy, James, Lady, Spencer, Montague, Marik, Odion, Ishizu, and a guy in purple named Ryan. The title appears.)

 **YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles**

 **All my life, I've been living in the darkness**

 **Never knowing my true aim.**

 **But then I found you in the corners of the light**

 **and you've shown me just how to play the game.**

(Spencer points to the sky as a huge blimp hovers in. The blimp, with everybody on board, takes off into the night sky. A montage of the duelists summoning their monsters beings as follows.):

Thomas - Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Slifer the Sky Dragon

Percy - Jinzo, Insect Queen, The Legendary Fisherman, Panther Warrior, Gearfried the Iron Knight, and Gilford the Lightning

James - Elemental HERO Neos, Elemental HERO Bladedge, Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, Winged Kuriboh, and Neos Wiseman

Lady - Harpie Lady Sisters, The Unfriendly Amazan, and Dunames Dark Witch

Spencer - Blue-Eyes White Dragons (all three copies), and Obelisk the Tormentor

Montague - Dark Necrofear, Puppet Master, Headless Knight, and The Earl of Demise. Also behind him is a large floating Ouija Board.

Odion - Embodiment of Apophis (all three copies) and Mystical Beast Serket. A large temple is behind him.

Ishizu - Agido, Kelbek, Keldo, Mudora, and Zolga. Behind her is what looks like two souls swapping places.

Marik - Legendary Fiend, Makyura the Destructor, Helpoemer, Lava Golem, and The Winged Dragon of Ra.

Ryan - What looks like Medieval Knights behind a large castle.

 **But no matter how strong we are,**

 **There will always be challenges ahead.**

 **We just have to hold on and**

 **Don't lose our heads!**

(Each of Thomas's remaining friends of the Tidmouth Teens show one by one; Emily, Edward, Henry, Gordon, and Toby. More of his friends appear as well, including Mavis, Molly, The Crawford Kids, Ben, Discord, a tall blonde-haired girl named Liz, and a robed man with a turban called Shadi.)

 **Let the power of greatness flow through your spirit**

 **As your undying will to fight never rests.**

 **Heed the wisdom and the might of all ages**

 **As the world takes through its course of light.**

(Thomas stands bewildered as a glowing object descends into his hands. The object is a pendant that looks like an inverse pyramid. On the side is a Millennium Eye symbol like those of the Millennium Items. Then the Egyptian Gods Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormentor, and The Winged Dragon of Ra appear before a burning land to do battle. Their masters (Thomas, Spencer, and Marik), each give the command and all three attack each other. This causes a blinding light to envelope everything.)

 **As the night may seem real dim,**

 **Never let the dangers in.**

 **Challenge your might and see through the day then**

 **Everything you've stood for will surpass your greatest test!**

(The scene changes to Thomas facing off against what looks like a more dark and evil version of Marik. This one had the Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead and a messed up hairdo. The more evil Marik also was holding out the Millennium Rod. The ten duelists are shown above the clouds before the blimp as the title comes back.)

 **YU-GI-OH! The Sodor Chronicles**

* * *

Opening up somewhere down town, the gang of friends were running as fast as they could to the big airport, where it was known the Battle City Finals would be held. The group first took a bus to get to the other side of town, and now they were going the rest of the way on foot.

"We should be there soon!" exclaimed James excitedly.

"I can't wait!" added Percy.

"Man, those two must be really excited." Matt commented, whilst running.

"Would you be excited if you were in the finals, too?" Carlie asked innocently.

"Good point."

"Either way, the airport is just ahead!" announced Edward.

Yup, there it was; the Knapford Airport. The one place where the Battle City Finals are to be ' _seemingly_ ' held.

* * *

 **Title: Battleship Blimp**

* * *

At the Airport's runway, awaiting there was Spencer, Skiff, and several of their bodyguards.

"Look, Spencer!" said Skiff happily. "They made it!"

The silver-haired boy looked to nearby. There they were; Thomas, Percy, James, Lady, and all of their friends had arrived.

"So, they came after all..." thought Spencer.

"Hi, guys!" called Skiff.

"Hey, Skiff!" Emily called right back.

Percy, noticing that he, Thomas, James, Lady, and Spencer, were the only ones with Locator cards, spoke up.

"So...are we the only finalists?" The green-haired boy asked curiously.

"There should be more duelists coming soon." replied Skiff.

"More duelists?" Thomas blinked.

Suddenly, some footsteps were heard.

"Hello?" came a male voice.

Gordon, Henry, and James each turned and saw someone walking in from the shadows. Percy, Mavis, Emily, Edward, and Toby gasped upon seeing him.

"Namu!" The five teenagers cried out in unison.

The boy, 'Namu', was really Marik in disguise—not that anyone knew this detail.

"Hi, guys!" 'Namu' greeted pleasantly.

"Glad you could make it." smiled Edward.

"Those Rare Hunters roughed you up pretty badly." Mavis commented. "Are you okay?"

"A little bruised, but safe and sound." answered 'Namu', rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Thomas, Gordon, Henry, and James, however, didn't know him.

"Who are you?" Thomas asked.

'Namu' turned and smirked upon seeing the blue-haired boy.

"We meet at last, Thomas Billinton." The boy thought deviously to himself.

"Excuse me?" James asked, getting a bit upset. "But my friend here was asking who you were!"

'Namu's face softened a bit. "Oh, please forgive me, but my name is Namu." he lied. "I met some of your friends earlier in the tournament."

"He was the one who rescued Duck." Percy pointed out.

"Some horrible person injured poor Duck." added Carlie. "If Namu hadn't found him in time, who knows what might've happened."

"Well, anybody who helps my friends is definitely a friend of mine." said Thomas pleasantly, shaking 'Namu's' hand. "Glad to meet you. I'm Thomas Billinton."

"A pleasure to meet you." 'Namu' smiled. "I've heard so much about you."

Unknowingly, the handshake sent a good shiver down Thomas's spine...although he didn't know what it was from. Suddenly, a pair of new voices could be heard from nearby.

"Is this the place, dear?" asked a female voice.

"It looks like it, honey." said a male voice.

Percy's eyes widened as he recognized the pair of voices instantly.

"Could it be...them?" The green-haired boy thought only to himself.

Walking into the area were two twenty-six year old young adults. The first one was a young man with purple hair, blue-eyes, and wearing a black shirt, blue jeans (with a brown belt), and purple sneakers.

The second was a young woman with short blonde hair, light green eyes, and wearing a light cyan colored shirt (which exposed a sliver of her midriff), blue jeans (with a red belt), and cyan colored sneakers.

"Wow, it looks like we've arrived in time!" The purple-haired young man smiled.

The blonde-haired young woman also smiled, but her eyes widened when she saw the nearby green-haired boy (not Henry, but Percy).

"Percy?"

The green-haired boy and the blonde-haired young woman both stared at each other for what seemed like forever. No one else dared to make a sound or say anything about it.

"L-Liz?" Percy stammered.

Eventually, the blonde-haired young woman (Liz) got a warm smile on her face.

"Percy, my beloved little brother!" she whispered with her arms opened.

That did it; Percy broke into a run towards the young woman and leaped into her arms in tears.

"Liz! Oh, Liz..." The green-haired boy sobbed, hugging his older sister as tight as can be. "I've missed you so much!"

"And I've missed you." Liz replied, crying a bit herself and returning the hug.

Molly nearly started crying herself from watching the heartwarming scene, everyone else watched with warm smiles on their faces—well, all except for both Spencer and 'Namu', obviously. Once the reunion between younger brother and older sister had calmed down just a smidge, Percy turned back to his friends.

"Guys, I'm sure many of you remember my big sister, Elizabeth..." he said happily. "Or rather ' ** _Liz_** ' for short. Liz, you remember much of my friends, right?"

"Hi, everyone." Liz greeted, confirming she did.

"Hello, Liz." said many of the Tidmouth Teens at once.

"It's great to see you again." added Edward.

"Likewise." The blonde-haired young woman agreed.

"Say..." Gordon spoke up, remembering something from the past. "Didn't you use to take up a part time job as a babysitter around town when we were all younger, and you were in your mid-to-late teens?"

"She sure did!" exclaimed James, grinning widely. "And she was the best babysitter I ever had, too!"

Thomas, Emily, Toby, and Edward all sighed. The way their red-haired friend was saying that was a clear sign he was trying to hit on Liz, and Molly knew of this...

"Ahem!" The black-haired girl coughed falsely.

But James didn't even hear or stop there... which was rather sad might I add...

"She used to cuddle with you if you were scared and read you awesome stories. Man, it was paradise!"

"Ahem...!" Molly tried to get her new boyfriend's attention again.

But alas...

"Geez, how I'd give anything to relive those days!" said James, imagining a younger him being cuddled by the younger, teenaged Liz.

That did it...

"AHEM!" Molly, despite being a shy and polite girl, nearly shrieked.

James finally snapped out of his thoughts and saw his new girlfriend staring at him with an angry look on her face. Realizing his little boo boo, the red-haired boy braced himself for pain...

"...James, please be careful in what you're saying to others." Molly scolded gently.

The red-haired boy recovered, despite expecting Molly to really be mad at him.

"Eh heh... Sorry." chuckled James nervously. "Force of habit."

"Not to worry, James." said Edward kindly. "You weren't the only guy to have a crush on her."

"There was also me, Edward, and Thomas." Henry added.

"Guess she must have been very popular with you guys." commented Lady pleasantly, speaking to Liz.

Liz just blushed a bit, feeling very flattered and humbled over the praise she was getting from everyone.

"That's very kind of you to say." The blonde-haired young woman then smiled. "You must be Lady Stone. Percy's told me about you when we chatted on the phone before the tournament began."

"Likewise, Elizabeth." Lady smiled right back.

"Call me Liz."

"Well, either way, I haven't seen you in over five years." Percy spoke up. "How have you and Ryan been doing?"

Liz smiled even wider. "Have a look." She held her right hand out for everyone to see. There, a wedding ring could be spotted on her middle finger. "As we traveled around Europe, we got so close that Ryan ended up proposing to me. While we were exploring Italy, we got married... It was the happiest time of our lives!"

"Aw, you got married!" gushed Emily. "That's so romantic!"

In her head, the dark green-haired girl imagined herself and Thomas eventually getting married as well! ...once they were older, that is.

"Anyway... After we got married, I started to take up Duel Monsters." Ryan said, showing his six Locator cards. "These are my winnings here..."

"Ryan won them on his first day." Liz explained.

"Wow!" gasped Percy. "You're that good?"

"Right as rain, kiddo!"

"Ha!" snorted James arrogantly. "I bet I could beat you with one arm behind my back."

"Oh, is that a challenge I hear?" grinned Ryan, looking over to the red-haired boy. "Just for that, I hope you and I face each other."

"Bring it on!"

Everyone else (again minus Spencer and 'Namu') sighed a bit. Suddenly, more foot steps were heard.

"Looks like our next finalist has arrived." Spencer thought.

Everyone else turned...and walking in was a certain teenage boy with great western green-colored hair.

"DUCK?!" exclaimed the Tidmouth Teens.

"But I thought he was injured?!" added Ben.

"Evening, y'all!" greeted Duck cheerfully.

Thomas, Edward, Carlie, Ben, Gordon, James, and James R. ran over to the western green-haired boy.

"Duck!" cried Thomas. "What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital."

"The doctor said the injury wasn't too bad." replied Duck (actually Montague). "As a result, they released me early."

Everyone then notice a Duel Disk on the boy's left arm.

"Why...are you wearing a Duel Disk?" Gordon asked nervously.

"I decided to enter the Battle City Tournament, too." answered Duck (Montague). "I've even won six Locator cards already."

Nearby, 'Namu' smirked evilly to himself. "You've done very well, my friend." he thought to himself. "Now I just need the final piece of the puzzle to arrive."

"Already?!" gasped James. "It looks more like you've won them in one single duel!"

"Actually, I did." said Duck (Montague).

Percy, James, James R., Gordon, and Henry's respective eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.

"Say what?!" cried James R..

"Who was the unlucky duelist?" Henry asked.

"That snobby Smelter Class teen, Bowler."

"We call him Bowler due to an incident with a bowler hat." Percy whispered to 'Namu'. "Best not to get into too much detail over it."

"Good idea." 'Namu' whispered back.

Suddenly, a large, powerful blast of wind caught everyone off-guard. Nearby, a tall man wearing a purple Rare Hunter's cloak-like cape and hood walked forth.

"Who's that guy?" Michael asked.

"Excellent..." thought 'Namu'.

Spencer walked forth towards the man. "Identify your name."

The man (Odion) looked up. "My name...is Marik Ishtar."

"Hey!" said Percy angrily. "That's the jerk that's been putting us through all this trouble!"

"I've got half a mind to disqualify you from my tournament and call the police for what you've done, Marik!" snapped Spencer, just before smirking. "But I won't do that, because you have something that I want."

"He must be talking about the third Egyptian God card." Thomas thought to himself.

"Hmm..." mused Discord, looking over to Duck curiously. "Something isn't right here."

"Discord?" Percy spoke up. "Is something wrong?"

"Something about your friend, Duck, seems...off." said Discord.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked, walking over.

"I can't really put my finger on it at the moment-" shrugged the usually jolly man. "-but it's like there's more to this than we think."

Thomas and Percy both stared at Duck (Montague) with looks of concern on their faces.

"I see..." muttered Thomas.

Nearby, 'Namu' was smirking to himself...just as a flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Marik was running through the city, furious that he lost BOTH his mind slaves to Thomas and Spencer.

"I can't believe it!" he complained. "How could both my mind slaves break free of my control?!"

The Rare Hunter leader eventually stopped running to try and catch his breath, but remained very angry regardless.

"I swear this isn't the end, Thomas Billinton!" Marik seethed to himself. "I will avenge my family by killing you!"

"Master Marik." called the voice of Odion.

"Huh?" Marik looked up.

Standing nearby was his second-in-command, Odion.

"Odion!"

"I'm sorry your plan has failed, master." said Odion apologetically.

"Tch! What have you to be sorry for?" asked Marik harshly. "You weren't responsible for it!"

The Rare Hunter second-in-command didn't say a word in response. Suddenly, Marik had an idea to make up for this failed plan... One that would assure that Thomas dies, and the other two Egyptian God cards were obtained and put into his possession.

"Odion... how would you like to be me?" The Rare Hunter leader asked deviously.

Odion raised an eyebrow, but said nothing... This allowed his master to continue speaking of his new plan...

"When we get to the finals-" explained Marik. "-I need to continue pretending to be 'Namu' so that nobody will find me a threat. While I'm disguised as Namu, I will need you to pretend to be me."

He then held out a replica of the Millennium Rod.

"Take this. Now no one will be able to suspect that you are not me."

"Yes, Master Marik." obeyed Odion, taking the replica.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"All is going according to my plan." thought 'Namu'. "I've successfully befriended those fools, they think Odion is me, and Montague is allied with me."

"Is there anymore finalists coming?" asked Spencer.

"We're still waiting for the tenth finalist." One bodyguard reported.

"We'll give him or her five more minutes." The silver-haired boy stated, walking forward a bit. "If no one else shows up by then, we will have to take off."

"Take off?" Matt quizzed. "But isn't the airport the location of the finals?"

"That's where you're wrong." replied Spencer. "The airport is only the waiting place for the REAL location of the finals."

Suddenly, a huge blimp descended down to them.

"A blimp?" whispered Thomas.

"It's huge!" gasped Emily.

"My goodness!" added Molly.

Spencer laughed. "Behold the Boxford Corp Blimp! State of the art!"

"Whoa!" said Percy in amazement. "You mean the finals will be on a blimp?"

"That's basically what my big brother just said." Skiff pointed out.

When the blimp landed, coming out of it by the stairs were Spencer and Skiff's parents (as well as Gordon's aunt and uncle).

"Is everyone here?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"We're still waiting for the tenth finalist." said Skiff.

"Oh." nodded Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), before looking to the gang. "In the mean time, we'll let everyone else board the blimp while we wait."

A bodyguard spoke up to the finalists. "Before boarding, please show us your six Locator cards."

The nine duelists showed their Locator cards to the bodyguards before walking up the stairs to the blimp.

"Please let the maid of this fine blimp that I like my pillows extra soft." Percy joked, walking up the stairs.

The bodyguard didn't say anything. They just remained serious and stern looking.

"Those guys don't seem to have a sense of humor." Mavis whispered to her boyfriend.

"Tell me about it." whispered Toby.

Discord and his adopted children were allowed aboard too, for obvious reasons... but when Liz, Emily, etc. tried to walk up the steps...they were immediately stopped by the bodyguards.

"You're not competitors? Then you're not allowed to come!" snapped one of the bodyguards.

"My cousin is one of the competitors!" protested Gordon. "So I should be allowed to come, too!"

"And Master Spencer made the rules." Another bodyguard added. "So, since they are his rules, I'm afraid none of you can come aboard the blimp!"

Liz felt upset about this and walked up to the bodyguards in protest.

"I've been wanting to see my little brother for five years!" she cried. "And now I have to be separated from him again, while also being separated from even my own husband?!"

"Sorry, ma'am, but those are Master Spencer's rules." said a bodyguard dismissively.

"You jerks!" huffed Henry.

Just then, the head bodyguard was grabbed by the collar from someone. That someone was shown to be Mr. Gresley (Boxford), and both he and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) were not too happy looking.

"How dare you suggest we separate loving family members like this!" scolded Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"You will let those dears on our blimp, or else we'll dock your pay for the next two months as punishment!" threatened Mrs. Gresley (Boxford)

"B-But..." spluttered the head bodyguard. "M-Master Spencer's rules...!"

"Let them on." Spencer spoke up.

"What?!" gasped the head bodyguard, looking towards the silver-haired boy.

"You heard me. Let them on."

The head bodyguard gave a defeated sigh.

"B-but...! Oh, alright."

"Thanks, Spencer." smiled Emily.

"Whatever." grunted the silver-haired boy, going into his thoughts... "A crowd would be suitable...for seeing me win the tournament."

"Well, come on up, everyone!" called Percy from at the entryway. "You gotta check out the inside of this baby!"

With that, everyone boarded the blimp.

"But what of the tenth duelist?" said a bodyguard.

"We've waited long enough!" huffed Spencer. "Fire up the engines!"

One of the bodyguards sighed. "Yes, sir..."

But before Spencer, Skiff, their parents, and the bodyguards could go inside the blimp, a voice spoke through the area.

"Am I late?"

The bodyguards looked out and saw someone approaching the blimp.

"State your name!" ordered one of them.

The person, who was female, wore a cream coloured sleeveless one-piece dress with the bottom similar to a sarong, a matching waist length veil which widens and spreads below her shoulders and gold sandals. Her jewelry consists of gold bracelets, ankle bracelets, armbands and brooch bearing the Eye of Wdjat on her veil. The female also wore a piece of white cloth over her face (minus eyes).

"My name is none of your concern." she said in a calm, collected tone. She also had her six Locator cards out. "But I do have my six Locator cards."

"Very well." nodded a bodyguard. "Welcome aboard.

The woman followed the guards aboard the blimp before the doors closed and the stairs retracted. Finally, take off began.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, inside the blimp, everyone (except Spencer, Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), 'Namu', 'Marik', and 'Duck') was amazed at how luxurious the place was.

"This is so amazing!" breathed Molly.

"And I thought the plane we took to get to San Francisco was fancy!" added an amazed Edward.

"Now then-" A guard spoke up, carrying a tray with ten card keys. "-since we weren't aware we'd have some additional guests, some of you will have to share a room with the finalists."

"Fine with us." agreed Henry.

"Um, is it okay if I share a room with my sister and brother-in-law?" Percy asked hopefully. "I'd..."

"Say no more, dear." smiled Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "Of course you may do so."

"Thank you." The green-haired boy said very quietly. He was happy he could spend time with Liz again.

Liz was, likewise, very happy with this. "Oh, my little Percy..." She hugged her little brother very gently.

"How sweet." gushed Molly.

"Yeah." nodded James...before ruining the moment with... "You know, this reminds me of one time when Liz was babysitting me-"

Before the red-haired boy could continue, he was met by a *SMACK!* from a paper fan. The attack came from an annoyed looking Emily.

"Give it a rest, already!" she snapped. "Molly's your girlfriend now."

James just laid on the ground dazed and surprised...and sporting a lump on the head. Liz and Percy both watched and gave an embarrassed laugh.

"He hasn't changed one bit." Liz chuckled nervously.

"Nope." sighed Percy.

Matt, Carlie, James R., Michael, and Zack gave awkward looks as they watched the scene.

"Some people are just strange...or cuckoo." said James R. in a deadpan tone.

"Uh-huh." Zack nodded in agreement.

Pretty soon, the blimp was flying over the city of Knapford. Everyone was amazed at the beautiful sights.

"It's so beautiful." said Emily to Thomas.

"I'll say." The blue-haired boy agreed, not noticing that the slightly taller dark green-haired girl was resting her head on his shoulder.

Their little moment together got ruined when Spencer walked over to Thomas.

"Billinton-" he began. "-start using it."

"Huh?" Thomas blinked.

"Ever since you received Slifer the Sky Dragon-" said Spencer. "-I haven't seen you use it once. You had better put it in your deck because I plan to win it."

He then walked away, just as Thomas pulled a card out of his coat pocket.

"Is that the card Spencer was talking about?" Emily asked.

"Yes." whispered Thomas. "The Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon."

Indeed, it was the Slifer the Sky Dragon God card. Nearby, James and Molly were both admiring the view as well.

"I'm so glad I could see this with you, James." said Molly.

"Yeah." James nodded. "And I'm glad we got together, too. Because now you can see me kick some butt!"

"Heh! Yeah right." snickered the voice of Spencer, who then walked up to the two teens. "Listen, you're only in this tournament because of a fluke."

"Grrr! Watch it, Spencer!" growled James, watching as the silver-haired boy walked in.

"And listen, I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, because it's a long way down from up here. Oh, and the last time I checked; monkeys can't fly."

Spencer walked away chuckling at his own joke, while steam poured from the angry James's ears and nose.

"I hate him so much..." The red-haired boy muttered.

(elsewhere...)

A while later, in their room, Liz, Percy, and Ryan were admiring how nice it looked. The room had two fancy beds (one for Percy, and another for Ryan and Liz to both share), priceless vases, a HD TV set, etc.

"Now this is what I call luxury!" said Percy.

"Hey, Ryan, doesn't this remind you when we were staying at that hotel in Paris?" Liz asked her husband.

"I'll say!" grinned Ryan.

(elsewhere...)

Inside another room, 'Namu' (actually Marik) was pouring himself some cold peach juice into a glass with ice.

"Once again all is going according to plan." he said deviously. "I still have control over that girl, Mavis, and I also tricked that spirit of the Millennium Ring to help me, too. Not only will the God cards belong to me, but I'll also kill Thomas Billinton, too!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside another room, 'Marik' (or rather Odion) was busy meditating quietly.

"I promise not to fail you, Master Marik." he said quietly.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room, she was sipping some cold water from a fancy glass.

"Time to show the boys around here that I'm not just another pretty face." The beautiful blonde-haired girl thought.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the room given to 'Duck' (really Montague), the Great Western green-haired boy (or spirit) was tearing into a large steak like a wild animal.

"Delicious." he said darkly. "But still not enough blood... oh yes, blood!"

Oookay...

(elsewhere...)

Outside in the hallway, at the door to Spencer's room, one of the bodyguards was about to go and knock when...

"Hey!"

It was Skiff and his parents.

"What are you doing?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford) sternly.

"Um...well..." gulped the guard.

"We wished to speak with Master Spencer." said another guard.

"Do so, and he'll be mad." warned Skiff. "He's busy preparing his deck right now, and wishes to not be disturbed by anyone."

"Very well..." sighed one guard. "We understand"

Inside his room, Spencer had all of his cards laid out on a table.

"Soon, I will become the most powerful duelist on the Island of Sodor once again." he said to himself. "All I need is to win the remaining two Egyptian God cards."

As Spencer was thinking, a transparent image of Slifer the Sky Dragon, followed by a transparent image of The Winged Dragon of Ra, appeared.

"My improved Seto Kaiba deck has served me well thus far." Spencer picked up a card. "Especially this one card."

The card in question was Obelisk the Tormentor.

"So Ishizu thinks she'll get this card back when the tournament ends? PAH! Like that will ever happen!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was seated in a comfy chair looking at his own Egyptian God card.

"I guess I'll have to use this card." sighed Thomas. "I don't want to risk hurting innocent people, but with Marik in the finals I have no other choice."

"Here, Thomas." came Emily's voice.

Thomas looked up and saw the dark green-haired girl looking at him, holding out the blue-haired boy's deck.

"I've finished making some adjustments to your deck." she smiled sweetly.

"Thanks, Emily." smiled Thomas, taking hold of the deck...before adding the Slifer the Sky Dragon card to it.

"You're...adding Slifer to the deck?" Emily looked surprised...and worried.

"Yes." confirmed the blue-haired boy unhappily. "It's likely going to be needed."

(elsewhere...)

Inside her room, the tenth finalist was seated in a comfy chair doing some serious thinking on the future.

"Everything is now in place." she said to herself. "The Pharaoh's descendant has added Slifer the Sky Dragon to his deck. Now it's up to fate to decide what happens next."

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, exiting his room was James, stretching his arms out.

"Man, I wondering if there's anything good to eat here?" he asked aloud.

Quickly, he was met upon by Discord, Matt, Michael, James R., Carlie, and Zack.

"Maybe you should check out the dining hall." Zack suggested.

"We're all heading there now." Michael added. "Some company would be nice."

"Good idea." smiled James. "I'll go with you."

(elsewhere...)

Inside another room (which was initially gonna be Percy's, but was then given to someone else), Molly and Mavis were both chatting away.

"Glad we get to have some girl time." Molly commented pleasantly.

"Yup!" Mavis agreed, smiling. "...though it would be better if Emily joined us instead of wanting to stay with Thomas."

"She must be in-love with him." said Molly, sighing happily.

"Many of us actually know that." Mavis pointed out. "Unfortunately, whenever we confront her on that, she denies it."

"Oh dear..."

"Anyway, it's none of our business, so let's change the subject." Mavis suggested. "The big Duel Monsters costume party is in two weeks."

"I can't wait for it." agreed Molly softly.

"Me neither. Emily and I are both going as Harpie Ladies... Hey! Y-You should dress up as one of them, too! That way, the three of us can be the ' **Harpie Lady Sisters** '!"

Hearing that suggestion made Molly gasp and blush in embarrassment.

"A Harpie Lady Sister? Me?!" she asked, stuttering. "B-But everybody would be looking at us! And... and..."

"And...what?"

Poor, sensative Molly's blush deepened as she went and pulled her shirt up and placed her left hand onto her exposed tummy, moving it around her waist shortly afterward.

"And I...feel like I don't have the right body shape to wear something rather...revealing...in public." The black-haired girl said meekly.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about it." Mavis said reassuringly, pulling her own shirt up. "We'll be fine... I mean, I don't have the exact right body shape for something like that either, but I won't let that stop me from wearing the clothing one of the three Harpie Ladies' wear. Besides, it's all just for fun."

Before anything more could be said, a knock came at the door.

"Come in." called Mavis, pulling her shirt back down.

The door opened and showed Edward and Toby.

"Come on! We're all heading for the dining hall." announced Edward.

"Everyone else is already there." added Toby.

"We're coming." said Molly quickly, pulling her shirt back down.

The black-haired girl and her blonde-haired friend both followed their two friends into the hallway.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Thomas's room, there came a knock on the door.

"Yes?" called Emily.

The door opened and revealed Skiff, as well as both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"We'll be announcing the duelists for the first round soon." said Skiff.

"In the mean time, everyone is in the dining hall." Mr. Gresley (Boxford) added.

"They're about to enjoy some dinner before the duels begin." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) pointed out. "You both should probably go and eat something, too."

"We'll be right there." replied Thomas.

The door closed itself.

"Well, Thomas, are you ready?" asked Emily. "The finals begin now."

"I'm ready." The blue-haired boy nodded slowly. He shuffled his deck and inserted it into his Duel Disk, getting a determined look on his face. "It's time to duel!"

Can Thomas Billinton succeed in stopping Marik while also seeking out the answers he is searching for? Only one way to find out...


	38. Enter the Shadows (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous story:

"Well, we've done it; my friends and I have fought long and hard, but we have made it to the Battle City Finals. There, we've met with a few new friends in Namu, Ryan, and Percy's older sister, Liz. Shockingly, we also met up with Duck—who should still be in the hospital recovering from his injury. Then we finally met with Marik Ishtar himself. I have to take him down and make him pay for all that he's done to me and my friends!"

"Take off?" Matt quizzed. "But isn't the airport the location of the finals?"

"That's where you're wrong." replied Spencer. "The airport is only the waiting place for the REAL location of the finals."

Suddenly, a huge blimp descended down to them.

"A blimp?" whispered Thomas.

"It's huge!" gasped Emily.

"My goodness!" added Molly.

Spencer laughed. "Behold the Boxford Corp Blimp! State of the art!"

"Turns out the airport was the meeting ground, and that the Boxford Corp Blimp is the real stage of the finals. Regardless, I have the feeling I'm going to be in the first duel of the finals. Do you think I have what it takes to win? Especially since I added my Egyptian God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon, into my deck."

* * *

 **Title: Enter the Shadows, Part 1**

* * *

Inside the dining hall, there were buffets all setup for everyone to enjoy.

"Oh man, look at all this food!" said Gordon, his mouth drooling.

"All you can eat!" added James.

"If I'm asleep, please don't wake me up!" Percy threw in excitedly.

A few seconds later, as the green-haired boy was piling his plate with lots an lots of food (steak, potatoes, carrots, etc.), he noticed 'Marik' (Odion) leaning on the wall and scowled.

"Marik." mumbled Percy darkly. "When we duel, I'll make you pay for what you almost made me do."

'Marik' merely glared at the green-haired boy for a moment and then walked away without saying a word.

"Darn him..."

Suddenly, Percy felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to give a high-pitched scream.

"AUGH!"

"Oh, sorry about that, Percy." apologized a familiar voice.

It was Duck.

"Oh, that's alright, Duck." sighed Percy, still shivering a bit. "I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing." He then remembered something... "By the way, since you're in the tournament now, what kind of deck do you run?"

The Great Western green-haired boy immediately took his deck out of his coat pocket and handed it to his normal green-haired friend.

"Here it is. I think you'll find it to be...interesting."

Percy looked through Duck's deck, but began to feel a bit creeped out by the cards he was seeing.

"So many ghouls in here." The green-haired boy said in a spooked tone.

"You like it?" asked Duck cheerfully. "I like those types of creatures thanks to watching lots of monster movies. I actually call it...an Occult deck."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "What's ' ** _Occult_** ' suppose to mean?"

"It involves the supernatural." explained Duck.

The green-haired boy looked like he had just wet himself. Quickly, he handed Duck back his deck.

"Um... I'll be right back!" The green-haired boy said hastily.

With that, Percy raced quickly away from a puzzled looking Duck, who blinked a few times before shrugging it off.

"That guy is so messed up!"

"Percy?" spoke a voice (female).

The green-haired boy gave another frightened scream! ...before seeing it was only his sister.

"Oh... Liz, you scared me." sighed Percy with relief.

"I'm sorry, Percy." said Liz apologetically.

Nearby, Gordon, Henry, and James were all stuffing their faces at one of the buffets.

"This is the life, guys." said James happily. "Free grub and a spot in a tournament."

"Spencer may be a jerk-" Gordon replied with is mouth full. "-but his crew sure knows how to cook!"

"You said it." agreed Henry.

James soon swallowed the food in his mouth. "Well... I wonder when they'll start announcing the first round of the semi-finals."

Nearby, Emily, Mavis, and Molly were chatting when 'Namu' walked up to them.

"Hi, Namu!" greeted Emily.

"Hello, girls." 'Namu' greeted back.

"Oh, hello, Namu." said Molly.

"What are you three talking about?" 'Namu' asked. "I know it's likely none of my business, but maybe you could let me in on it?"

"We're talking about what our costumes will be in the big Duel Monsters costume party in the coming weeks." Mavis explained. "And Emily and I are trying to encourage Molly here to dress up as one of the three Harpie Lady Sisters, which Emily and I are going as."

"A Duel Monsters costume party?" asked 'Namu'. "I knew the game was popular, but I never thought it would be popular enough to warrant a costume party."

"We were surprised by that notion, too." Emily pointed out. "Carlie was telling us earlier about how popular Duel Monsters was in the United States, and... well, the game quickly got popular on Sodor - even moreso when Thomas won the San Francisco tournament."

"Really?" 'Namu' acted surprised.

"B-but...I just can't!" Molly protested, blushing once more while looking down at her figure. "I don't have the right body..."

"Who says you need the exact figure of them?" asked Mavis. "Remember what I told you earlier?"

"Y-yes..."

"We're not perfect...but that doesn't mean we can't still go as them." Emily added.

"B-but, Emily, you're one of the prettiest girls in the whole school." Molly protested, bringing and pressing both of her hands around the dark green-haired girl's clothed waist. "You have the right body for dressing as a Harpie Lady."

"So?" asked Emily dismissively. "That doesn't mean you can't do it for fun."

Mavis leaned over to 'Namu'. "Maybe you'd better leave." she whispered. "This could get a bit awkward."

'Namu' decided to do so. Nearby, Spencer and Skiff both entered the dining hall.

"I'm going to get something before the announcement begins." Skiff stated. "Do you want anything, big brother?"

"I'm fine." Spencer gruffly replied.

"Okay..."

Skiff walked away while Spencer looked around until he spotted 'Marik' standing nearby with his arms folded.

"Marik..." The silver-haired boy scowled.

Before long, one of the bodyguards near a machine of a sort spoke up.

"Attention, duelists!" The suit called out.

This caught everyone's attention.

"The first round of the Battle City Finals is about to commence."

Very quickly, everyone in the room gathered around.

"Um, if I may ask... how exactly do they get chosen for duels?" Percy asked naively.

"If you would be so kind in paying attention..." Spencer said rudely, before looking to the bodyguard. "Proceed."

"Each participant has a numbered ball." explained the guard. "This machine will choose two balls and those duelists indicated by them will duel."

The balls all had a number and small picture of the duelist in question:

1-Spencer Gresley  
2-Thomas Billinton  
3-James Hughes  
4-Percy Avonside  
5-Ryan Avonside  
6-'Marik' Ishtar  
7-Lady Stone  
8-'Duck' Collet  
9-'Namu'

One of the other suits then spoke up. "Wait, we're still missing the tenth duelist!"

"Where is she?" asked Spencer.

"Still in her room." Skiff answered. "She said she wishes to wait out."

"Fine, she'll be the last to duel then."

Skiff sighed. "Alright then, Spencer."

"Let the match up commence!" said the head guard, poking a button.

The roulette began.

"I must kill Thomas Billinton!" thought 'Namu' (Marik).

"I don't care who I face first." thought Lady.

"Come on, lucky number 4!" thought Percy.

"I must please my master." thought 'Marik' (Odion).

"I'll win no matter who I face." thought Spencer.

Everyone else just watched on anxiously. Finally, the first ball rolled out of the machine and the guard took hold of it.

"The first duelist is-" he said, holding out the ball "-Number 8! Duck Collet!"

"What? Me?" gasped Duck, looking surprised a bit.

Percy got a panicked look on his face. "Please don't let the next chosen one be me!"

The roulette began again. Soon, another ball rolled out, and the guard grabbed hold of it.

"The next duelist is... Number 2! Thomas Billinton!"

Percy let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Well, Duck, it looks like we're gonna be facing each other first." Thomas said to his friend.

"Looks like it." Duck agreed, holding his hand out. "Best of luck to you."

The two duelists shook hands! ...but when Thomas took Duck's hand, he suddenly felt a cold chill down his spine.

"Will both duelists follow me to the ' _Aerial Duel Arena_ '?" asked the guard.

The two duelists followed, with Thomas thinking about that earlier chill...

"Discord was right." he thought. "Something is up with Duck... but what is it?"

Mr. Gresley (Boxford) then looked over to everyone else. "For those who are not dueling, if you will follow me and my wife, we'll take you to the stands."

"You'll be able to watch the duel and cheer for whoever you want to win." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) added.

With that, the remaining people went with Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"This should be a good match." Mavis commented.

"I wonder how good Duck is at dueling?" asked Toby.

"Only one way to find out." replied Ryan.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, Thomas and Duck were both lead to the rooftop of the blimp.

"We're dueling atop the blimp?" Thomas quizzed.

Down below, the rest of the gang arrived to watch below the platform.

"Why's the duel taking place on top of the blimp?" asked James.

"Best to let Spencer explain that one, dear." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) suggested.

Speaking of Spencer; he and Skiff both arrived and walked over onto a separate platform.

"This blimp is now cruising at an altitude of four thousand feet." said Spencer, just as the wind started to pick up. "The air current will feel like blades cutting into your bodies, adding even tougher conditions for the duelists. This will test their strength and stamina. Can't take it? Heh... then you likely don't belong here."

Already Liz could feel the piercing chill (mostly on her exposed midriff), as could both Emily and Molly.

"It's freezing up here!" complained Emily. "Couldn't you have brought spare blankets for the audience?"

"O-oh dear..." shivered Molly, before sneezing a bit.

Thankfully, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both did bring some blankets for those audience members who were cold. Up on the dueling platform, both duelists had already shuffled their decks and walked over to their dueling spots while waiting to begin the match. Duck was quiet the whole time...and Thomas was beginning to catch on.

"Enough of this fooling around." he said finally. "Who are you? I know you're not Duck!"

'Duck' chuckled quietly. "As you wish."

Suddenly with a glow, the Millennium Ring appeared around his neck as he lifted his face up to reveal...Montague!

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Thomas Billinton!" The green-haired spirit cried out gleefully.

Everyone down below the platform gasped at what just happened.

"That's not Duck!" came from Gordon.

"He's too crazy looking!" agreed Henry.

On the platform...

"Who are you?" demanded Thomas.

"My name is Montague." said the green-haired spirit. "I am an ancient spirit that resides in the Millennium Ring your friend Duck wears. Because of this, he serves as my host."

"Host?" Ben blinked.

"I don't like the sound of that." James R. shivered.

"Just what are you really?" Thomas demanded.

Montague chuckled. "You could say I'm a thief, a stealer of souls... and I've done many, many terrible things in my quest to obtain the seven Millennium Items. Whoever possesses all seven of them will be granted great power."

"So that's why you're in the tournament?" asked Thomas. "For the Millennium Items?"

"Not just yet. Right now, I plan to first take your Egyptian God card."

The blue-haired boy was shocked. "But why?" he demanded. "What does Slifer have anything to do with the Millennium Items?"

"Nothing." smirked Montague. "Who's to say I can't take your God card away from you?"

Down below the platform, 'Namu' gave a slight frown from hearing Montague say that.

"You're saying too much." he thought bitterly.

Inside Montague's head, the green-haired spirit was paid a visit by Marik...

"Don't say too much!" The Rare Hunter leader warned. "Do so, and you risk exposing my true identity!"

"Be quiet!" snapped Montague. "I have no intentions of exposing you."

"You'd best be right on that..." sneered Marik. "Otherwise, I'll just have to possess you and duel the boy myself."

Outside his head, Montague returned speaking to Thomas.

"Better prepare yourself, Thomas." he said in a dark tone. "This is a duel you won't soon forget!"

The referee spoke up. "Duelists! Activate your Duel Disks and begin the match!"

The two duelists activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000) x2. At first all was quiet around the duel grounds, but then...

"I'll go first, if you please." offered Montague.

Thomas grunted a response. Obviously, the green-haired spirit took that as a yes.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Montague (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (35)  
 **Current Hand** (5): The Portrait's Secret, Headless Knight, Dark Sanctuary, Destiny Board, and The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams

* * *

Almost immediately, a ghoulish painting of a monster immediately materialized on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1200).

"I summon The Portrait's Secret in attack mode!" Montague announced. "And I will end my turn there."

"That doesn't look like a tough monster to me." scoffed Percy.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (44)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, Magic Formula, and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts

* * *

The blue-haired boy noticed he had drawn a monster card (Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts).

"I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode!"

The familiar beast-type monster appeared with a howl (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Attack!" commanded Thomas.

Gazelle obeyed, slicing the Portrait's Secret to shreds. Montague grunted as he took damage (LP: 3700).

"Now I'll place one card facedown." Thomas finished, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "Care to try again?"

A facedown card materialized.

"I shall do so!" growled Montague, drawing a card. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Montague (LP: 3700)  
 **Deck** : (34)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Headless Knight, Dark Sanctuary, Destiny Board, The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams, and Sangan

* * *

The drawn card was the Sangan monster card.

"And I think this monster will do it." He placed a monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode!"

A bed with a man asleep appeared to the field. Suddenly out of the man came a very creepy ghost with a sword and shield (Level: 4/ATK: 1300).

"Ick!" Molly shivered. "I'd hate to have something like that invading my dreams."

"That's all for me." said Montague.

"My turn!" declared Thomas, drawing another card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (43)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, and Queen's Knight

* * *

The blue-haired boy started to think something was off with how his opponent was dueling.

"Another weak monster." thought Thomas. "So far Montague's not been showing much dueling tactics." He placed his newly drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon Queen's Knight in attack mode!"

A woman with long blonde hair, wielding a sword and shield, and wearing red armor and headgear materialized beside Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Attack with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Queen's Knight obeyed, striking the ghost with her sword and destroying it. Montague grunted yet again (LP: 3500).

"Your turn, Gazelle!" commanded Thomas. "Attack Montague directly with Claw of Destruction!"

Gazelle obeyed and lunged at the green-haired spirit, slashing him with its claws and making Montague yell in pain (LP: 2000).

"That guy's doing awful!" James commented on Montague. "He's a really poor duelist if you ask me."

"Tell me about it." agreed Emily. "He's already lost half of his life points."

"What if he's doing this on purpose?" asked Edward.

'Namu', meanwhile, was not looking too happy with how Montague was dueling.

"I want that God card!" he thought bitterly.

Back on the platform, Montague finally drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Montague (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (33)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Headless Knight, Dark Sanctuary, Destiny Board, Sangan, and Dark Spirit of the Silent

* * *

"Okay, Thomas, enough of me playing around!" he declared.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. This guy was just toying with him?

"Now observe as I summon the Headless Knight in attack mode!"

The monster card materialized on the field, but there was no monster.

"Where is he?" asked Thomas. His question was answered by the sounds of footsteps. "Huh?"

The footsteps grew louder... and louder... until finally, the headless monster itself slowly walked in (Level: 4/ATK: 1450).

"My turn is now over!" Montague grinned.

"Boy, is that thing creepy!" said Mavis about the Headless Knight.

"Why doesn't that guy set Spells or Traps?" asked Toby, seeing as Montague hasn't played a single Spell or Trap card so far.

"My turn!" announced Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (42)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, and Kuriboh

* * *

"You haven't been showing very much promise in this duel, Montague."

Montague said nothing. He just waited for Thomas to make his move.

"Queen's Knight!" ordered Thomas. "Attack his Headless Knight!"

Queen's Knight obeyed... and quickly cut down the Headless Knight. Montague growled in frustration (LP: 1950).

"Now attack him directly, Gazelle!"

Gazelle obeyed, slashing at Montague again, causing the green-haired spirit to yell in pain once more (LP: 450).

"Thomas is about to win!" cheered Carlie.

"...don't be so sure." Discord replied calmly.

"Huh?" came from Michael.

"What do you mean?" asked James R..

Up on the platform, some low chuckling could be heard coming from Montague... just before the chuckling erupted into full blown psychotic laughter.

"THOMAS BILLINTON!" he cackled insanely. "YOU HAVE FALLEN INTO MY TRAP!"

"What?!" gasped Thomas.

"What does he mean by that?" asked Liz.

"I think...that guy WANTED Thomas to destroy his three monsters AND lower his life points." Ryan explained.

"Are you serious?" Lady demanded, looking shocked. "That's just crazy!"

"I'm afraid your friend is right." said Montague, drawing his card. "Now you will taste the true terror of my Occult Deck!"

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Montague (LP: 450)  
 **Deck** : (32)  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Sanctuary, Destiny Board, Sangan, Dark Spirit of the Silent, and Dark Necrofear

* * *

Looking at his card, the green-haired spirit gave another evil laugh.

"And now, I've drawn the one card that will seal your friend's fate." he continued. "All I need to do is sacrifice three monsters to play it."

"But your field is empty!" protested Thomas.

"Oh, I know." interrupted Montague. "But this special monster requires that I sacrifice three fiend monsters from my graveyard, banishing them from the game!"

The spirits of the green-haired spirit's three fiend monsters flew from the graveyard and were devoured by darkness.

"Now I summon the instrument of your impending defeat...!" Montague held up his card before showing what it was. "Behold Dark Necrofear!"

The monster card was an effect monster with an attack of 2200, defense of 2800, and a star level of 8. Montague placed the card onto a monster field slot on is Duel Disk.

"I don't like the looks of this..." whispered Percy in fear.

Once the card materialized, a pinkish energy light whizzed menacingly around the field.

"Oh my..." Molly whimpered.

"Whoa! This is really freaky!" commented Skiff.

"Hmm..." Spencer remained unafraid of the sight.

At last, the pink energy returned to Montague's side of the field as a bluish fiend with a freaky looking puppet in her arms appeared (Level: 8/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2800).

'Namu' smiled. "About time you summoned something like that."

"Now I place one card facedown and end my turn." finished Montague, sliding a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

Thomas was confused by this move and went into his thoughts. "Why didn't he attack me now? His monster was more than powerful enough to destroy either of my monsters and seriously damage my life points in the process." He glanced over to his facedown card. "Is Montague afraid of triggering my facedown card? Or does he have something else planned?"

With that thought on hand, Thomas drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : (41)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, Kuriboh, and Dark Magician Girl

* * *

The blue-haired boy, happy at what he had draw, removed the Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts card from his Duel Disk.

"I sacrifice Gazelle to summon Dark Magician Girl!"

A female spellcaster (and dare I may say, a very pretty looking one) was shown. Her outfit composed of an off-the-shoulders garment that extends to her mid-thighs and ends up as a skirt. It was colored blue with pink trimmings and a few touches of yellow. Also, her hat is pointed, like Dark Magician's, except it was also blue, along with pink rings and a pink spiral on one side. She also wore boots reaching halfway up her thighs, and her wand, which was blue, had a spiral which was very similar to the one on her hat, except that it is yellow. She also wore pink and blue gauntlets. Her most prominent features, however, were the faint pink markings on her cheeks, long blonde hair, and emerald green eyes (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

Montague smirked. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she is not a match for my Dark Necrofear!"

"Hey!" called out Gordon. He sounded insulted. "She can totally kick your sorry little butt!"

"With an attack power like that-" retorted the green-haired spirit. "-I highly doubt it."

"In that case, I'll do something about that." said Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I reveal my facedown card! Equip Spell - Magic Formula!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, before creating a large spellbook of a sort.

"Magic Formula?" Montague frowned.

"This Spell raises Dark Magician Girl's attack by 500 points." explained Thomas. "Making her stronger than your Dark Necrofear!"

Dark Magician Girl read through the spellbook...before feeling herself growing more powerful (ATK: 2000 - 2500).

"This can't be!" cried Montague in shock.

"But it is!" insisted Thomas, pointing fiercely at his opponent. "Dark Magician Girl, destroy Montague's Dark Necrofear with Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl obeyed, jumped up into the sky, and fired a blast from her wand. The blast soared forth and struck Dark Necrofear. Frightfully, Dark Necrofear's eyes...burst into flames before the monster itself shattered into pieces of glass.

"There goes your most powerful monster!" declared Thomas proudly.

Montague's face grew incredibly savage around here (LP: 150).

"Well done." The green-haired spirit said calmly, but maniacally. "You've fallen into my real trap!"

"What?" asked Thomas.

"Real. Trap?" stuttered Emily slowly and nervously.

"When Dark Necrofear is destroyed-" said Montague, holding up a card. "-I can automatically go and activate the one Field Spell card that will ensure my victory over you... Dark Sanctuary!"

His Field Spell zone opened up, and he slotted the card inside.

"Now behold its terrifying power!"

Suddenly, as the Dark Sanctuary Spell card materialized face-up, the scenery changed to that of a dark red atmosphere with a palace in the background.

"W-What is this?!" Thomas gasped in horror.

Dark Magician Girl and Queen's Knight both looked around the new area in complete shock. While off the platform, everyone else (except possibly for Spencer) looked quite frightened by this new atmosphere.

"Oh man, this is creepy." mumbled James.

To make it even creepier, large eyes and mouths began to appear.

"I'm scared!" Liz whimpered, embracing her husband.

"Me too." Ryan agreed, looking quite terrified also.

"You have no idea what I've unleashed, Thomas." cackled Montague. "Prepare to experience an evil like you've never seen before!"

The psychotic laughter of the green-haired spirit echoed through the whole area. This was so not good. Can Thomas pull through... or was he doomed to lose in the first round of the finals?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	39. Enter the Shadows (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Montague began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"My name is Montague, and I'm a tomb robber. I happen to also be a legendary spirit of the Millennium Ring, which is also one of the seven Millennium Items. My goal is to escape from this strange, futuristic world, and return to my past life. Until I'm able to, I can go and take over the body and mind of this boy, Duck Collet. Although he owns the Millennium Ring, he is not aware of me at all...and that is good enough for me."

"Enough of this fooling around." Thomas said finally. "Who are you? I know you're not Duck!"

'Duck' chuckled quietly. "As you wish."

"Unfortunately, this lowly boy, Thomas, was onto my identity before we began our duel. Although he is not aware I've left a small sample of my being in his mind from an earlier time when Alexander Swindon tried to take over the boy's school, my plans for him are not yet fully complete."

"When Dark Necrofear is destroyed-" said Montague, holding up a card. "-I can automatically go and activate the one Field Spell card that will ensure my victory over you... Dark Sanctuary!"

His Field Spell zone opened up, and he slotted the card inside.

"Now behold its terrifying power!"

Suddenly, as the Dark Sanctuary Spell card materialized face-up, the scenery changed to that of a dark red atmosphere with a palace in the background.

"W-What is this?!" Thomas gasped in horror.

Dark Magician Girl and Queen's Knight both looked around the new area in complete shock. While off the platform, everyone else (except possibly for Spencer) looked quite frightened by this new atmosphere.

"Oh man, this is creepy." mumbled James.

To make it even creepier, large eyes and mouths began to appear.

"I'm scared!" Liz whimpered, embracing her husband.

"Me too." Ryan agreed, looking quite terrified also.

"Whatever the case, Thomas and his friends will soon learn of my terrifying skills. And I will win the boy's Egyptian God card, too! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **Title: Enter the Shadows, Part 2**

* * *

The blimp continued to fly across the city of Knapford...but there was a red barrier of a sort. That was from the newly activated Field Spell card Dark Sanctuary. Inside the arena, Montague was busy gloating over trapping Thomas in his...well, trap.

"Thomas..." giggled Montague fiendishly. "I'm going to let you enjoy my Dark Sanctuary to its fullest. You have sealed your fate when you destroyed Dark Necrofear."

The blue-haired boy scowled in defiance. Off the platform, no one knew what to make of the card that the green-haired spirit played... other than how scary it was.

"I don't like this." shivered Molly in fright. "It's so creepy."

Suddenly, a ghost of a sort swooped past the poor black-haired girl, making her give a frightened shriek.

"This is nuts!" Matt exclaimed. "Why would Montague play a card like that?"

"He must have for a reason for doing so." replied Zack. "Otherwise, why, indeed. Dark Sanctuary is one of the few cards I have no info on..."

"Your Field Spell card makes little difference to me in this duel, Montague." said Thomas, not looking frightened. "You have only 150 life points left, and no monster to protect you! One direct attack by my Queen's Knight, and this duel is over!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" dared Montague. "Attack me and win the duel!"

"Very well! Queen's Knight - direct attack, now!"

Queen's Knight obeyed and raised her sword to strike... but Montague started laughing around there.

"Spirit Burn!" he called out.

Suddenly, Queen's Knight gave a scream of pain before something emerged from her body from the backside... Which happened to also be in the very direction of where Thomas was standing.

"What?!"

"Meet the ghost of Dark Sanctuary!" laughed Montague. "Attack my opponent, now!"

The ghost enter Thomas's own body, and the blue-haired boy screamed in pain (LP: 3250).

"Oh man!" cried Gordon.

"Thomas!" Emily called out.

"What just happened?!" added Carlie.

"It was like Queen's Knight's attack was cancelled out, and Thomas got attacked instead!" Ryan threw in.

"The ghost of Dark Sanctuary just possessed one of your monsters, Thomas." said Montague. "It'll be more than happy to attack when ordered, only you'll be the target. And every time that happens, half of the possessed monster's attack points come out of your life points... While the other half, ha ha ha ha, increases mine!"

The green-haired spirit regained some of his life points (LP: 900). Below the platform, 'Namu' was more pleased than normal and decided to pay his partner a little visit. Inside Montague's head, an image of Marik suddenly appeared...

"You're doing well, Montague." The Rare Hunter leader said pleasantly. "Keep it up, and win me that God card!"

Outside Montague's mind...

"Thomas, thanks to your attack backfiring, your battle phase has come to an early end!" declared the green-haired spirit.

"The damage from that attack felt too real to be a hologram." thought Thomas. "That must mean... this is a Shadow Game!" Finally he spoke aloud. "I end my turn."

Below the platform...

"Great, thanks to that ghost, Thomas's whole deck could turn against him!" groaned Percy.

"If only Thomas could find a way to counter that thing." added Toby unhappily.

"If you have a suggestion-" began James. "-I'm all ears."

The brown-haired boy did not have an answer. Back on the duel stage...

"My turn!" announced Montague, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Montague (LP: 900)  
 **Deck** : (31)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Sangan, Dark Spirit of the Silent, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up

"First I shall play Pot of Greed!" The green-haired spirit announced, holding his drawn card out. "Now I can draw two more cards."

Montague was holding onto The Dark Door Spell card and the Earthbound Spirit monster card.

"And now it's time to activate the Trap card that will seal your fate!" As the green-haired spirit said this, his facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Behold my Continuous Spell card - Destiny Board!"

Out of the face-up Trap card came a large Ouija Board with a ghostly hand over it.

"What is that thing?" asked Mavis. "It looks like one of those Ouija Boards you'd see at a seance."

"Oh, Mavis, you really should not have asked that question." Gordon groaned, knowing that this was going to be bad indeed.

"Heh heh heh... I'm very glad the young lady asked... Now during each of your end phases-" explained Montague. "-this board will show a letter from the spirits to show a message."

"But what's the point of it?" Thomas asked, because he clearly never heard of Destiny Board.

"Simple, when the message is all spelled out... I will automatically claim victory!" Montague pointed out.

"What?!"

"He'll claim an automatic win?!" came from James. "Can he really do that?"

"Yes." Edward nodded. "Along with the five Exodia cards, Destiny Board is one of the very few automatic win-type cards."

"Now let's see what the first letter is, shall we...?" snickered Montague.

The board created a ghost letter... 'F'.

"An F?" quizzed Ben. "What do you guys think the full word is?"

"No clue, but I hope Thomas can win before the word is finished up." replied Michael.

"Next I activate the Continuous Spell card - The Dark Door!" continued Montague, sliding one of his drawn cards into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The mentioned card materialized face-up. Thomas recognized it in an instant.

"Great..." he said unhappily.

"As long as this card is on the field, both of can only attack with one monster per turn." explained Montague, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "And speaking of monster, I summon Earthbound Spirit."

An earth attribute fiend-type monster appeared...in the ground (Level: 4/ATK: 500).

"But it won't be here for long." Montague continued, removing the card from his Duel Disk. "Because now I sacrifice it."

Earthbound Spirit was swallowed by the ground and disappeared.

"In order to keep Dark Sanctuary on the field, I have to sacrifice a monster during each of my turns."

Thomas watched on nervously. Although the blue-haired boy tried to remain brave, this all was a bit scary for him.

"What's the matter?" taunted Montage. "Scared to make a move?"

"My turn!" growled Thomas, angrily drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3250)  
 **Deck** : (40)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, Kuriboh, and Collected Power

* * *

The blue-haired boy added the card to his hand.

"I've got four turns left to turn this duel around," Thomas thought to himself. "Thanks to his The Dark Door card, I can only attack with one monster per turn. But I can't use my Queen's Knight since she was possessed by the ghost of Dark Sanctuary, so I'll have to use Dark Magician Girl instead." He then spoke aloud. "Dark Magician Girl, attack Montague directly with Dark Burning Attack!"

Dark Magician Girl obeyed... but then felt a presence inside of her body.

"Spirit Burn!" called Montague.

Suddenly Dark Magician Girl screamed in pain as the ghost of Dark Sanctuary left her body from behind and struck Thomas, causing him to yell in pain again (LP: 2000).

"What?!" cried Thomas, gasping and panting. "T-This time Dark Magician Girl was possessed?!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I can choose which monster that can be possessed?" asked Montague sadistically (LP: 2150). "Silly me!"

Thomas grimaced in response. Below the platform, much of the audience was dismayed by this realization.

"This is so not fair!" complained Henry.

"So that Montague can possess whatever monster he wants and Thomas can't see?" asked James angrily.

"Can Thomas still win?" Skiff asked Spencer.

"At this point, things aren't looking good for him." The silver-haired boy stated bluntly.

Back on the duel platform, Thomas took a card from his hand and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Kuriboh in defense mode!" he announced.

The brown furball-like monster appeared with a gentle coo (LV: 1/DEF: 200).

"Like that hairball will make a difference to me!" mocked Montague. "Now for the next letter for the Spirit Message!"

The Destiny Board revealed a new letter... which was 'I'.

"So, the next letter is an I." The green-haired spirit chuckled evilly, drawing his card. "And that means it's now my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Montague (LP: 2150)  
 **Deck** : (27)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Sangan, Dark Spirit of the Silent, and Earl of Demise

* * *

Looking at his drawn card (Earl of Demise), Montague added it to his hand and selected another card.

"I summon Sangan in attack mode!"

The larger brown creature appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 1000).

"Then I'll sacrifice him for the cost of Dark Sanctuary!" said Montague snidely.

Sangan vanished in a blue streak.

"Now my monster's effect activates..." Montague took his deck out of his Duel Disk. "I can add any monster with 1500 attack or lower from my deck to my hand."

He selected a monster and shuffled his deck, putting it back into his Duel Disk when he finished.

"In three more turns-" continued Montague coolly. "-I will have all five spirit letters and win!"

Suddenly, Thomas noticed something and smirked.

"Your combo has a flaw." he said bluntly.

"What?" asked Montague, frowning.

"You need three more letters-" explained Thomas. "-but you only have two free Spell and Trap card zones. So you won't be able to play the final letter."

Montague smirked back. "You might want to get a new rule book, because my strategy will work."

Thomas frowned, but said nothing. He was wondering exactly what the spirit of the Millennium Ring was talking about.

"With Dark Sanctuary in play-" explained Montague. "-I am also allowed to use my Monster card zones as additional Spell and Trap zones. That means I can play up to ten Spells or Traps!" He laughed wickedly. "There's no way I can run out of room!"

Now Thomas was more worried than before. Down below the duel stage...

"How much more broken can you get?!" James huffed. "That deck is pretty much invincible if you ask me!"

Back on the duel platform...

"Finally, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." finished Montague, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

"My turn!" declared Thomas, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : (39)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Card Destruction, Exile of the Wicked, De-Fusion, Monster Reborn, Collected Power, and Magician's Valkyria

* * *

The ghost of Dark Sanctuary left Dark Magician Girl and began circling around all three monsters.

"Now then-" Montague thought to himself. "-who shall my ghost possess this time?" He grinned evilly as he made a choice. "I think I'll go for his precious Dark Magician Girl once again."

The ghost went back inside the female spellcaster.

"Montague's possessed another of my monsters." thought Thomas. "It can't be Kuriboh. He wouldn't want to waste the time on a monster that's in defense mode. So who could it be; Queen's Knight or Dark Magician Girl? And thanks to The Dark Door, I can only attack once." However, he smiled at the card he had just drawn. "But I know this monster isn't possessed, and so I'll use it at once." He placed the card on an empty monster field slot. "I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!"

A slightly older looking version of the Dark Magician Girl wearing different clothing and with brownish blonde hair materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"A good strategy, Billinton." thought Spencer.

"Since you've already chosen what monster to possess-" Thomas pointed out. "-then I have no worries attacking with this one. Magician's Valkyria, attack Montague directly with Mystic Scepter Blast!"

The audience cheered.

"Nice thinking, Thomas!" called James.

Magician's Valkyria, meanwhile, obeyed and got ready to attack! ...had it not been for one minor detail... Montague gave a very evil smile as he then spoke some words...

"Is it?"

Thomas looked confused... and so the green-haired spirit decided to just show him.

"I activate my Trap card!" announced Montague, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Dark Spirit of the Silent!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This allows me to negate your attack and force another monster to attack me instead!"

A fiendish spirit came out of the card and went through Magician's Valkyria's body, causing her to groan as she felt numb.

"Magician's Valkyria!" cried Thomas. The blue-haired boy wasn't just surprised at what the Trap card had done, he was actually worried about the well-being of his own monster.

"And the monster I choose to attack is...your Dark Magician Girl - who is also still possessed by the spirit of Dark Sanctuary!" cackled Montague.

Poor Dark Magician Girl, with a tear in her eye, was forced to attack Montague instead of her companion.

"Spirit Burn!"

Dark Magician Girl screamed in pain as the ghost of Dark Sanctuary left her body to attack Thomas instead, causing him to cry out in agony as he lost more life points and dropped to his knees (LP: 750).

"Thomas!" cried out the blue-haired boy's friends in horror.

"That's 1250 more life points for me," laughed Montague, as his life points increased (LP: 3400).

Thomas's own monsters immediately turned around and looked at their master with worried looks for his well-being.

"I'll...be okay." The blue-haired boy coughed weakly, struggling to stand.

"You won't be for long." Montague laughed some more. "One more attack by my ghost, and this duel and your Egyptian God card will be mine!"

Thomas was in his thoughts over the situation at hand...

"He's right." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "How can I defeat something I can't see?" Looking at his hand, Thomas spotted something. "Wait a minute... Maybe these can help." He looked back up and spoke aloud. "I think I've found a way to counter your ghost, Montague. I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Two facedown cards materialized behind Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Queen's Knight, and Magician's Valkyria.

"Of course, you end your turn." taunted Montague. "With The Dark Door still in play, your Queen's Knight couldn't attack me this turn."

With that said, he drew his card, and held his hand up.

"Time to add another letter to Destiny Board!"

The large hand on the board moved around until it reached the 'N'.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Montague (LP: 3400)  
 **Deck** : (24)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Souls of the Forgotten, Earl of Demise and Dark Spirit of the Silent

* * *

"Just two more letters and I'll claim instant victory!" Montague then went and placed a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Now I'll summon forth Souls of the Forgotten!"

A cluster of purple souls appeared to the field (Level: 2/ATK: 900).

"And I'll sacrifice them to keep Dark Sanctuary in place."

The monster instantly vanished.

"Now make your move." The evil spirit of the Millennium Ring commanded.

Thomas drew his card as he was told to.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 750)  
 **Deck** : (38)  
 **Current Hand** (6): Card Destruction, De-Fusion, and Magical Hats

* * *

Suddenly, the blue-haired boy was smiling.

"And why are you so happy?" Montague asked harshly.

"Because I have the ultimate combo to take down your ghost and Dark Sanctuary!" Thomas said, just as he poked a button on his Duel Disk. "...I reveal my Collected Power Trap card!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This Trap card causes all Equip Spell cards on the field to go to one monster." explained Thomas. "And I choose that monster to be Kuriboh!"

A large book appeared before Kuriboh and it started to read it.

"What good will that do you?" Montague quizzed.

"Because-" grinned Thomas. "-it also forced your ghost to come out of the monster it's hiding in and instead go straight into Kuriboh!"

Thomas was right on the button... Suddenly, the ghost was forced out of Dark Magician Girl's body and absorbed into Kuriboh's little body.

"Ugh!" grunted Montague in anger.

"That's not all!" Thomas held out a fresh Spell card. "I'll now use Exile of the Wicked to go and destroy my own Kuriboh...AND your ghost!"

The ghost tried to break free, but Kuriboh grabbed onto it with its green hands as if to say ' ** _If I'm going down, I'm taking you down with me_**.', as they both vanished in blue streaks.

"My ghost!" cried Montague.

"And I'm about to get rid of your Dark Sanctuary!" Thomas added. "By reviving the very monster I destroyed!"

The evil spirit of the Millennium Ring knew _exactly_ what Thomas was talking about.

"I activate Monster Reborn!" said the blue-haired boy, just as his last facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "I shall bring back Dark Necrofear!"

In an instant, Dark Necrofear reappeared (Level: 8/ATK: 2200). With that, the whole field of darkness and eyes vanished.

"That's much better." sighed Emily in complete relief.

"So much better without countless eyes staring at you." added Carlie.

"Couldn't agree more." nodded Molly.

Montague scowled as an image of Marik came in his mind.

"You fool!" he snapped. "You're letting Thomas retake control of the duel!"

"I can see that!" Montague angrily retorted.

"Do I have to take control of your mind and face him myself?" asked Marik harshly. "If you can't even win against this boy, then you're not worthy of even obtaining the other Millennium Items, including my Millennium Rod."

"Stay out of this!" demanded Montague. "I WILL win. Mark my words!"

Marik scowled, but obeyed and faded away. Outside the duel, Spencer watched on in his personal thoughts...

"Montague needed Dark Necrofear in the graveyard to keep Dark Sanctuary around." he thought to himself. "That was the biggest flaw in his combo. A very smart play, Billinton."

"Prepare to be struck down by your own monster!" shouted Thomas. "Dark Necrofear, attack Montague's life points directly!"

Dark Necrofear obeyed and fired a concentrated blast of dark energy from her eyes. The blast formed a blade of a sort, which slashed Montague and made him shout in pain (LP: 1200).

"One more attack and it's over." said Thomas firmly. "Unfortunately, I have to end my turn now."

Below the platform...

"That Thomas kid sure is impressive." commented Ryan. "I almost wish I was dueling him instead."

Back on the duel platform...

"I call forth another message for Destiny Board!" shouted Montague.

The Destiny Board marked another letter... which was 'A'.

"F, I, N, and A..." Thomas read the board. "I see now. Your word is...' **Final** '. Clever... but now that Dark Sanctuary is out of play, you cannot complete the message because you lack the Spell and Trap zones to use."

Montague cursed loudly.

"He sure is impressive, isn't he?" Discord smiled, referring to Thomas.

"He sure is." agreed Emily.

"I'll second that." added Lady.

"Darn right!" grinned James.

Back on the duel stage, Montague glared at Thomas's side of the field in frustration.

"He's turned my Dark Necrofear against me." he thought to himself. "Now all of my Spell and Trap zones are full and I can't use my last letter unless I get rid of The Dark Door. But the moment I do that, he'll finish me off with all of his monsters!"

"You're trapped." Thomas called out. "No matter what you do, you'll lose at the end of your next turn!"

Montague scowled intensely. "No!" he exclaimed stubbornly. "I can't lose! I've come too far to do so!"

With that, the green-haired spirit drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Montague (LP: 3400)  
 **Deck** : (22)  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dark Spirit of the Silent, Earl of Demise, and Jowgen the Spiritualist

* * *

Upon taking a look at the card he drew, Montague's angry scowl turned into a smile of evil glee. He snickered quietly before erupting into more psychotic laughter.

"He's lost it." Gordon mumbled.

"Hasn't he already?" James cracked.

"Thomas!" cackled Montague. "I can't lose so long as I have this card!"

"What card did he just draw?" thought Thomas, becoming worried. "I must win, otherwise Marik could possible cause more chaos and destruction than ever... and I will never find the answers I seek about."

Everyone below the duel platform watched Thomas with concern.

"Thomas..." said Emily quietly.

"If what that guy says is true, then our friend might be in trouble again." sighed Lady.

"Lady, are you sure about that?" Liz asked.

"I can't be too sure... But it looks that way."

"No!" argued Percy. "Thomas is not going to lose!" He then turned to his friend in thought. "Come on, Thomas. Keep showing us the will of a True Duelist!"

Thomas, however, didn't seem to be doing so. He was far too busy staring at the card Montague had drawn, all while the green-haired spirit continued to laugh rather psychotically. Can Thomas manage to win this duel - or is he all but done for?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	40. Enter the Shadows (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Upon destroying Dark Necrofear, Montague had played a card called Dark Sanctuary. A Field Spell card with some terrifying powers, and I've witnessed them in action when a ghost possessed my monsters and forced them to attack me."

"Queen's Knight - direct attack, now!" commanded Thomas.

Queen's Knight obeyed and raised her sword to strike... but Montague started laughing around there.

"Spirit Burn!" he called out.

Suddenly, Queen's Knight gave a scream of pain before something emerged from her body from the backside... Which happened to also be in the very direction of where Thomas was standing.

"What?!"

"Meet the ghost of Dark Sanctuary!" laughed Montague. "Attack my opponent, now!"

The ghost enter Thomas's own body, and the blue-haired boy screamed in pain (LP: 3250).

"Oh man!" cried Gordon.

"Thomas!" Emily called out.

"What just happened?!" added Carlie.

"It was like Queen's Knight's attack was cancelled out, and Thomas got attacked instead!" Ryan threw in.

"The ghost of Dark Sanctuary just possessed one of your monsters, Thomas." said Montague. "It'll be more than happy to attack when ordered, only you'll be the target. And every time that happens, half of the possessed monster's attack points come out of your life points... While the other half, ha ha ha ha, increases mine!"

The green-haired spirit regained some of his life points (LP: 900).

"And to make matters worse, Montague activated a Trap card called Destiny Board. This would allow Montague to claim victory once the board spelled out a certain word."

"He'll claim an automatic win?!" came from James. "Can he really do that?"

"Yes." Edward nodded. "Along with the five Exodia cards, Destiny Board is one of the very few automatic win-type cards."

"Although I managed to gain the upper hand by destroying the ghost and reviving Dark Necrofear, Montague claimed he had a way to revert everything back to what it was before."

"Thomas!" cackled Montague. "I can't lose so long as I have this card!"

"Could it really put me back at a disadvantage? Only one way to find out."

* * *

 **Title: Enter the Shadows, Part 3**

* * *

Montague was holding his card up, but no one else knew what it was...

"I don't like the looks of this." muttered James R. nervously.

"I bet he's bluffing." scoffed Michael.

"It's no bluff." said Matt seriously. "I can tell."

Back on the duel platform...

"And now I summon Jowgen the Spiritualist in attack mode!" announced Montague, placing the card on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

A spellcaster-type monster wearing white and purple robes appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 200).

"That's your monster?" Thomas blinked. "But it only has 200 attack points!"

Below the platform...

"Phew! that's a relief." sighed Henry. "Thomas has nothing to worry about."

"Wrong." came from Edward. "He does."

"What do you mean?" asked Mavis, looking at her intelligent friend.

"Jowgen may have a low attack-" said Edward seriously. "-but his special ability is what Montague is relying on."

On the duel platform...

"Your friend is right." called out Montague. "By discarding one card, Jowgen can destroy all special summoned monsters on the field."

"Oh no!" gasped Thomas. "Since I've summoned Dark Necrofear with Monster Reborn, that means..."

"That means I can destroy her!" laughed Montague, discarding a card from his hand to the graveyard. "Now go, Jowgen! Destroy Dark Necrofear!"

Jowgin the Spiritualist obeyed and raised his staff up, gathering magical energy.

"Attack!"

Jowgin the Spiritualist fired the energy at Dark Necrofear, destroying her in an instant.

"That can't be good..." Gordon mumbled.

"With Dark Necrofear now back in the grave-" Montague laughed even harder. "-you all know what that means..."

On cue, Dark Santuary (darkness and creepy eyes) all reappeared.

"With Dark Sanctuary back, I can now use my monster field zones as Spell and Trap field zones."

Thomas grimaced in worry.

"And to keep it out-" continued Montague." -I sacrifice Jowgin the Spiritualist."

Jowgin the Spiritualist vanished.

"And now you also know what will happen."

The ghost spirit reappeared, much to everyone's discomfort.

"Oh, not that ghost again." groaned James.

The ghost circled around Thomas's three female monsters, deciding on who to possess this time.

"I'll place a card facedown and end my turn." Montague placed a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

"I'll even tell you what it is-" Montague teased. "-it's another copy of Dark Spirit of the Silent."

Thomas growled. Below the platform, Liz looked over to her little brother.

"Do you think Thomas is going to lose, Percy?" The blonde-haired young woman asked with concern.

"No way!" denied Percy. "There's nothing that can break Thomas's dueling spirit. He'll pull through like he always does." He spoke aloud to his best friend. "Come on, Thomas! You can't let a little something like this get you!"

"You can do it!" added Lady.

"We're all with you!" Emily threw in.

Thomas, meanwhile, was thinking on the situation. Despite his friends' encouragement, he didn't seem to think he could win.

"With Dark Sanctuary back-" Thomas thought to himself. "-one of my monsters will be possessed. And thanks to The Dark Door, only one can attack a turn. But even if I attack with a monster that's not possessed, Montague's Trap card will make the monster that IS possessed attack, and then I'll end up losing the duel. And if I do pass the turn, then Montague can complete the Destiny Board and declare an automatic win." He then looked at his hand. "And right now nothing in my hand can help me. But there's one card in my deck that can help make the impossible possible... even if I'm lucky enough to draw it though, it may be too dangerous to play. Then again, what choice do I have?"

Thomas began reaching for his deck when another thought struck him, making him rather sad.

"But the monsters I have out right now are my friends. Sacrificing them just to win in a desperate situation would make me seem selfish and cruel..."

Thomas closed his eyes as he tried to work up the courage to draw a card. Suddenly, Thomas felt something warm and soft on his hand. He opened his eyes and saw that the spirits of his three monsters had approached and placed their own hands over his while giving a kind, reassuring smile.

"Huh? What are you all-?" The blue-haired boy stuttered.

"We understand the terrible situation you're in, Thomas." said Queen's Knight, speaking in a British accent. "But we do not mind what you have to do. Besides, deep down - we know that this is something you absolutely must do."

"If we are to be sacrificed in order to stop Montague-" added Magician's Valkyria. "-then so be it. We will not consider you selfish nor cruel for doing so."

"Besides-" Dark Magician Girl spoke up. "-know that we'll always be there with you no matter what."

Hearing this in stunned silence, Thomas closed his eyes and felt better.

"Thank you." he said softly, and then opened his eyes fiercely whilst speaking aloud to Montague. "Prepare to face a force like none you've ever faced before!"

Montague merely grunted a response.

"Come on, Heart of the Cards!" thought Thomas.

Finally, he drew his card, slashing a colourful wave from his deck in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 750)  
 **Deck** : (37)  
 **Current Hand** (4): Card Destruction, De-Fusion, Magical Hats, and Slifer the Sky Dragon

* * *

Suddenly, thunderbolts started thundering down around the duel platform, making Montague cry out in surprise. Down below, the audience was just as surprised to say the least.

"Sure is weird weather we're having." commented James, although he truly had no idea.

"I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Queen's Knight, and Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Thomas, holding his drawn card up.

Dark Magician Girl, Queen's Knight, and Magician's Valkyria were each absorbed into the card.

"Now I summon the almighty..." Thomas went on, as he placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. This caused a familiar monster card that the blue-haired boy had won halfway through the stages of the tournament to materialized face-up... "SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

Even more thunderbolts danced along the platform before a powerful beam of light shot from the card into the sky and shattering Dark Sanctuary, forming the upper-body and wings of a gigantic new monster. It was so big, that it went and wrapped part of its lower, coiled body around the blimp. Finally, the face and head and the monster was formed. It was Slifer the Sky Dragon all right, but now it was successfully fighting on Thomas's behalf. The Egyptian God monster let out a massive roar into the face of a terrified Montague.

"It can't be!" he cried.

The crowd members themselves were gawking at the sight of the new monster.

"What... what is that thing?" James asked in shock.

"It's... it's..." Mavis tried to say in fright.

"The hugest Duel Monster I've ever seen!" cried Percy.

The only one who was not surprised was Spencer himself, who only gave a smirk of satisfaction.

"About time Billinton used that thing." he said only to himself. "But before this tournament is done, Slifer will be serving me instead."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the tenth finalist's room, she took notice on a part of Slifer the Sky Dragon's body coiled outside from a nearby window.

"The Pharaoh has successfully summoned Slifer." she said to herself.

The tenth finalist began to have a vision.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

There stood Thomas as Pharaoh Atem.

"Soon, the Pharaoh's Destiny will unfold before him." narrated the tenth Finalist. "And all will be made right."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The vision came to an end.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp, Montague continued to stare in horror at the new monster when he was paid a visit by his partner-in-crime.

"You're finished, you know that?" Marik asked simply.

"Buzz off!" snapped Montague, trying to deny his situation. "I can take on this beast."

Marik frowned in response. "You know nothing of its ability."

"Like I care! My spirit of Dark Sanctuary will just go and possess the monster. When it attacks, Thomas will lose the rest of his life points!"

Marik was shocked and angry. "No! Don't do it!" he warned.

Too late... the ghost approach Slifer the Sky Dragon and tried to possess it, but a simple Thunder Force counterattack from the Egyptian God monster destroyed the ghost.

"My spirit!" cried Montague.

"Your cowardly ghost tactic is useless to the might of an Egyptian God." criticized Thomas.

Montague cursed quietly before an image of Marik spoke to him once more.

"Do you see now?" The Rare Hunter leader asked firmly. "No mere ghost can possess an Egyptian God monster like Slifer. Now, take a look at Billinton's hand."

Montague did so.

"For every card in his hand-" explained Marik. "-Slifer gains 1000 attack points."

It was shown that Thomas had three cards in his hand.

"Because he has three cards, Slifer's stats in attack and defense are at 3000."

Slifer the Sky Dragon merely growled (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000).

"And you currently don't have enough life points to survive a direct attack...nor is your facedown card of any help to you now." Marik finished.

"He's right." thought Montague. "I also have no other cards in my hand, and no monster on my side of the field... I... I am finished."

"The duel is over, Montague!" said Thomas fiercely. "Slifer, attack my opponent's life points directly with..."

"I would call off your attack, if I were you." called out a calm, collected voice.

On cue, Odion walked into the area...although everyone else thought he was Marik.

"Marik!" Thomas exclaimed. "What does he want?"

Even Montague was surprised by this... at least until the image of Marik spoke up to him.

"Surprised?" asked Marik with a sly smirk. "Well, just in case something happened, I've prepare a backup plan for emergencies like this."

"What's that jerk doing up here?" asked Percy.

Once Odion got close enough to the platform, he started to speak directly to Thomas.

"Your friend Duck is under the power of my Millennium Rod." he said, holding up the fake Millennium Item. "Now watch as I release him from control."

Secretly, 'Namu' then held his Millennium Rod (behind his back so no one can see it) up and it glowed. Suddenly, Montague's face softened and he fell to his knees in great pain.

"Augh! Wh-where am I?" asked Duck in pain. "Why does my arm hurt so much?"

"Duck!" cried Thomas.

"DUCK!" called out the rest of the audience.

"W-what's happened?" Duck weakly went on. "Why do I feel so w-weak...?"

Thomas looked on in horror for a few seconds... just before gazing down at Odion hatefully.

"You monster, Marik!" he snarled.

"If you were to attack-" said Odion calmly. "-there is a chance your friend will be severely hurt or worse."

Percy had pretty much lost it here and now with the villain.

"That's it!" roared Percy in rage, trying to rush forth and start a fight. "I don't care what happens to me, but no one hurts my friend and gets away with it!"

Gordon and Henry both grabbed the younger green-haired boy and stopped him from trying to start something.

"Careful, Percy." warned Gordon. "Don't do anything stupid."

"H-Help me, Thomas..." whimpered Duck, sounding and looking very confused and frightened.

Thomas started to run over... However, the referee stopped him from trying to approach.

"Stop!"

"But I have to help my friend!" objected Thomas.

"If you go over to the opponent before the duel is done-" The referee replied harshly. "-you'll be disqualified."

Below the platform...

"That is so unfair!" complained Percy. "Duck needs help and you want Thomas to risk killing him?"

"No matter what, rules are rules." insisted the referee, sounding quite uncaring. "The duel WILL go on!"

"Call the duel off, Spencer!" demanded Gordon. "Duck could be killed if Thomas attacks!"

Spencer kept his arms folded and didn't say a word, much to Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley's (Boxford) surprise and discomfort.

"Spencer!" shouted Thomas. "SPENCER!"

The silver-haired boy remained silent still. Finally, the referee spoke up once again...

"You have one minute to make a move, Mr. Billinton." The suit said firmly. "If you do not do anything within that time limit, you'll automatically forfeit the duel."

Thomas looked completely unsure on what to do. If he didn't attack, then he would forfeit the duel... While if he did go ahead with attack, then he could possible kill the badly hurt Duck, and Thomas would never forgive himself for it. Meanwhile, 'Namu' watched this and smirked to himself.

"Billinton wouldn't dare harm his friend." snickered Marik mentally. "Once he surrenders, he will be ours to kill!"

However...

"What did you say?" The image on Montague suddenly appeared beside 'Namu'. "What are you talking about?"

"Once this turn is up, Thomas will die by my hands."

"But I told you Billinton must be kept alive!" objected Montague.

"Who cares about that?!" snapped Marik. "I was gonna backstab you when I got Slifer the Sky Dragon back, anyway."

Oh boy, was Montague ever furious at this betrayal.

"You filthy, lying, DOUBLE-CROSSER!" he roared in fury, before becoming a bit worried. "Besides, what if Thomas attacks, anyway? My host could be killed!"

"So long as I get my revenge on the descendant of the Pharaoh, I care not for what happens to him." Marik retorted.

"I still need him!" protested Montague. "If Duck dies, then I'll never be able to leave this blasted time period! Well, two can play at the backstab game!"

Suddenly Duck groaned as his Millennium Ring glowed and Montague took control again.

"I'm back!" exclaimed the spirit grandly.

The crowd gasped at the sight.

"Duck's back on his feet!" Emily cried.

"That's not Duck." Edward replied grimly.

"Go ahead and attack me, Billinton!" said Montague sinisterly.

'Namu' had a furious look of his own on his face.

"What is he doing?!" he thought, while looking nearby to Odion. "Odion, get out now before anyone suspects something!"

Odion sensed his master's wishes and obeyed the mental command. Back on the duel platform...

"What trick is this?" demanded Thomas.

"No trick!" Montague answered. "I realized that I still need my host unharmed, so I took back control. Now I'm ordering you to attack me, now!"

"Very well!" sneered Thomas. "Slifer, attack Montague directly with Thunder Force!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and charged up a Thunder Force attack. Montague merely smiled savagely at the sight.

"Well done, Thomas." The green-haired spirit said quietly. "You've won the duel!"

Finally, the attack was fired. It approached Montague... who kept his smile while chuckling before erupting into more intense psychotic laughter as the attack finally hit. When the attack faded, Montague (or rather Duck) had fallen unconscious (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

"And the winner of the match is Thomas Billinton!" announced the referee.

The holograms faded as the dueling platform was lowered to the ground.

"DUCK!" cried the gang, getting onto the platform.

Everyone, except Spencer, Skiff, and their parents, gathered around the unconscious Great Western green-haired boy.

"Is he hurt?" asked Liz with worry in her voice.

Duck's eyes would not open. Ryan knelt down and checked for a pulse... and, thankfully, there was one.

"He has a pulse..." The purple-haired young man said calmly. "He should be okay, but we'd better bring him to his room to rest up."

Gordon carried Duck on his back as they went to Duck's room, leaving Thomas behind to do some thinking.

"Montague took over to save Duck from being hurt or worse." he thought.

"Thomas Billinton." called the referee, snapping the blue-haired boy out of his thoughts. "As the winner of the duel, you're entitled to take the rarest card from the loser."

"Duck's got bigger problems to worry about than some rare card." said Thomas sternly. He then glared bitterly at Spencer. "My friend could have been killed because you did nothing."

The blue-haired boy then raced off after his friends, leaving Spencer and his family alone atop the blimp.

"Spencer, w-was that the right thing to do?" Skiff asked.

"Skiff's right." said Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "You just stood there like you were willing to risk that poor boy getting hurt or worse."

"I did what I had to do." Spencer replied gruffly, turning and walking back below deck.

"Why?" Mr. Gresley (Boxford) asked. "Why did he look like he did not care what happened to Duck?"

"I really don't know." answered Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) with concern in her voice.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Duck's room, the Great Western green-haired boy was asleep in his bed with everyone gathered around.

"Poor Duck." Carlie whimpered.

"I hope he'll be alright."added Mavis.

Percy was shaking in anger. "It's all because of that Marik!" he seethed in hatred. "This was all his doing!"

"I outta knock his block off." added James. "Him and Spencer, because that rich jerk didn't even try calling the match off, either!"

"Later." Discord said firmly. "Right now, we should go see Spencer-boy's parents about landing the blimp at a hospital."

"Good idea." agreed James R..

"Hey, Thomas, you should rest up, too." Gordon suggested. "That duel must've taken a lot out of you."

"The spirit of the Millennium Ring." muttered Thomas. "He saved Duck."

"What?"

"The spirit of the Millennium Ring must have overpowered Marik's power and took back control to save Duck from certain death!" Thomas yelled out.

"But why would he do that?" asked Molly.

"Perhaps that's the duty of spirits that dwell in the Millennium Items." said Thomas thoughtfully. "To protect their hosts from harm because if they die, what does that mean for the spirit?"

"Does that mean spirit residing in Duck is good?" Emily asked. "Because he seemed to have a real mean and dark streak within him."

"Who knows?" shrugged Percy.

As else everyone chattered, Mavis noticed something odd about Duck and eventually gave a loud yell.

"It's gone!" she exclaimed.

"What's gone?" asked Toby.

"Duck's Millennium Ring." answered Mavis. "It's not around his neck."

It was all true... for Duck's Millennium Ring was no longer around his neck.

"What do you think happened to it?" James asked.

"Maybe it was blasted to kingdom come by Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack?" Henry suggested.

"We should probably look for it." suggested Emily. "Who knows what it'll do if it falls into the wrong hands?"

"Good idea." Lady agreed.

Everyone else gave a nod and began to leave the room...except for Mavis, which Toby noticed.

"Aren't you coming, Mavis?" The brown-haired boy asked.

"I'll stay here and look after Duck." she said. "If that's cool with you."

"It is." Toby smiled. He and Mavis shared a quick kiss before the brown-haired boy left the room. "We'll be back soon enough."

With that, the teens set out leaving Mavis with Duck. Suddenly, with a yellowish glow, her eyes became dull and emotionless, meaning that Marik was taking over Mavis's mind once more. She reached under her shirt and pulled out the Millennium Ring... revealing that the blonde-haired girl was now wearing it.

"This is not the end...at all." Mavis (possessed) whispered.

Suddenly, Marik's evil laughter fill the whole entire room. This...could be bad in the near future for Mavis and/or for her friends.


	41. Three Gods and a Tomb-keeper

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"I had won the duel... but not without some bumps in the road."

Suddenly, thunderbolts started thundering down around the duel platform, making Montague cry out in surprise. Down below, the audience was just as surprised to say the least.

"Sure is weird weather we're having." commented James, although he truly had no idea.

"I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Queen's Knight, and Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Thomas, holding his drawn card up.

Dark Magician Girl, Queen's Knight, and Magician's Valkyria were each absorbed into the card.

"Now I summon the almighty..." Thomas went on, as he placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. This caused a familiar monster card that the blue-haired boy had won halfway through the stages of the tournament to materialized face-up... "SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

Even more thunderbolts danced along the platform before a powerful beam of light shot from the card into the sky and shattering Dark Sanctuary, forming the upper-body and wings of a gigantic new monster. It was so big, that it went and wrapped part of its lower, coiled body around the blimp. Finally, the face and head and the monster was formed. It was Slifer the Sky Dragon all right, but now it was successfully fighting on Thomas's behalf. The Egyptian God monster let out a massive roar into the face of a terrified Montague.

"It can't be!" he cried.

The crowd members themselves were gawking at the sight of the new monster.

"What... what is that thing?" James asked in shock.

"It's... it's..." Mavis tried to say in fright.

"The hugest Duel Monster I've ever seen!" cried Percy.

"One such bump was the sudden arrival of Marik."

"The duel is over, Montague!" said Thomas fiercely. "Slifer, attack his life points directly with..."

"I would call off your attack, if I were you." called out a calm, collected voice.

On cue, Odion walked into the area...although everyone else thought he was Marik.

"Marik!" Thomas exclaimed. "What does he want?"

"What's that jerk doing up here?" asked Percy.

Once Odion got close enough to the platform, he started to speak directly to Thomas.

"Your friend Duck is under the power of my Millennium Rod." he said, holding up the fake Millennium Item. "Now watch as I release him from control."

Suddenly, Montague's face softened and he fell to his knees in great pain.

"Augh! Wh-where am I?" asked Duck in pain. "Why does my arm hurt so much?"

"Duck!" cried Thomas.

"DUCK!" called out the rest of the audience.

"W-what's happened?" Duck weakly went on. "Why do I feel so w-weak...?"

Thomas looked on in horror for a few seconds... just before gazing down at Odion hatefully.

"You monster, Marik!" he snarled.

"If you were to attack-" said Odion calmly. "-there is a chance your friend will be severely hurt or worse."

"If Montague didn't take back control of Duck... I would have lost a friend forever."

"Go ahead and attack me, Billinton!" said Montague sinisterly.

"What trick is this?" demanded Thomas.

"No trick!" Montague answered. "I realized that I still need my host unharmed, so I took back control. Now I'm ordering you to attack me, now!"

"Very well!" sneered Thomas. "Slifer, attack Montague directly with Thunder Force!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and charged up a Thunder Force attack. Montague merely smiled savagely at the sight.

"Well done, Thomas." The green-haired spirit said quietly. "You've won the duel!"

Finally, the attack was fired. It approached Montague... who kept his smile while chuckling before erupting into more intense psychotic laughter as the attack finally hit. When the attack faded, Montague (or rather Duck) had fallen unconscious (LP: 0).

"I may have won...but I will never forgive Marik for making me do something I would have regretted for the rest of my life."

* * *

 **Title: Three Gods and a Tomb-keeper**

* * *

It had been almost an entire hour since Thomas won the first duel of the Battle City Finals. According to Skiff, there would be at least two hours before the next duel was announced, so everyone had some time to try and search for Duck's Millennium Ring.

"It's not in the dining chamber!" called Ben.

"And it's not in the main lobby!" added Toby.

Somewhere in the hallway, Percy yelled in frustration from not being able to find where the Millennium Ring disappeared to...that, and he was angry that Duck had gotten hurt and possessed.

"GAH! Where could it be?!" he exclaimed.

"Easy, Percy." said Ryan calmly. "Try to keep calm."

"Calm?! How can I be calm?! That trinket is missing, and Duck is injured! I'm off to get Spencer to land this thing so we can get our friend to a hospital!"

With that, he stormed over to the door to Spencer's room. Skiff was walking by when he saw Percy approaching his brother's room.

"Percy, no!" Skiff panicked. "My brother doesn't like to be disturbed when he's preparing for his duels!"

"Like I care right now!" snapped Percy, and began pounding on the door angrily. "Hey, Spencer! Get your selfish little butt out here right now!"

As he ranted, the door opened... and the green-haired boy was pounding into the silver-haired boy's chest without realizing it.

"Oh no..." Skiff gulped, knowing that this wasn't going to be pretty.

Percy continued to pound and pound! ...well, until...

"Ahem."

Percy stopped and looked up...only to see Spencer glaring down at him.

"Oh, hello." Percy chuckled nervously.

"You're lucky to even be in this tournament!" Spencer remarked coldly. "Now, would you mind telling why you're pounding on my door, disrupting my time to rebuild my deck, AND making a fool of yourself in the process?"

Percy regained his courage and spoke up sharply to the silver-haired boy.

"We demand that you land this blimp so we can take Duck to a hospital!" he said firmly.

"What's going on?" came the voice of Liz.

On cue, Liz, along with James R., and Zack walked in.

"I'm getting Spencer here to land the blimp so we can get Duck to a hospital!" explained Percy bitterly.

"And I'm afraid we're not landing!" Spencer replied harshly.

"SAY WHAT?!" exclaimed both James R. and Zack at once.

"Why not?" asked Percy crossly.

"It was Duck's own fault for joining in the first place, possessed or not. He knew full well that he was injured, yet came anyway."

Just before James R., Percy, and even Zack could each fully lose it, Liz stepped in and spoke to Spencer... sounding quite upset.

"How dare you!" she screamed, trying to hold back the urge to slap Spencer across the face. "Here we have a poor boy that's been injured yet you're just willing to let him die just for some stupid tournament! If he does die, it will be all your fault for not tending to him, and I can bet his parents will press charges! What if the same thing happened to Skiff? Would you leave your own brother for dead if he was injured?"

Spencer glared at the older woman, before gesturing a finger in a matter to 'come with me', leading her to a window.

"Look where we are right now."

Liz did so... and gasped. Outside, the blimp was...now flying over the ocean.

"We're over the sea!" The blonde-haired young woman shrieked.

Spencer sighed. "Look, even if I were to make an unscheduled landing, we're now in the middle of the ocean. Also this blimp, despite being much more advanced than most battleships in all of England, can't float. Not to mention we don't have enough fuel reserves to double back to Knapford."

Liz's anger melted away into sadness, figuring that there was no hope for Duck after all. Spencer's face, however, softened up from seeing the woman's own expression. From there, he walked over to a console and pushed a button.

"Send a medical team to room 108 to look after Duck Collet." The silver-haired boy said into a microphone.

"Medical team?" Liz quizzed.

"While we can't return to Sodor right now-" Spencer pointed out. "-the blimp is equipped with some of the best doctors we have."

"Does this mean Duck will be okay?" Percy asked hopefully.

"Yes. I promise you that Duck will be in good hands."

Liz felt tears running own her face. "Oh, thank you, Spencer." she sobbed. "You're not as heartless as I first thought you were."

Spencer grunted a response and returned to his room. It was then, Ryan, Gordon, James, and Henry showed up.

"What happened?" James asked. "We heard an announcement on the PA from Spencer about sending a medical team to Duck's room."

"Spencer's making sure Duck's okay." said Percy. "...thanks to Liz here. Any luck finding the Millennium Ring?"

"Nothing." sighed Henry.

"It's like it just...disappeared." added Gordon grumpily.

"Carlie, Matt, and Mike are searching the dueling arena." Zack reported. "So far, they haven't had any luck either."

"I hope they find it soon." said Liz.

(elsewhere...)

Up on the blimp's duel stage, Matt, Michael, and Carlie were each busy searching for the lost Millennium Ring...to no luck.

"Anything, guys?" asked Carlie to her two brothers.

"Nothing yet." said Michael.

"Agreed." added Matt.

The search continued. However, since the two boys were far enough away...this allowed Michael to try and try to get a little gossip out of his adopted brother.

"So, who's the lucky girl for you?" he asked teasingly.

"What are you talking about?" Matt blinked.

"You know what I mean." said Michael, smirking. "I think it was that pretty Indian Girl you and I both met earlier in the tournament. What was her name - Ashima?"

Matt merely ignored his friend/brother/rival and resumed searching for the Millennium Ring.

"Well, if it's not her... then how about Carlie?"

That immediately got Matt's attention, and he stood up and glared at Michael.

"She's our adopted sister!" he snapped.

"Right, but remember that...we're not related by blood." Michael reminded. "Meaning...!"

"SHUT UP!"

Carlie had overheard the two boys arguing and began to turn around. "What are you two-?" The brown-haired girl began, but immediately stopped and gasped when she saw that Matt and Michael were both about to get into a fight.

"Take that back!" snapped Matt.

"Make me!" Michael snapped back.

With that said, the two teenage boys lunged at each other, wrestling each other to the ground.

"Stop it!" cried Carlie, running over.

The two male teens were back on their feet, but were still grappling at each other when they saw their sister running towards them. However, she suddenly tripped and ended up crashing into Matt and Michael. This came with the consequences of sending them all over the rails... but Matt managed to grab hold of the edge with his right hand, grab Michael's right hand with his left hand. Carlie managed to grab onto Michael's left hand with her right hand.

"I've got you two!" shouted Matt.

"Help!" cried Carlie. "Somebody help us!"

"What were you trying to do, you jerk? Get us killed?!" Michael demanded, directing his anger at Matt.

"Me?! You were the one who started this mess!" The dirty blonde-haired boy argued.

"Did not!" protested Michael.

"Did too!"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Carlie. "It was both your faults, okay?!"

Matt and Michael were both silent, knowing that their brown-haired friend/sister was right... Just then, the former's right hand started to ache.

"Augh! M-My hand's giving out!" Matt grimaced.

"Don't you dare let go!" snapped Michael.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on letting go!"

"Someone help us!" Carlie shrieked once more.

Unfortunately, after what seemed like forever, Matt's hand finally started to slip from the edge.

"Shoot! I'm slipping!" he exclaimed.

Before the dirty blonde-haired boy could let go, his right hand was grabbed by someone else...

"Huh?"

"What's going on, mate?" Michael asked, expecting him and his two adopted siblings to fall to their deaths.

"Hey! We're being pulled back up by someone!" Carlie claimed, as she felt herself and Michael both being moved upward. "We're saved!"

Finally, the three American teens were pulled to safety. The savior as shown to be an Egyptian man wearing white robes and a turban, and he had a stoic look on his face. Once back to safety, the three siblings collapsed onto the floor off the deck while panting from exhaustion.

"T-Thanks for the save." panted Matt, lying on his back.

But when he looked back up, the man was gone.

"Where'd he go?" The dirty blonde-haired boy thought to himself.

"Who was it who saved us?" Carlie asked, after sitting back up.

None of them would ever know.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, Thomas was in his room looking through his cards. He was obviously going to rebuild his deck for the next round.

"Well, I've won the first duel of the finals." The blue-haired boy said aloud.

Emily was also shown to be in the room, too. "It was a very close match." she pointed out. "If Marik hadn't tried to ruin it, you would have almost lost."

Thomas nodded and picked up the middle card from his laid out deck.

"I owe it all to this one card."

The blue-haired boy was referring to Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"Your Egyptian God card." whispered Emily.

"I wasn't sure I wanted to play it at first." admitted Thomas.

"Because it was potentially too dangerous?"

Thomas shook his head. "Because I felt summoning it would be considered selfish and cruel of me to do."

"What?" Emily blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

"I was worried that if I sacrificed my three monsters just to win in a desperate situation-" explained Thomas. "-that they would think I was selfish and cruel. Almost like how Arkana sacrificed his own monsters to try and defeat me."

"I see..."

Emily, however, had a thought; all three of the monsters Thomas had on the field were female (Queen's Knight, Magician's Valkyria, and Dark Magician Girl)...

"They're not just cards." continued Thomas. "They're my friends. And I didn't want them to feel betrayed by me."

Yet again, Emily had a thought on it... and one thought that she didn't like all that much.

"He's so popular with even the girl Duel Monsters." The dark green-haired girl thought to herself rather unhappily.

Emily even started to have a vision of a sort.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

In this vision, Thomas was shown being hugged by Queen's Knight, Magician's Valkyria, and Dark Magician Girl. Each female monster was blushing and smiling in a love struck way.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The vision ended, and Emily sighed heavily to only herself.

"I'm so jealous..."

"Uh, Emily?" asked Thomas. "Are you okay?"

Emily blushed and snapped out of her thoughts. She was noticing that Thomas was giving her a funny look of a sort.

"Oh, i-it's nothing."

Suddenly, some footsteps were heard coming into the room.

"Who's there?" asked Thomas, looking around.

From there, the same man that rescued Matt, Michael, and Carlie showed himself.

"Greetings, my Pharaoh." he said wisely.

The two teens were a bit surprised to see this man.

"Who are you?" asked Emily, feeling startled. "How did you get in here?!"

The man kept his stoic look. "You know me... your friend, Discord, told you about me, didn't he?"

Thomas gasped. "Y-You must be Shadi!" he stuttered.

The man nodded. "Indeed I am."

Suddenly, a new knock came on the door. It opened, and walking in was Discord.

"Thomas-boy, I'm afraid I have some bad n-"

He froze when he saw the Egyptian man.

"Shadi...?"

"Hello, Discord." greeted the man calmly.

Discord was very shocked indeed. He wasn't expecting to see Shadi again... not after what he (Discord) had almost done once before (which was several years ago).

"What are you...doing here?" he asked at last.

"I had been searching for the one who stole the Millennium Eye." explained Shadi.

"You know that the Millennium Eye was stolen?" Thomas asked in surprise. He remembered that the time Sailor John had taken the eye...but was killed by someone, who then took the eye for himself.

"Yes. And I know who it was."

"It was Sailor John." Discord spoke up. "...but John was killed by someone shortly after."

"And whoever killed him took it afterward." added Emily.

"Yes, I know about that." Shadi nodded. "But the one who murdered your old friend, Discord... was the spirit of the Millennium Ring."

"Montague?" asked Thomas.

Shadi raised an eyebrow. "You know of him?"

"We do." Thomas nodded. "He possessed Duck and was my first opponent in the Battle City Finals. He even saved Duck's life at one point in the duel."

It was right around here Emily spoke up again.

"Discord... how did you get the Millennium Eye? You've mentioned back in San Francisco that the time wasn't right to reveal the whole truth on it... is now the time?"

After a moment of silent, the usually jolly creator of Duel Monsters felt defeated and decided to explain.

"I suppose it is." sighed Discord.

"The tale of how Discord received the Millennium Eye takes place three years ago..." began Shadi.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It had been a few years since Discord began creation of Duel Monsters and had set up the company Industrial Illusions. He was now 20-years old, still a young man, but very capable of running a company.

"Mr. Crawford, sir, are you sure you can do this?" asked one of the new employs.

"And why shouldn't I?" asked Discord. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

Discord was currently aboard a plane heading back to Egypt. Despite getting all the base ideas he needed for much of the playing cards, he felt he needed more and more ideas. He felt that another visit to Egypt would get him the ideas he needed.

"Perhaps Egypt will give me these new ideas." Discord said to himself.

(elsewhere...)

The plane eventually landed at the airport in Cairo. Upon leaving the gate with a small crew of photographers, Discord immediately got a big surprise... in the form of Shadi waiting for him.

"I expected that you would return again." The mysterious man said calmly. "And your friend ignored my warning, didn't he?"

"He did." sighed Discord unhappily. "I haven't seen John since then."

Shadi didn't say another for what seemed like forever. Eventually he turned around and motion a finger.

"Come... I have something I wish to show you."

Discord raised an eyebrow, but immediately complied.

(elsewhere...)

From there, Shadi lead Discord and his crew into a pyramid outside of Cairo. Inside the Pyramid, Discord was amazed at the sight.

"This is so amazing!" he cried.

The photographers snapped pictures of all the carvings they could. Finally, they arrived at a chamber with a stone door blocking the way.

"To continue-" said Shadi, taking the Millennium Key off from his neck. "-the door must be unlocked."

The key began to glow as the wall shifted upward out of the way.

"Through here are special carvings no one else has ever seen before." Shadi explained to Discord and his crew.

"What are they?" asked Discord.

"Why not see them for yourself?"

At last, the wall was gone and the doors opened. Discord and the photographers gasped the moment they saw ' _them_ '.

"Wha...?" The young man breathed.

There was a large stone tablet in the back of the chamber. On it were carvings of the three Egyptian Gods themselves:

1\. Obelisk the Tormentor...

2\. Slifer the Sky Dragon...

3\. and The Winged Dragon of Ra...

Discord just couldn't believe his eyes. "T-This is the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" he exclaimed, looking very pleased. "This has given me new ideas for Duel Monsters!"

"You're free to take pictures of these creatures-" said Shadi. "-but I must warn you; their power cannot be contained that easily."

But Discord was so happy with all of the fresh ideas he had for Duel Monsters that he didn't heed the stern man's warning. The photographers then began snapping pictures for references.

(elsewhere...)

When Discord returned to the United States, he resumed his work on the creation of Duel Monsters. Eventually, it was time to turn the Egyptian Gods themselves into cards... during which tragedy struck. One night, a man working for Discord was hanging photos of Obelisk in a dark room for development.

"Well, time to call it a night." The man sighed wearily.

Suddenly, the eyes of one of the pictures began to glow.

"Huh?"

Outside the room, there was a huge scream.

(elsewhere...)

Inside another office, one woman was getting her things together and getting ready to go home! ...when suddenly, she heard a rumbling and felt everything shake.

"What in the world?" The woman quizzed, sitting up from her desk.

She turned around, walked to the window, and looked out it... and got a really nasty scare when the roaring face of Slifer the Sky Dragon suddenly showed itself from out of nowhere.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Outside the office building, Slifer the Sky Dragon was there and had wrapped its snake-like body around the building. Thunder and lightning was striking from the gathered dark clouds as well.

(elsewhere...)

"What?!" cried out an outraged Discord.

Inside his office, the creator of Duel Monsters was given some bad news by someone.

"Everyone involved with the production of the Egyptian Gods has quit." said a gentleman.

"But why?!"

"Because the wrath of the Gods has been unleashed. Please, sir, you must abandon this project...or you yourself could suffer a similar fate." The gentleman pleaded. "I beg you!"

"Rubbish!" said Discord dismissively. "I'll finish it myself then."

(elsewhere...)

Unfortunately, while inside his private mansion that evening and finishing paintings of the artwork of what the God cards would look like, Discord was very tired and began to fall asleep... beginning a dream sequence.

* * *

 **DREAM SEQUENCE**

When Discord woke up, he was alarmed...

"What?!"

His mansion had vanished, and he found himself hovering over what looked like a burning city.

"Where am I...?" Discord looked around in shock. Suddenly, the three Egyptian Gods themselves appeared before the frightened young man. "The Egyptian Gods!"

Obelisk the Tormentor, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and The Winged Dragon of Ra each gaze down at the lowly human that dared in his attempt to control their great power. Discord continued to look on in terror before a new voice spoke up.

"I've warned you." said the voice (male). "By creating the Egyptian God cards, you've unleashed a potential danger the world has ever seen."

"That voice..." whispered Discord. "Shadi?"

The turbaned man suddenly appeared before Discord.

"There is a way to prevent the world from falling to the power of the Gods."

"Tell me!" pleaded a desperate Discord. "Please!"

"The first way is to give them to the chosen ones." Shadi stated. "Or return the Gods to their resting place."

"The Chosen Ones?" blinked Discord.

Unfortunately, Shadi faded away here...

 **END DREAM SEQUENCE**

* * *

...and Discord found himself awake in his mansion... with the paintings of the Egyptian Gods finished.

"What a terrible nightmare!" The young man exclaimed in terror.

But he remembered Shadi's words. However, the young man didn't know anything about ' ** _The Chosen Ones_** ', so he had to just return the God cards to their resting place back in Egypt.

(elsewhere...)

Arriving at a pyramid in Egypt one year later, Discord met with a then 18-year old Ishizu Ishtar.

"Thank you, Ms. Ishtar." he said gratefully, handing over a briefcase containing the newly made Egyptian God cards.

"But of course, Mr. Crawford." Ishizu replied calmly. "...however, before you leave, I wish to give you something in return."

Ishizu reached into her pocket and pulled something out. It was a small eyeball of a sort... yet it was gold in color.

"What is it?" Discord asked curiously.

"This is called the Millennium Eye." explained Ishizu. "A friend of mine requested that I would give it to you."

Feeling nervous, Discord accepted the gift. As soon as he took hold of the Millennium Eye, the orb glowed all gold in his hand for a moment.

"It would seem it has chosen you." commented Ishizu knowingly.

With that, Ishizu left with the God cards, while Discord looked at the Millennium Eye with wonder before looking up at where the young Egyptian woman had left.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback came to an end here.

"And that's it." Discord finished. "Ishizu Ishtar was the one who gave me the Millennium Eye."

"And you also created the three Egyptian God cards!" Thomas spoke in shock.

"Yes." admitted the creator of Duel Monsters with great shame and remorse. "It was my greatest mistake ever made..."

"And now Spencer has one, while Marik does as well." added Emily.

This caught Shadi's attention. "Two of the three chosen ones have been revealed."

"And I carry Slifer the Sky Dragon." said Thomas, showing his own God card.

For once, Shadi lost his stoic look and became genuinely surprised.

"All three chosen ones!" he cried, reeling back some.

"You, Thomas-boy, along with Spencer-boy, are two very special lads." said Discord positively.

"Indeed." agreed Shadi, recovering from his outburst. "Not only that, but six of the seven Millennium Items are now on this blimp as well."

With that, he pulled from his cloak two items; one was a golden scale with the Millennium Eye in the center while the other was his Millennium Key.

"I wield two items." The mysterious man continued some more. "The Millennium Scale here allows me to measure the darkness and purity in one's heart, while the Millennium Key allows me to enter people's minds." Shadi first demonstrated how the scale worked. "This won't hurt a bit."

He held it up in front of Emily as it started to glow all gold-like.

"Uh..." she stuttered nervously.

The Millennium Scale began to demonstrate its power. When it finished, one of the scale's tips was aimed near the top.

"Young child, your heart is mostly filled with the purest of light... but there is also some bits of darkness in it, too." Shadi stated knowingly.

Emily immediately knew what darkness the man was talking about. It came from her past after she got bullied severely by both Gordon and James, result in the dark green-haired girl briefly changing for the worst.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's part of a past incident she's all that not proud of." explained Thomas.

"Yes, that is rather unfortunate." Shadi agreed, before taking his Millennium Key out. "You, young Thomas, will experience the Millennium Key's power."

The mysterious Egyptian man then pointed the end of the key at Thomas's forehead.

"This won't hurt, will it?" The blue-haired boy asked nervously.

"Like my Millennium Scale, this won't hurt." said Shadi calmly.

With that, he turned the key as a bright light flooded the room.

"Whooooooooooooaaaaaa!" cried Thomas.

Everything faded to white...

(new location...)

Suddenly, Shadi found himself inside Thomas's mind.

"So this is the inside of the boy's mind" he said to himself.

Roaming around the area carefully, Shadi eventually encounter the shadows of two familiar monsters belonging to the blue-haired boy...

"Who goes there?!" shouted a male voice.

"I am Shadi, Guardian of the Millennium Items." announced Shadi sternly. "I mean no harm."

The two monsters in question were shown to be both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, both had their weapons raised in defense.

"Forgive us." said Dark Magician, lowering his scepter. "We were just protecting our master."

"We were afraid that you came to harm him." added Dark Magician Girl, lowering her wand.

The two spellcasters then walked back down the hallway, while Shadi began to follow. Eventually, the mysterious Egyptian man found Thomas's chambers.

"This is our master's private chambers." explained Dark Magician.

"Thank you." said Shadi.

The door opened...and the mysterious Egyptian man raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Inside the room, there were video games, books, and photos of all of Thomas's friends he'd known since he was very young. And sitting in the nearby throne of some sort...was Thomas himself.

"Oh, hello." greeted Thomas, upon seeing Shadi.

The mysterious Egyptian man walked forward, while both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl stayed by the exit acting like guards.

"Do you now understand the power of both my Millennium Items?" asked Shadi.

"Yes." said Thomas seriously. "I do."

Suddenly, the Millennium Key started glowing gold...

(elsewhere...)

...and Thomas and Shadi were both back in the room with Discord and Emily.

"An impressive power." Thomas admitted.

"I'll say." agreed Emily.

"Before I leave-" Shadi interrupted. "-I have something for you, young Thomas."

From his robes, the mysterious Egyptian man pulled out a small, golden box.

"A box?" Thomas blinked.

"Inside..." corrected Shadi, handing the box to the blue-haired boy.

"What do you think is inside, Thomas?" Emily asked curiously.

Thomas shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

The blue-haired boy lifted the top of the box and gasped.

"Cinders and Ashes..." he said quietly.

Inside the box were several golden pieces to a puzzle. And one piece had the symbol of the Millennium Eye.

"The Millennium Puzzle." said Shadi. "The seventh, and one of the most powerful Millennium Items of all. Many people have tried before you to solve this puzzle, but they failed."

Thomas looked up. "But what makes you think I have what it takes to use it?"

"Because this was the same item that your ancestor used 3,000 years ago." answered Shadi.

Thomas and Emily both gasped. Discord, who had been quiet for the last while, chose that time to speak up.

"This is quite a serious matter, Thomas." he said firmly. "You must not allow that puzzle to fall into the wrong hands."

"But... all it is... is just bits and pieces." Emily protested.

Thomas took two pieces of the puzzle and pieced them together.

"This is almost like a puzzle itself." The blue-haired boy proclaimed.

"The puzzle holds many secrets and surprises. Those of which I'm confident you'll discover in time." said Shadi. "I will leave you to it."

The two teens looked at Shadi for a moment, and then back at the gold box. They were quickly joined by Discord.

"Well, I'd say your future looks pretty bright, Thomas-boy." The creator of Duel Monsters commented.

"You said it." agreed Thomas.

But upon looking back up, Thomas, Emily, and Discord each noticed that Shadi was now gone. Up until now, Thomas thought that he was just an average teenager who loved the Duel Monsters trading card game based on the same game from from the Yu-Gi-Oh! TV series... but destiny had now chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games just as the brave Pharaoh Atem had done 3,000 years ago.

Suddenly, the PA made an announcement.

"Attention, will everyone report to the dining hall so the next duel can be chosen?"

Hearing that announcement, Discord started to leave.

"We'd better get going." he said.

"You guys go on ahead." insisted Thomas. "I think I'll stay behind and try to solve this puzzle."

Discord nodded, but saw that Emily didn't follow.

"What's wrong?" The creator of Duel Monsters asked curiously.

"If it's okay, I'd like to stay behind and help Thomas." The dark green-haired girl stated. "I'm sure one of our friends will do fine in the next duel without our support."

Discord could see that Emily didn't want to leave Thomas's side, because... well, since he respected their privacy, he decided not to say it out loud.

"Very well." smiled Discord. "Good luck, you two."

With that, the owner of Industrial Illusions left the room.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, inside the tenth finalists room, the mysterious woman was busy meditating peacefully when...

"I knew you would come here, Shadi." she suddenly said aloud, not even flinching or anything.

The same turbaned man was shown standing behind the woman.

"Then you also know that the boy now possesses one of the seven Millennium Items?" Shadi asked rhetorically.

The tenth finalist stood up, yet did not face the Shadi. "I do indeed."

Yes, this woman seemed to know Shadi very well... but just who IS she? We'll find out soon enough.


	42. Monsters of the Round Table (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Discord began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Hello all you lovely readers out there! Discord J. Crawford here with some news on what went on in our previous story."

"Well, I've won the first duel of the finals." Thomas said aloud, looking through his cards

Emily was also shown to be in the room, too.

"It was a very close match." she said. "If Marik hadn't tried to ruin it, you would have almost lost."

Thomas nodded and picked up the middle card from his laid out deck.

"I owe it all to this one card."

The blue-haired boy was referring to Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"Your Egyptian God card." whispered Emily.

"Thomas-boy and his girlfriend (or not) were both going over the duel when..."

"Greetings, my Pharaoh." said a mysterious Egyptian man wisely.

The two teens were a bit surprised to see this man.

"Who are you?" asked Emily, feeling startled. "How did you get in here?!"

The man kept his stoic look. "You know me...your friend, Discord, told you about me, didn't he?"

Thomas gasped. "Y-you must be Shadi!" he stuttered.

The man nodded. "Indeed I am."

Suddenly, a new knock came on the door. It opened, and walking in was Discord.

"Thomas-boy, I'm afraid I have some bad n-"

He froze when he saw the Egyptian man.

"Shadi...?"

"Hello, Discord." said the man calmly.

"It was Shadi. I never thought I'd see him again after so many years. Well, either way, I finally told Thomas-boy the story of how I got the Millennium Eye and created the three Egyptian God cards."

"And that's it." Discord finished. "Ishizu Ishtar was the one who gave me the Millennium Eye."

"And you also created the three Egyptian God cards!" Thomas spoke in shock.

"Yes." admitted the creator of Duel Monsters with great shame and remorse. "It was my greatest mistake ever made..."

"Regardless, Thomas-boy still has many more challenges ahead of him, and I can only hope he is prepared to undertake them."

* * *

 **Title: Monsters of the Round Table, Part 1**

* * *

Inside the dining hall, everyone (except Thomas and Emily) had gathered up to wait to see who was dueling next.

"What happened to you three?" asked Henry, speaking to Matt, Michael, and Carlie.

"We nearly fell to our deaths, that's what." replied Michael.

"Someone saved our lives though." Carlie added.

"Thank goodness you weren't hurt." said Molly.

"Silence, please!" called one of the suits.

Everyone immediately turned towards the bingo machine.

"It's time to announce the second duel of the Battle City Finals."

The machine started up and the balls went flying.

"Hey, where are Thomas and Emily?" Lady asked suddenly. "They should both be here."

"I'm afraid they have some business to take care of." Discord stated, arms folded.

"What...sort of business?" James asked curiously, before his eyes widened. "You don't think..."

"NOTHING of that sort, James-boy!" said the Industrial Illusions President rather hastily. "I mean, they're both busy putting something I gave them together."

"Oh." said James. "Had us worried for a second there."

"Anyway, they told me to wish whoever would be dueling in the next round good luck."

Suddenly, there was a sound as the machine produced a ball with the number...

"And our first duelist is..." The suit began, looking at the ball and holding it up. "Number 5! I repeat, duelist number 5! Ryan Avonside!"

"That's you, dear!" said Liz happily.

"Wow, the pressure is on now." Ryan commented nervously..

At last, the second ball came out.

"And for the second..." began the suit, taking the ball and holding it up. "Duelist number 3! James Hughes!"

The red-haired boy was very pleased to hear this.

"Oh man, this is great!" he cheered. "Now I'll be able to show everyone, especially Molly, that I'm one of the best duelists there ever was!"

The two chosen duelists made their way to the areal duel field.

"This should be a good match." Percy remarked. "We get to see how good Ryan is as a duelist."

"Then let's go, now!" Gordon stated.

The others made their way as well.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy and Emily were both amazed at how many pieces of that Millennium Item (Puzzle to be exact) had inside the gold box.

"So many pieces..." Emily whispered. "This could take a while."

"It might not take so long since we're working together." said Thomas confidently.

The two teens immediately set to work.

(elsewhere...)

Out on the duel arena, James and Ryan both had arrived and took their spots.

"This should be easy." thought the red-haired boy.

"May the best duelist win." said Ryan pleasantly.

The rest of the gang arrived at this point.

"Good. They're just about to start now." announced Zack.

"Both duelists activate your Duel Disks and begin dueling!" commanded the referee.

James and Ryan both activated their Duel Disks on command.

"Well, James, time to see what you've got." Ryan called out.

"Same with you!" James called back. "But know that I'm the one who will win!"

"Good luck, James!" called Molly.

The red-haired turned to the direction of the black-haired girl and gave a thumbs up in response.

"I'll go first." said Ryan, upon drawing his opening hand.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Ryan Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): Cathedral of Milan(!), Tower of London(!), Graceful Charity, Medieval Soldier - Longbowman(!), Arrows of Fire(!)

* * *

Looking at his hand and seeing his first five cards, Ryan gave a small smile.

"Okay, James, let's see you handle this!" He took a card from his hand. "I summon the Medieval Soldier - Longbowman in attack mode!"

A human soldier wearing clothing from someone you'd see in the Middle Ages while carrying a longbow materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 700/DEF: 1200).

"That's it?" James gawked. "That's your first monster? Don't make me laugh! It only has 700 attack points!"

"Next I'll activate the Equip Spell Arrows of Fire." continued Ryan, slotting another card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

Longbowman suddenly grabbed hold of arrows made of fire that materialized out of nowhere and equipped them to his Longbow, granting him a power boost (ATK: 700 - 1200).

"This increases my monster's attack by 500 points and grants it a handy effect."

"What kind of effect?" James asked wearily.

Ryan grinned. "Why tell you now? Just ask me about this next card; Tower of London!" As the purple-haired young man spoke, he took a card from his hand and slotted it into the field slot for Field Spell cards.

Suddenly the scenery changed to look like London in the Middle Ages.

"Hey! What's-" James begun...before his clothes suddenly transformed. He was now decked in armor worn by a knight from King Arthur's court. "What the-?!"

Even more surprising, the entire audience (except for Spencer, Skiff, and their parents) got decked out in new clothing. Be it knights, peasants, squires, princes, or princesses.

"What on earth is this?" asked Toby, dressed as a squire.

"I don't know-" James R. replied, who was dressed as an archer. "-but I'm liking it so far."

"Me too!" Carlie agreed, now dressed as a princess.

On the duel stage, Ryan, who was now dressed as King Arthur himself, chuckled a bit.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"This is pretty neat." admitted James. "But how did you do it?"

Another chuckle could be heard. It was coming from...yup, you guessed it, Discord.

"I knew it." James muttered.

"I had the card altered to make the game a bit more fun." said Discord cheerfully.

"Got that right." Ryan nodded. "And now to continue... this Field Spell will allow any monster I control with the name 'Medieval Soldier' or 'Medieval Knight' to never be destroyed in battle...while also granting them an additional 200 attack and defense points at the beginning of your turns. Namely, the standby phase."

"Pretty handy trick." commented James.

Suddenly, a facedown card materialized.

"I'll place this card facedown and end my turn." Ryan finished.

Down below, 'Namu', who was dressed as a black knight, started to speak up.

"So, what's James's playing style like?" he asked, trying to keep himself innocent.

"He plays an Elemental HERO deck." explained Henry.

"An Elemental HERO deck?" 'Namu' blinked, trying fake surprise. "That sounds interesting, but I've never heard of them before."

"Just watch and learn, my friend." Gordon insisted, with his arms folded.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : James Hughes (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (6): Elemental HERO Clayman, Hero's Rule 1: Five Freedoms, Polymerization, Elemental HERO Sparkman, Spark Blaster, and Rallis the Star Bird

* * *

James added his drawn card to his hand and went into his thoughts.

"So thanks to Ryan's Field Spell, his monsters can't be destroyed in battle." he thought. "But he said nothing about card effects." The red-haired boy then held out a card. "I activate Polymerization!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"A fusion summon, eh?" Ryan looked surprised for a moment. "Bring it on!"

"Gladly!" James took two cards from his hand and held them up. "I'll fuse Elemental HEROES Sparkman and Clayman both together!"

The two monsters appeared briefly before fusing together.

"I give you the Elemental HERO Thunder Giant!"

The fusion ended, and there stood the combined form of Clayman and Sparkman (Level: 6/ATK: 2400).

"Now I'll activate my monster's special ability!" James continued, immediately discarding his Spark Blaster Spell card to the graveyard. "By discarding a card from my hand to the graveyard, I can target one monster on your side of the field. If that monster has its original attack points lower than Thunder Giant's attack points...that monster is destroyed."

"Clever move." mumbled Ryan in concern.

"Take it away, Thunder Giant!" called James. "Wipe out that Medieval Soldier - Longbowman now!"

Thunder Giant unleashed a large amount of lighting, aiming straight for Ryan's only monster.

"Reveal Trap card!" The purple-haired young man announced, holding his hand out and causing his facedown card to flip face-up and reveal itself. "Cathedral of Milan!"

All of a sudden...coming from the Trap card came a few monks from a church of a sort, and they began chanting something.

"What's...going on?" asked James, looking confused.

Suddenly, Thunder Giant's attack effect was fizzled right out.

"Hey! What just happened to my attack?!"

"No one would dare destroy men of the church." said Ryan, wagging a index finger. "My Trap went and negated your monster's ability."

Just then, he drew two cards from his deck.

"If successful, I can also draw two cards from my deck."

"Makes no difference." said James. "Thunder Giant attack!"

Thunder Giant obeyed and fired off a bolt of lightning from his body at the Longbowman...who charged a fire arrow and fired it off in response. The arrow struck through the lightning bolt until the arrow hit Thunder Giant and destroyed it.

"Thunder Giant!" cried James, as he took some damage (LP: 3800).

"How did Longbowman do that?" asked a shocked Molly.

"That was the power of my Arrows of Fire." reminded Ryan. "It not only increased my monster's attack points by 500, but it also gave him the ability to halve the attack of any monster that targets it for an attack. Combined with Tower of London's effect, it made my archer more than a match for your Thunder Giant."

James mentally kicked himself for doing something stupid.

"Wow, Ryan was one step ahead of James on that one." Carlie commented.

"I'll say." agreed Michael.

James took the last two cards from his hand.

"I place one card facedown and summon Rallis the Star Bird in defense mode." he said.

A facedown card materialized, followed by the appearance of a brightly colored bird that seemed to resemble a phoenix of a sort (Level: 3/DEF: 800).

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy and Emily were both hard at work trying to build the Millennium Puzzle from the pieces that were inside the box.

"Boy, this isn't easy to make." Thomas commented.

"I know." agreed Emily. "But we have to finish it."

From there, they resumed work.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the duel stage, Percy had no clear idea on who he wanted to root for in the duel.

"James is my friend, while Ryan's my brother-in-law." he thought. "I just can't decide who to root for."

Liz, however, was clearly rooting for her husband to win.

"You can do it, dear!" she called out loudly.

Molly, meanwhile, was rooting for her boyfriend to win.

"You can do it, James!" she called out softly.

"My turn!" said Ryan, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Ryan Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (4): Graceful Charity, Medieval Soldier - Spearman(!), Dragon Spear(!), and Coliseum of Rome(!)

* * *

"Longbowman, attack James directly now!"

"But I still have my star bird!" protested James.

"Now my Longbowman's own ability activates!" announced Ryan. "By halving his current attack points for the battle phase of this turn, he can go and strike you directly!"

Medieval Soldier - Longbowman's attack took a halving drop (ATK: 1400 - 700), but this also allowed him to fire an arrow right passed James's only monster and hit him directly (LP: 3100).

"James!" cried Molly.

The red-haired boy clutched his chest and grimaced.

"Man, he's better than I first thought he was." he thought to himself.

"You'll have to try better than that, James." said Ryan.

James recovered and drew his card in response.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : James Hughes (LP: 3100)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (1): Pot of Greed

* * *

"Now my Longbowman gains 200 more attack and defense points!" Ryan reminded.

Longbowman got even stronger (ATK: 1400 - 1600/DEF: 1400 - 1600). James grunted a bit and held his drawn card out.

"I play Pot of Greed. With it, I can draw two more cards from my deck!"

The red-haired boy drew his two cards, showing them to be the A Hero Emerges Trap card and the Elemental HERO Bladedge monster card.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." he said, slotting one of his cards into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

"Weird..." thought Ryan. "He played no other monster. What's he up to?"

He drew his next card. Down below, Discord watched the purple-haired young man carefully.

"What will you do next, Ryan-boy?" he thought. "James-boy isn't giving up yet, so you shouldn't get cocky now."

Matt looked over to his adopted Dad.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Discord nodded. "I'm just curious to see what will happen next."

"Well, James always can sometimes be full of surprises." said Gordon. "Maybe he'll turn this duel around."

"Let's wait and see what happens." Toby suggested.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Ryan Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (5): Graceful Charity, Medieval Soldier - Spearman, Dragon Spear, Coliseum of Rome, and Medieval Knight - Lancer(!)

* * *

Ryan took his drawn card and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Come forth; Medieval Knight - Lancer!"

An armored knight riding a horse and wielding a long lance materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1900).

"And now, rather than attack you directly with Longbowman, I'll instead have my monster destroy your Rallis the Star Bird instead!"

Longbowman obeyed and fired an arrow, hitting and destroying Rallis, making James scowl.

"Now, my Lancer!" Ryan continued. "Direct attack!"

The knight obeyed and charged at James, making the red-haired boy grin.

"I activate my own Trap card!" he said, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "A Hero Emerges!"

"This could be the ticket James needs to get back into the game." Zack remarked.

"This Trap allows you to pick one card from my hand." explained James. "If it's a Spell or Trap card, it's sent to the graveyard...but if it's a monster, then I can summon it."

"You only have one card in your hand." Ryan pointed out. "I guess that means I have to pick it."

"That's right." said James, holding up his only card. "And the card is... Elemental HERO Bladedge!"

The golden armored warrior materialized (Level: 7/ATK: 2600).

"Say hello to one of my ace monsters!" boasted James.

"Uh-oh..." thought Ryan nervously, upon seeing Elemental HERO Bladedge land on the ground.

"Oh dear!" gasped Liz.

"Bladedge, counter attack!" commanded James.

Bladedge obeyed and dive bombed towards Lancer and punched him in the chest. This knocked Lancer from his horse and landed him onto the ground before shattering into pieces.

"There goes your Medieval Knight - Lancer!" declared James.

Ryan grunted as he took damage (LP: 3300).

"Hold on, shouldn't that Lancer still be around?" Percy piped up. "Thanks to Tower of London, it should have stayed on the field."

"Not so, Percy-boy." Discord spoke up. "Tower of London's effect only happens IF James-boy attacks...but since Ryan-boy was the one who attacked, and got counter as a result, that Field Spell's effect was not able to activate and save his monster."

"Oh..."

"That James is doing well." thought Spencer. "...too bad he would never stand a chance against me."

"A good job so far, James." Ryan complimented.

"Your not so bad yourself." James added.

"But I'm only getting warmed up." grinned Ryan, taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "Behold Graceful Charity!"

The purple-haired young man immediately drew his three cards and added them to his hand.

"Thanks to this Spell card I can draw three cards from my deck and discard two more from my hand."

Ryan thought carefully before choosing what cards to discard.

"These two."

He discarded Coliseum of Rome and a second copy of Arrows of Fire to his graveyard, and looked to his newly drawn cards.

"Not bad." Ryan thought to himself.

"Well, man?" James called out. "Let's see how you're gonna get out of wiping out my Elemental HERO Bladedge."

"Okay!" Ryan held out a Spell card as his life points took a hit (LP: 2500). "I'll begin by using my Premature Burial Spell card to resurrect my Lancer in attack mode."

Ryan's monster returned to the field.

"Now I'll sacrifice both my monsters to summon something with great power!" Ryan's eyes started glowing all white with power. "Be gone, my two monsters!"

The two monsters disappeared.

"But you've already normal summoned this turn!" protested James, before realizing something. "...unless...this is a special summon?!"

"You're correct!" Ryan declared. "To summon this mighty monster, I must tribute two monsters that have the names 'Medieval Warrior' and 'Medieval Knight' on my field."

"This is crazy!" exclaimed James R.. "Dad, you sure did create some pretty broken cards."

"But what IS Ryan summoning?" Matt practically demanded.

Their answer was then given...

"I special summon The Lord of the Round Table: King Arthur!" bellowed Ryan, slamming his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The drawbridge to the Tower of London lowered...and walking out came the legendary knight himself; King Arthur (Level: 8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 1500).

"Wow..." said Toby.

"King Arthur himself..." whispered Molly.

"Now another of my new monster's effects activates." Ryan continued, eyes continuing to glow all white. "I can move one Equip Spell card from my deck and equip it to my monster."

A card slipped from Ryan's deck, and he held it out.

"And that card is...the Mighty Holy Sword - Ragnarok!"

Appearing in King Arthur's right hand was a powerful sword.

"This increases King Arthur's attack by 1000 points." explained Ryan. "But that's not all it does."

King Arthur grew wickedly strong (ATK: 2700 - 3700).

"There's more?" James gulped, for he didn't like where this was going.

"Yes, as soon as this sword is equipped to King Arthur...I can conduct a second battle phase this turn!"

"Uh-oh!" cried James.

"This could be bad." came from Gordon.

"King Arthur, it's time to bring peace to your land!" called Ryan. "Destroy Bladedge with Holy Light Slash!"

King Arthur obeyed, raising his sword.

"Have at thee, knave!" he suddenly spoke, slashing Bladedge to pieces.

"And Bladedge has fallen in battle!" smiled Ryan.

"Oh man..." whispered James (LP: 2000).

"James..." whispered Molly.

"I have to say, James, you're quite the talented duelist." Ryan commented. "This is quite possibly the funnest duel I've ever had."

"Thanks." said James grimly. He didn't know what he could do now that Ryan had such an unstoppable monster on his field.

"Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end...such as this duel. With my mighty King Arthur out and equipped with the Ragnarok sword, my victory is all but guaranteed!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	43. Monsters of the Round Table (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

James began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Well, this all started when we met with Percy's older sister and brother-in-law. Liz and Ryan. Ryan, as you see, was a skilled Duel Monsters player who won all of his Locator cards on his first day in the tournament."

"Wow!" gasped Percy. "You're that good?"

"Right as rain, kiddo!" Ryan smiled.

"Ha!" snorted James arrogantly. "I bet I could beat you with one arm behind my back."

"Oh, is that a challenge I hear?" grinned Ryan, looking over to the red-haired boy. "Just for that, I hope you and I face each other."

"Bring it on!"

Everyone else (again minus Spencer and 'Namu') sighed a bit.

"Well, when we were chosen to duel next in the finals, I thought it would be an easy battle."

"And for the second..." began the suit, taking the ball and holding it up. "Duelist number 3! James Hughes!"

The red-haired boy was very pleased to hear this.

"Oh man, this is great!" he cheered. "Now I'll be able to show everyone, especially Molly, that I'm one of the best duelists there ever was!"

(duel stage...)

Ryan grinned. "Why tell you now? Just ask me about this next card; Tower of London!" As the purple-haired young man spoke, he took a card from his hand and slotted it into the field slot for Field Spell cards.

Suddenly the scenery changed to look like London in the Middle Ages.

"Hey! What's-" James begun...before his clothes suddenly transformed. He was now decked in armor worn by a knight from King Arthur's court. "What the-?!"

Even more surprising, the entire audience (except for Spencer, Skiff, and their parents) got decked out in new clothing. Be it knights, peasants, squires, princes, or princesses.

"What on earth is this?" asked Toby, dressed as a squire.

"I don't know-" James R. replied, who was dressed as an archer. "-but I'm liking it so far."

"Me too!" Carlie agreed, now dressed as a princess.

On the duel stage, Ryan, who was now dressed as King Arthur himself, chuckled a bit.

"What do you think?" he asked.

"This was something none of us saw coming...but that wasn't the worst of it."

"I special summon The Lord of the Round Table: King Arthur!" bellowed Ryan, slamming his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The drawbridge to the Tower of London lowered...and walking out came the legendary knight himself; King Arthur (Level: 8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 1500).

"King Arthur, it's time to bring peace to your land!" called Ryan. "Destroy Bladedge with Holy Light Slash!"

King Arthur obeyed, raising his sword.

"Have at thee, knave!" he suddenly spoke, slashing Bladedge to pieces.

"And Bladedge has fallen in battle!" smiled Ryan.

"Oh man..." whispered James (LP: 2000).

"Wow...this is gonna be harder than I first thought."

* * *

 **Title: Monsters of the Round Table, Part 2**

* * *

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was trying to put another pair of pieces of the Millennium Puzzle together...but wasn't succeeding so far.

"Come on!" he grunted, before putting the two pieces together. "Finally..."

"It's finally coming together." commented Emily.

"Too bad we still have many more pieces left." Thomas replied.

"We'll do it. I know we will."

Thomas smiled. "You're right. Anyway, I wonder how James is doing so far?"

(elsewhere...)

On the duel stage atop the blimp, James...was not doing so well sadly. Elemental HERO Bladedge had just been destroyed by King Arthur, which was owned by Ryan.

"It's my go!" said James bravely. He drew his next card.

Off the dueling platform, Molly didn't seem sure that her boyfriend could win right now.

"Is James going to lose?" she asked meekly.

"Don't give up hope." said Percy. "James has been in tough predicaments before, but he eventually comes out on top."

"Wait, so does this mean you're cheering for your friend instead of brother?" Liz asked, looking surprised.

Percy fell into silence and conflict. On the area, James took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : James Hughes (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (1): Card of Sanctity

* * *

"I play Card of Sanctity!" The red-haired boy announced, slotting his drawn card into an empty Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"Both players are required to draw until we hold six cards in our hands."

The two duelists drew their new hands. James's new hand consisted of Elemental HERO Neos, R - Righteous Justice, Neos Force, Ancient Rules, Skyscraper 2 - Hero City, and Super Polymerization

"Alright, I'm back in business!" thought James. "Get ready, Ryan! You're about to meet the headline of my Elemental HERO deck!"

Ryan winced...but said nothing in response.

"I activate the Field Spell Skyscraper 2 - Hero City!" The red-haired boy announced, just as the Field Spell card zone opened up.

In addition to the Tower of London on Ryan's side of the platform, skyscrapers of all kind started to pop up around James's side of the platform.

"This handy Field Spell will be my weapon of choice in case you destroy an Elemental HERO of mine." James then took another card from his hand. "Now I'll play Ancient Rules!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"This Spell allows me to summon a level 5 or higher monster from my hand." he explained, holding out another card. "And I choose Elemental HERO Neos!"

On cue, the ultraman-like Elemental HERO materialized (Level: 7/ATK: 2500).

"A powerful monster." admitted Ryan, before shaking his head. "But I hate to say this, but even he's no match for King Arthur."

"Not for long." smirked James.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Suddenly, a Spell card (R - Righteous Justice) materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell R-Righteous Justice!" said James. "This Spell allows me to destroy one Spell or Trap on the field for every Elemental HERO I have out."

"Oh no!" cried Ryan. "You can wipe out any card of mine!"

"Got that right! Neos! Destroy the Ragnarok sword King Arthur is wielding!"

A large R appeared out of the card and blasted at King Arthur's Sword.

"Good heavens!" cried King Arthur (ATK: 3700 - 2700).

"And now that your King's weaker-" smirked James, taking one more card from his hand and holding it out. "-time to make my Neos stronger. Go Neos Force!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up...and Neos grew stronger (ATK: 2500 - 3300).

"Thanks to this card, Elemental HERO Neos grows stronger...by gaining 800 attack points!"

"Now Neos is strong enough to take down that king!" whooped Gordon.

"Go, Neos!" cried James. "Dethrone King Arthur!"

Elemental HERO Neos obeyed and leaped into the sky...just before dive-bombing down and punching King Arthur, knocking him down and destroying him.

"King Arthur, no!" cried Ryan (LP: 3500).

"And that's just for starters!" said James proudly. "Whenever Neos destroys a monster while equipped with Neos Force, you lose life points equal to the attack of the destroyed monster!"

"Oh no!" cried Liz. "That's 2700 more life points Ryan loses!"

Ryan groaned a bit (LP: 800).

"Way to go, James!" called Henry.

"Now Neos Force gets shuffled back into my deck." James continued, holding his Spell card up.

Just then...

"I activate the special effect of King Arthur!" called Ryan.

"Another effect?!" gasped James. "Just how many effects does your monster have?"

"Both players draw three cards from their decks!" explained the purple-haired young man, ignoring the question he was asked. "If we draw a monster amongst those cards, we can special summon them to the field!"

Both players drew three cards...but James frowned at what he drew.

"Nuts, I didn't draw any monsters." he said unhappily.

"Neither did I." admitted Ryan. "Either way, proceed with the rest of your turn, James."

"All James has to do is attack on his next turn and he has won." said Toby excitedly.

"Go, James, go!" cheered Molly.

The red-haired boy took another card from his hand.

"I'll throw that Graceful Charity card I drew from King Arthur's effect." he declared, drawing three cards from his deck. "And it let's me draw three cards while discarding two afterward."

Upon drawing three cards, James sent Elemental HERO Avian and Negate Attack both to the graveyard. Now all he had was Neo-Spacian Grand Mole, Yubel, and Super Polymerization in his hand now.

"It's those two cards I won from Zander." he thought. "Time to uppen the ante."

The Super Polymerization Spell card suddenly materialized.

"It's time for a special fusion summon!" James announced. "I'll go ahead and activate Super Polymerization!"

"Super Polymerization?" Ryan blinked. "What kind of card is that?"

"A very special card that lets me perform a fusion summon right now!" said James, discarding Grand Mole. "Also, this card cannot be targeted for negation!"

Joining Elemental HERO Neos was a monster called Yubel.

"Allow me to introduce another new card of mine." announced James. "Yubel! Now merge with Neos to form the mighty Neos Wiseman!"

The two monsters obeyed and began to fuse into something new.

"He's really doing it!" exclaimed James R..

The fusion was complete and an explosion of energy burst followed.

"That's some light show!" came from Percy.

There it was...the newest form of Elemental HERO Neos...the Neos Wiseman (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000).

"Whoa!" said Henry. "Look at that thing!"

"Too bad I've already attacked this turn." sighed James, yet he was smiling. "Oh well, I'll get you on my next turn."

"We'll see about that!" said Ryan, drawing.

(elsewhere...)

Back in Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was continuing work on the Millennium Puzzle. It was beginning to look like an upside down pyramid.

"Amazing." Emily whispered in admiration.

"Only one piece left to go." said Thomas. All that remained was the piece with the Millennium Eye symbol.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the duel stage, Ryan began his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Ryan Avonside (LP: 800)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (10): Medieval Soldier - Spearman, Dragon Spear, Monster Reincarnation, Medieval Soldier - Catapult(!), Knights of the Round Table Ritual(!), Medieval Knight - Lancelot(!), Medieval Knight - Horse Archer(!), Steam Workshop(!), Church Prayers(!), and Arthur's Tower(!)

* * *

"I'll activate the Spell card Steam Workshop!" The purple-haired young man announced, holding his card out.

Suddenly, a workshop-like blacksmith building appeared. Ryan immediately discarded two cards (Dragon Spear and Arthur's Tower) before holding out a monster card.

"By discarding two cards from my hand, I can special summon Medieval Soldier - Catapult to the field in defense mode!"

Appearing to the field was a large, wooden catapult being manned by soldiers (Level: 5/DEF: 2000).

"Now I'll send one card from my hand to the graveyard-" Ryan discarded his Medieval Knight - Horse Archer card to the graveyard. "-to allow my catapult to destroy one card you have on the field."

The men started loading the catapult.

"Ready - aim - FIRE!"

The catapult fired and pelted Neos Wiseman with rocks, causing a massive explosion on James's side of the field.

"There goes your Neos Wiseman!" smiled Ryan

"Don't be so sure." called the voice of James.

When the dust settled, Ryan gasped in surprise.

"No way!"

Neos Wiseman...was still standing with no scratch on his body.

"Bubbling sodas!" exclaimed Henry. "Neos Wiseman is still standing!"

"How is that possible?" asked Liz in bewilderment.

"That's easy; Neos Wiseman cannot be destroyed by card effects as you can see." smirked James. "A very nice try though."

Ryan scowled a bit before holding out another card.

"I activate Church Prayers!" he declared. "Thanks to this Spell card; all other Spell and Trap cards on the field are destroyed, I gain 500 life points per card destroyed, and we both must send any six cards to the graveyard!"

James's useless facedown card vanished...as did Ryan's Tower of London, causing everyone to lose their medieval clothing and go back to wearing what they were wearing earlier.

"It was fun while it lasted." sighed Percy.

"Yeah." agreed James R. gloomily.

Ryan smiled a bit as he gained some life points (LP: 1800).

"Now choose your six cards wisely."

"You mean from my deck?" James asked.

"Yes."

"Aw man." sighed James. He took out his deck and searched for six cards to discard. "I guess I can send these guys to the graveyard."

The red-haired boy sent his remaining Neo-Spacians to the graveyard. Ryan had already sent his six cards from his deck to the graveyard.

"Now I activate the effect of my Medieval Monk in my graveyard!" Ryan went on, as his mentioned card slipped out of his graveyard. "By banishing it from the game, I gain a total of 1000 life points!"

A spirit of a monk appeared behind Ryan, uttered a prayer, and the purple-haired young man's life points increased by 1000 (LP: 2800).

"That ends my turn."

"About time." James said impatiently, drawing his card. "Time to give Neos Wiseman a workout!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : James Hughes (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 22  
 **Current Hand** (1): Clay Wrap

* * *

"Neos Wiseman, destroy that catapult!"

Neos Wiseman obeyed, diving into the air and shooting dark energy at the catapult, destroying it.

"At least my life points are safe." muttered Ryan...before his life points took a hit (LP: 2000). "What-? My life points dropped?!"

"Neos Wiseman inflicts damage to you for the attack of the destroyed monster." explained James (LP: 2800). "I also gain the damage as life point recovery."

"Talk about an unbeatable monster." Michael commented.

"Only if you know how to use it." Discord replied. "If you do, then yes it is."

"It's my turn!" said Ryan, drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Ryan Avonside (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 21  
 **Current Hand** (5): Medieval Soldier - Spearman, Monster Reincarnation, Knights of the Round Table Ritual, Medieval Knight - Lancelot(!), and Divine Guardian(!)

* * *

"I activate Monster Reincarnation!" He held a card out. "I'll discard one card from my hand to add the King Arthur monster card back to my hand."

"Not him again." groaned James.

"Not this time." Ryan corrected, adding the monster card to his hand. "I have something better in mind for your defeat."

"What is it?"

Suddenly, a Spell card materialized face-up...of the ritual kind.

"I activate the Ritual Spell card Knights of the Round Table!"

The Spell card materialized as a large round table with many knights seated at it appeared.

"This ritual requires the offerings of monsters until they equal 12 stars." explained Ryan. "Get where I am coming from?"

"Yes, I do." groaned James.

Ryan took all of the monster cards from his hand and held them out.

King Arthur - Level 8, and my Medieval Soldier - Spearman - level 4, I'll send them to the card graveyard...to special summon the legendary knight himself!

King Arthur and Spearman both appeared briefly before fading away. Ryan then placed his monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Medieval Knight - Sir Lancelot!"

Suddenly, all the knights stood up and held their swords out as smoke filled the table.

"Geez, what's with summon sequences and smoke covering the field?!" complained Gordon.

Out of the smoke came the silhouette of a knight.

"Taste my blade, foul scoundrel!"The knight declared.

Lancelot then stepped out of the smoke, white armor, and a shiny sword as a weapon (Level: 12/ATK: ?/DEF: ?).

"That's Lancelot?" James blinked. "But he doesn't have any attack or defense points!"

"Not just yet." said Ryan. "But he gains power for every monster in my graveyard."

James sweated nervously. "By how much?"

"600 attack points per monster card I have ever used!"

James gasped and started to do the counting on the monsters he had beaten...gasping again when he finished.

"I remembering destroying four of your monsters." he said in realization.

"I also have five additional monsters there, too." Ryan pointed out. "This gives my new monster a grand total of 5400 attack points!"

Lancelot raised his sword up and collected the souls of all his fallen allies, granting him a gigantic power boost (ATK: 0 - 5400).

"5400 attack points?!" James reeled back.

"Lancelot!" called Ryan. "Avenge your fallen comrades and destroy Neos Wiseman!"

"At once, sire!" obeyed Lancelot.

Lancelot drew his blade and charged through Neos Wiseman, destroying him with a mighty sword chop.

"N-Neos..." whispered James (LP: 400).

"Neos Wiseman has been destroyed." Percy remarked in shock.

"Oh no...poor James." Molly said sadly.

"Man, Ryan is a good duelist." James R. said.

"Yeah." agreed Carlie. "...yet at the same time I feel sorry for James and him losing Neos Wiseman like that."

"You've played well, James." said Ryan. "But it seems pointless to keep fighting."

James growled. "When Neos Wiseman is destroyed I can banish my Yubel monster from my graveyard to special summon Elemental HERO Neos to the field in attack mode!"

The spirit of Yubel appeared briefly before Neos returned from the graveyard (Level: 7/ATK: 2500).

"I'm sorry, but what was the point in bringing your monster back?" Ryan asked. "You know he's not a match for Lancelot right now."

James kept a brave face...but deep down he knew the purple-haired young man was right.

"He's got a point." he thought.

So far, he lost his best monster, and all he had was Elemental HERO Neos. Ryan, on the other hand, had an extremely powerful knight on his field.

"I have no helpful cards in my hand, and only Elemental HERO Neos along with 400 life points left."

James was right now considering surrendering.

"Ryan, I can't win." he said aloud. "Your monster is just too powerful. You've won."

"James?" Ryan looked positively surprised. "You're not seriously gonna surrender, are you?"

"What reason have I to keep fighting?" asked James. "You're clearly the better duelist here, and I'm way in over my head."

Before the red-haired boy could place his hand atop his Duel Disk to declare a forfeit, a voice called out to him.

"Don't do it, James!"

James immediately looked over to who was speaking to him...it was Percy.

"Percy?" asked James.

"Yes, and I'm sorry for not cheering you on throughout the match. I just didn't want to take anyone's side because your my friend and Ryan is my brother-in-law and I didn't want to be torn with cheering for one or the other. ...but now, I've decided to cheer for you. I know you'll find a way to defeat Lancelot, I just know it!"

"But what if I can't?" asked James.

That was when Discord stepped in and spoke up.

"Your Elemental HERO Neos will win you the duel, James-boy!" he called.

"Huh? My Elemental HERO Neos?"

"Trust me." continued Discord. "You just have to believe."

It was then Molly also spoke up to encourage her boyfriend.

"I believe in you, James!" The black-haired girl called out. "You didn't give up when I was in danger. So please don't give up now."

James, feeling his heart skip, decided to continue with the duel to the end.

"Okay." he said quietly, and look back over to Ryan. "Sorry, Ryan, but the duel's not over until the last card is played!"

Reaching for his deck, James drew and slashed a wave of colour.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : James Hughes (LP: 400)  
 **Deck** : 21  
 **Current Hand** (1): Clay Wrap and Miracle Contact

* * *

Although he didn't draw a card he would need, the red-haired boy suddenly saw his graveyard shining all white.

"W-what?!" he gawked.

"Hey, what's happening to your graveyard?" Ryan asked in shock.

"I don't know!" James insisted.

Down below, everyone (even Spencer) was very confused as to what was going on.

"What's happening to James's graveyard?" Toby quizzed.

"Whatever is happening, I don't know if it's good or bad." Zack replied.

Suddenly, out of James's graveyard came all six of his Neo-Spacian monsters.

"Whoa..." Was all James could whisper.

Discord, however, instantly got a clue onto what was happening.

"The true power of Neos...has come." he thought.

"What's going on, Spencer?" asked Skiff.

"For once...I don't know." Spencer answered, looking honestly shocked.

Finally, James understood what was going on...and gave the command.

"Elemental HERO Neos, return to my deck along with the Neo-Spacians in my graveyard! Your true power shall be unlocked from there!"

Neos obeyed as he and the six Neo-Spacians returned to James's deck.

"What are you...?" Ryan tried to ask, but was too shocked to continue.

Suddenly, more and more white light erupted from James's Duel Disk.

"With the offerings met, I can now perform the Ultimate Contact Fusion Summon!" The red-haired boy declared.

Off the duel platform, almost everyone had a look of confusion on their faces as to what James was talking about.

"Ultimate Contact Fusion?" asked Henry.

"I think it might be something similar to the XYZ-Dragon Cannon fusion-style summon." Edward answered. "But I can't be too sure on that."

"I call forth the legendary Elemental HERO Divine Neos!" announced James in a dramatic tone.

The light finally faded away...and there stood Elemental HERO Neos wearing various bits of gold armor (Level: 12/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"The...Divine Neos..." whispered Ryan in shock.

"Behold the monster that will spell your defeat!" said James proudly.

Ryan remained too shocked to speak...so Sir Lancelot did the speaking for him.

"Nay! Thou monster is no match for myself." he claimed.

"Wrong! When I use my monster's effect, that will all change!"

As James spoke, six cards slipped from his deck, and James took hold of them. They were shown to be the six Neo-Spacians.

"For each Neo-Spacian I banish from my deck-" explained James. "-my Divine Neos gains 500 attack points and inherits that monster's abilities."

"Thou can't be serious!" cried Lancelot.

"Oh, I am!" grinned James.

Elemental HERO Divine Neos absorbed the power of the six Neo-Spacian monsters and gained considerable power from them (ATK: 3000 - 6000).

"Impossible!" Spencer exclaimed. "How could someone like James have a card as rare and powerful as that?"

"Atta boy, James!" cheered both Gordon and Henry at once.

"And if you think that that's the end, then you're wrong." James continued. "There's still the matter of the monster effect my monster will gain control of."

Silence...

"...and that monster will be Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!"

"What?!" cried Ryan. "What does that do?"

"Easy-" began James. "-once per turn: I can target one face-up monster my opponent controls; while I control this face-up card, this card gains the name, ATK, DEF, and effects of the targeted monster."

"That means..." Ryan began, but couldn't finish.

"...Divine Neos will gain more attack points AND the effect of your Lancelot monster!"

"Oh no!" Ryan flinched in horror.

Divine Neos got unholy strong (ATK: 6000 - 11400).

"And thanks to the six monsters in my graveyard, that's an additional 3600 attack points added to Divine Neos!"

Divine Neos was glowing all gold (ATK: 11400 - 15000). No one could believe their eyes on how James was able to get a monster to an attack level that high.

"No...way!" Michael gawked. "No one has ever gotten a monster to that much attack points before!"

"Divine Neos!" called James. "Attack Lancelot!"

Elemental HERO Divine Neos obeyed, and began charging himself with power.

"Legendary Strike attack!"

Divine Neos charged at Lancelot and punched him.

"AAAUUGGHHH!" screamed Lancelot, falling back onto the ground and shattering into pieces.

Ryan could only watch on in complete silence. He was stunned not only from his monster being destroyed, but from also losing the duel.

"I...lost." he whispered (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: James Hughes wins!**

* * *

The platform started to lower as the referee announced the results of the match.

"James Hughes, you are the winner."

"Yes!" cried James happily. "I've won!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy and Emily were both staring at the finished Millennium Puzzle.

"It's finished." Emily commented.

"We did it." said Thomas triumphantly. "Wait until we show the others."

Suddenly, the Millennium Puzzle began to glow.

"W-what's going on?"

"My goodness!" wailed Emily.

(elsewhere...)

The two teens weren't the only ones to notice this. Back on the dueling platform, while everyone (except for 'Namu', Spencer, and Skiff) else celebrated James's win, 'Namu' felt the own Millennium Rod (From behind his back) starting to glow.

"What?!" he thought, making sure to keep it out of everyone's sight. "What's going on?"

(elsewhere...)

In her room, the tenth finalist felt that something had happened...thanks to a glow coming from inside her dress (Also near her chest).

"Thomas has done it." she thought. "The Millennium Puzzle has been solved, like I was told."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Thomas's room, the glowing had ceased.

"That was odd." said Thomas.

"You think we should go show the others?" asked Emily.

Thomas nodded. "At once."

With that, the two raced out of the room to head out to the duel platform and tell their friends about the Millennium Puzzle. Here's hoping that things get better from here, right?


	44. Temple of Traps (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

James began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Okay, so maybe I was in over my head for the first little while. Ryan pulls out this sweet monster and manages to wear me down quite a bit. But...he never expected me to pull my ace monster out and turn the tide into my favor."

"Now I'll play Ancient Rules!" announced James, as he held his card out.

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"This spell allows me to summon a level 5 or higher monster from my hand." explained James, holding out another card. "And I choose Elemental HERO Neos!"

On cue, the Ultraman-like Elemental HERO materialized (Level: 7/ATK: 2500).

"Using it, along a combine of some Spell cards I was able to bring down King Arthur...as well as bring an entirely new monster out to show everyone."

"It's time for a special fusion summon!" James announced. "I'll go ahead and activate Super Polymerization!"

"Super Polymerization?" Ryan blinked. "What kind of card is that?"

"A very special card that lets me perform a fusion summon right now!" said James, discarding Grand Mole. "Also, this card cannot be targeted for negation!"

Joining Elemental HERO Neos was a monster called Yubel.

"Allow me to introduce another new card of mine." said James. "Yubel! Now merge with Neos to form the mighty Neos Wiseman!"

The two monsters obeyed and began to fuse into something new.

"He's really doing it!" exclaimed James R..

The fusion was complete and an explosion of energy burst followed.

"Some light show!" came from Percy.

There it was...the newest form of Elemental HERO Neos...the Neos Wiseman (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000).

"My Neos Wiseman served me well for the first while...but that changed once it got destroyed by Sir Lancelot."

"Lancelot!" called Ryan. "Avenge your fallen comrades and destroy Neos Wiseman!"

"At once, sire!" obeyed Lancelot.

Lancelot drew his blade and charged through Neos Wiseman, destroying him with a mighty sword chop.

James growled. "When Neos Wiseman is destroyed I can banish my Yubel monster from my graveyard to special summon Elemental HERO Neos to the field in attack mode!"

The spirit of Yubel appeared briefly before Neos returned from the graveyard.

"I'm sorry, but what was the point in bringing your monster back?" Ryan asked. "You know he's not a match for Lancelot right now."

"I was ready to surrender... but then I pulled off a powerful fusion and summoned my ultimate monster; Elemental HERO Divine Neos."

"Elemental HERO Neos, return to my deck along with the Neo-Spacians in my graveyard! Your true power shall be unlocked from there!"

Neos obeyed as he and the six Neo-Spacians returned to James's deck.

"What are you...?" Ryan tried to ask, but was too shocked to continue.

Suddenly, more and more white light erupted from James's Duel Disk.

"With the offerings met, I can now perform the Ultimate Contact Fusion Summon!" The red-haired boy declared.

Off the duel platform, almost everyone had a look of confusion on their faces as to what James was talking about.

"Ultimate Contact Fusion?" asked Henry.

"I think it might be something similar to the XYZ-Dragon Cannon fusion-style summon." Edward answered. "But I can't be too sure on that."

"I call forth the legendary Elemental HERO Divine Neos!" announced James in a dramatic tone.

The light finally faded away...and there stood Elemental HERO Neos wearing various bits of gold armor (Level: 12/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"Thanks to a slew of powerful effects, Neos was able to finish off Ryan and win me the duel."

Divine Neos charged at Lancelot and punched him.

"AAAUUGGHHH!" screamed Lancelot, falling back onto the ground and shattering into pieces.

Ryan could only watch on in complete silence. He was stunned not only from his monster being destroyed, but from also losing the duel.

"I...lost." he whispered (LP: 0).

The platform started to lower as the referee announced the results of the match.

"James Hughes, you are the winner."

"Yes!" cried James happily. "I've won!"

"Man, isn't victory sweet?"

* * *

 **Title: Temple of Traps, Part 1**

* * *

Inside the blimp, everyone was chatting about James an Ryan's duel.

"That was so epic!" said Henry.

"I especially liked seeing Neos wearing that gold armor!" added Gordon.

"Well, James." smiled Ryan. "You put up a great duel...and are clearly the better duelist."

"You weren't so bad yourself." James pointed out, grinning also.

With that, the two duelists shook hands just as an excited Thomas and Emily both raced in.

"Hey, you two." Edward greeted. "You missed out on a great duel."

"James and Ryan were both awesome!" added Percy.

"Sorry we missed it." apologized Thomas. "Emily and I were busy working on something."

"So we've heard." James pouted a bit, but immediately smiled. "But, anyway, I was the one who won the duel."

"And you should have seen that ' **kick butt** ' monster he summoned to do so." James R. piped up.

James took out his deck and showed them his new Elemental HERO Divine Neos card.

"Rumble my legs!" Emily exclaimed. "Where did you get a card as rare as that?!"

"I'll admit it wasn't in any of the duel packs from the prize I received from the San Francisco tournament." said James. "But... I did find it inside an envelop within my room before the match."

"Which was secretly left by me." Discord admitted, arms folded and smiling.

"You were the one who left it, Dad?" Zack asked in bewilderment.

"Indeed, I did."

Before anything more could be asked, Liz suddenly noticed something Thomas was wearing around his neck.

"Is that what you and Emily have been working on, Thomas?" she asked curiously.

"Yes." nodded Thomas. "It's called the Millennium Puzzle."

"Millennium what...?" Percy blinked. "How'd you even get it?"

"Shadi gave it to him." Emily pointed out.

Everyone present (except for Discord) gave a look of confusion. Emily immediately realized that no one else had met Shadi.

"He's the guardian of the Millennium Items that Discord told us about back in San Fransisco."

"Oh..." came from Percy, Henry, James, Gordon, Toby, and Edward.

"So, what did I miss?" came a voice from nearby.

It was Mavis walking down the hall towards her friends.

"There you are, Mavis." said Toby, walking over to meet with his girlfriend. "You missed out on a big duel between James and Ryan.

"Yeah, I know." The blonde-haired girl nodded. "I was looking after Duck for a while, after all."

"How is he?" Liz asked, looking worried.

"He's resting right now. He should be fine later on."

Just then, Spencer, Skiff, and their parents walked by.

"Great duel, James!" congratulated Skiff.

"You were wonderful, dear." added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Of course, a top notch duelist you are." threw in Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

James felt very proud indeed, even more so when Molly suddenly hugged him lovingly.

"You were magnificent, James." she said happily.

James felt very proud.

"Hardly." came the voice of Spencer.

James's smile immediately turned into a look of anger as he gazed at the silver-haired boy.

"What did you just say?!" he seethed.

Spencer chuckled. "Oh, did I say that out loud? Silly me."

James growled angrily at Spencer. He felt like Spencer was deliberately insulting him so that the red-haired boy would do something to get disqualified for.

"Man, I hate him." James thought bitterly.

"Hey!" Molly snapped, walking straight up to the silver-haired boy. "If you have a problem with my boyfriend, then you'll have to take it up with me!"

"Heh, like I would waste my time with someone like you." retorted Spencer, turning to walk down the hall. "Right now, I have a tournament to run."

He walked away importantly.

"And yet he wonders why he's still single." grumbled James.

"Somehow, I doubt Spencer really cares about having a girl in his life right now." Gordon stated, with his arms folded.

"Forget about him. We'd better head for the dining room so we can find out who's dueling next." said Thomas.

With that, the group made their way to the dining room. But 'Namu' was secretly scowling to himself.

"My servant must be next to duel." he thought to himself. "But Thomas Billinton has already dueled..."

(elsewhere...)

Inside Odion's chambers, the Rare Hunter second-in-command was alone and busy meditating.

"I will not fail you, Master Marik." thought Odion.

Suddenly, a knock came from his door. Odion didn't say a word as the door opened up, and...revealed the tenth finalist.

"Odion..." The mysterious woman whispered.

Odion didn't turn around from his spot. "You're here?" he asked, like he knew he was expecting some company.

"Yes."

After a minute of silence, Odion stood back up, but still didn't turn to look at the tenth finalist.

"Odion, why are you helping our brother try to kill Thomas?" The tenth finalist asked at long last.

"I have to obey Master Marik." answered Odion. "I've been the only friend he's ever known for years. The only one who could protect him from the darkness."

"Darkness?" quizzed the tenth finalist, before she gasped. "You're not referring to...' _him_ '...are you?"

"Yes." The Egyptian man nodded seriously. "Marik's dark half. I must make absolute sure that it's kept hidden. It must not resurface, or else everyone, including you, would be put into great danger."

The tenth finalist said nothing more. She could well remember what had happened the last time Marik's dark half had been released, and it was that one time she would possibly never forget.

"I must go now." Odion then turned around and started to walk towards the exit.

He walked past the tenth finalist and out of the room, down the hall towards the dining chambers. The poor Egyptian woman watched on grimly.

"Odion... Marik..." she thought to herself. "May the Egyptian Gods watch over you both."

(elsewhere...)

In the dining chambers, everyone had gathered for the announcement for the next duel.

"We shall now begin choosing our duelists for the next match." said the suit, just as the machine started up.

"Hey, Namu." Percy spoke up. "Who do you want to duel if you were chosen to duel next?"

"Oh, um..." 'Namu' stuttered a bit, trying to keep his identity in check.

"Well?" Gordon asked, grinning a bit.

'Namu' finally found his voice. "I-I hear Spencer's a great duelist. I'd like to see him in action."

Before anyone else could speak, the machine stopped and released a ball.

"And the next duelist chosen is..." began the suit, looking at the ball for a moment before holding it up. "Number 4! Percy Avonside!"

"Whoo hoo!" cried Percy happily. "I'm next!"

"Better watch out, Percy." Lady teased playfully, nudging her boyfriend's side. "I just might be your opponent."

The green-haired boy blushed in response. Soon the machine stopped a second time and the suit took the ball that came out of the machine.

"Time to see who Percy's unlucky opponent will be." joked James R..

"And his opponent is..." began the suit, looking at the ball for a moment before holding it up. "Number 9! Marik Ishtar!"

Percy's friends (especially Thomas) all gave a shocked gasp. Nearby, 'Marik' (Odion) was leaning against the wall with his arms folded when he overheard his name being called out and raised his head.

"Is he serious?" Gordon asked Henry.

"Please let this be a joke." Henry pleaded.

"Looks like Percy's going to get his wish to fight Marik after all." said James, although not in a pleasant tone.

Percy, who was looking nervous at first, quickly shook off his shock and looked over to the far left to glare at 'Marik'.

"You hear that? You and I are dueling next! So get ready for some payback!" he called out spitefully.

'Marik' still didn't say a word and just stared at the green-haired boy coldly. Percy was about to say something more when Liz suddenly gave her younger brother a quick kiss.

"That's for good luck." she said sweetly.

"Thanks, sis." smiled Percy, feeling a bit better.

The suit then lead the green-haired boy and 'Marik' out of the dining chamber. Thomas began to speak to his friends.

"Percy will need all the support he needs." he pointed out, speaking quite seriously.

"Marik will likely be his toughest opponent yet." Emily added.

"Got that right." agreed James.

"Then come on!" called Matt. "Let's go cheer him on."

The gang followed Percy and 'Marik' to the duel stage atop the blimp. Spencer, however, remained where he was in the dining chambers.

"This is my chance to learn about the third Egyptian God card." The silver-haired boy thought to himself, before following.

(elsewhere...)

Outside on the duel platform, everyone had gathered to watch the duel. Percy was show to be very fired up, indeed.

"It's time to make that jerk Marik pay for what he has been putting us through." he thought.

"Duelists, shuffle your decks!" commanded the referee.

Percy and 'Marik' both approached each other. They began shuffling their decks, but 'Marik' soon stopped after ten seconds...Percy just continued to gaze hatefully at his opponent while shuffling his deck again and again.

"Whoa, Percy's seems really eager to take revenge." Michael commented.

"I'll say." agreed Lady. "I'd probably do the same if I were in his shoes."

At last, the referee got Percy's attention by clearing his throat.

"Excuse me, but enough shuffling!" he scolded. "You done enough of it for ten duels!"

Percy finally snapped out of it. Both duelists took their spots on the platform. Percy was grinning to himself...rather cockily might I add.

"Marik, you have no where to run!" he called out. "I'll have you beaten in just ten turns!"

Down off the platform, much of the group was sweatdropping (except for Ryan, Liz, and Discord) at the claim.

"Ten turns?" gawked James.

"Is he serious?" groaned Gordon.

"That's Percy for you." Thomas laughed nervously.

Suddenly, Mavis remembered something. "Hey, Liz, isn't this your first time seeing your brother duel?"

"Yes, it is." Liz nodded.

"Well then, with you cheering him on, he'll definitely win!"

"Even though it likely won't be easy." Lady added in.

On the duel platform, 'Marik' started to pull out his Millennium Rod (it was really the fake one) like he was about to invoke a Shadow Game.

"H-Hey!" yelped Percy. "No use of shadow magic! ...unless you're afraid to duel me fairly."

'Marik' merely glared...before putting the Millennium Rod away in his cloak.

"As you wish." he said in a calm, polite tone.

Percy raised an eyebrow, while everyone else off the platform was surprised by this little action.

"That's odd." Henry commented. "Since when has Marik been known to be polite and listen to others?"

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

The wind took affect and blew 'Marik's' hood off, revealing he was bald and possessed a long, black ponytail. The left side of his face had weird carvings on it, and made the man look highly intimidating.

"I hope you're ready, Mr. Avonside." began 'Marik'. "This will be one duel you'll never forget!"

"Bring it on!" dared Percy bravely. "And I'll take the first move if you don't mind!"

"By all means."

* * *

 **Turn One** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): Gearfried the Iron Knight, Alligator's Sword, Graverobber, Fairy Box, and Giant Trunade

* * *

"I'll just summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode and end my turn!" The green-haired boy stated, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The metallic knight appeared with a pose (Level: 4/ATK: 1800).

"I see... Now watch!" said 'Marik', drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (6): Embodiment of Apophis, Judgement of Anubis, Eye of Wdjat, Embodiment of Apophis, Embodiment of Apophis, and Temple of the Kings

* * *

The Rare Hunter leader held out his drawn card in an instant.

"I'll play this Continuous Spell card. It's called Temple of the Kings." He slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Now, watch carefully."

In the background appeared a huge, ancient temple.

"A temple?" quizzed Carlie.

"How does that work?" came from Toby.

"Temple of the Kings is a special Spell card that allows me to activate a Trap card on the same turn I set it... but for now, I won't do so." As 'Marik' spoke, two facedown cards materialized before him. "Instead, I'll place these two cards facedown and end my turn."

"He didn't summon a monster." Mavis stated. "Percy has a chance to attack Marik directly!"

"That could be what Marik is expecting." Edward pointed out. "It's a feeling I have in my stomach, but that's what I think."

"My turn!" announced Percy, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (5): Alligator's Sword, Graverobber, Fairy Box, Giant Trunade, and Little-Winguard

* * *

The green-haired boy glanced at his opponent's set cards.

"He has two facedown cards, and they're obviously Trap cards." he thought to himself, while looking at his hand. "I'd be an idiot if I were to attack right now... wait, what am I so worried about? I have Giant Trunade in my hand. I could just use it to return all of Marik's Spell and Traps back to his hand. But...I really want to make this a quick match, so I'll go and build up my attack force first."

With a plan now on hand, Percy took another card from his hand.

"I summon Little-Winguard in attack mode!"

The tiny warrior clad in blue appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1400).

"That's all for me." said Percy quickly.

"You guys think Percy is up to something?" asked Emily.

"Likely." Matt answered. "I just wish I knew what it exactly was."

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (5): Embodiment of Apophis, Embodiment of Apophis, Embodiment of Apophis, and Magic Jammer

* * *

'Marik' added his drawn card to his hand and took two more cards out.

"I'll set these two cards facedown and end my turn." he announced, just as two more facedown cards appeared before him (joining the first two and face-up Temple of the Kings).

"It's like Marik's not even trying to fight back." said Molly, with her tone full of suspicion. "Do you think he's up to something?"

"The look on his face seems weird." commented Discord. "He's calm and collected."

"Maybe... maybe he's expecting Percy to try something rather than attack." Zack suggested.

"This is too easy." thought Percy, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (5): Alligator's Sword, Graverobber, Fairy Box, Giant Trunade, and Hayabusa Knight

* * *

On cue, the Hayabusa Knight monster card materialized face-up.

"Now I summon Hayabusa Knight in attack mode!" The green-haired boy held out his drawn card in an instant.

The falcon knight appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 1000)

"And now to deal with your facedowns." continued Percy, showing another card from hand. "Go Giant Trunade!"

'Marik' kept his calm, collected look.

"If this works, Marik will be wide open!" cheered Thomas.

"You've won, Percy!" came from Liz.

Zack, however, was not so sure. Meanwhile, a powerful blast of wind aimed itself for all of 'Marik's Spell and Trap cards.

"Now all Spells and Traps return to our hands!" declared Percy proudly.

Spencer watched from nearby. "Percy should know that this won't be easy. Marik clearly won't let this nobody get the better of him." he thought.

Suddenly, just as the Spell reached 'Marik's' Field Spell card and facedown cards, it weakened.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, the wind ceased.

"It stopped?!" Percy was most surprised. "But how?"

He then noticed that one of 'Marik's' facedown cards had been revealed.

"The moment you played Giant Trunade-" said 'Marik'. "-you triggered this powerful Counter Trap card; Judgement of Anubis!"

"I knew it!" Zack exclaimed aloud. "Marik WAS waiting for Percy to do something other than attack!"

"My Trap card not only negates your Spell card-" explained 'Marik'. "-but it also destroys every monster you have on your side of the field."

Gearfried the Iron Knight, Little-Winguard, and Hayabusa Knight were each destroyed.

"Worst of all, half of their total attack points also comes out of your life points!"

Percy watched in horror as his life points took a hit (LP: 1900).

"Percy walked right into that one-" Spencer said to Skiff. "-although it was something I was expecting since Marik is not one to fall THAT easily."

"Hang in there, Percy!" called Skiff.

"Man, I can't believe I fell for that one." thought Percy. "That Marik is tough indeed... but he won't take me down." He spoke aloud. "My turn is over!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (3): Embodiment of Apophis, Magic Jammer, and De-Spell

* * *

'Marik' looked at his hand and took a card from it. A facedown card joined the remaining three.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Guys, Marik hasn't played a single monster throughout the duel." Henry stated. "Why's that?"

"He's probably planning something." said Toby. "I only hope Percy doesn't fall for anymore of his tricks."

Up on the platform, Percy slowly drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (4): Alligator's Sword, Graverobber, Fairy Box, and Scapegoat

* * *

"I can't fall for anymore of his tricks." he thought, taking a card from his hand. "I'll set one card facedown-" A facedown card materialized. "-and call on Alligator's Sword in attack mode!"

The humanoid alligator wielding a sword and shield appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK 1500).

"That's all for me."

'Marik' just drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (3): Magic Jammer, De-Spell, and Prayer of the Temple(!)

* * *

"I'll pass this turn, I can't do anything." he said, almost in a mocking tone.

"He must be goading Percy into attacking." Thomas said to his friends.

"I'm onto you." smirked Percy. "You want me to repeat my mistakes from last time and do something without thinking. I don't think so, Tim."

He drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (3): Graverobber, Scapegoat, and Swordsman of Landstar

* * *

"I'll pass this turn, too!"

"Then it's my turn." said 'Marik', drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (4): Magic Jammer, De-Spell, Prayer of the Temple(!), and Magic Cylinder

* * *

"...but, I'm afraid I'll have to pass again because this card is no good to me right now."

"This is nuts!" Skiff complained. "If this keeps up, the duel could last late into night!"

Percy's patience was beginning to run thin.

"It's my turn!" he shouted, drawing his card.

"I wouldn't worry about the duel lasting for long." Spencer reassured his younger brother. "Percy will crack long before Marik even does."

Unfortunately, the silver-haired boy was correct; for Percy...was getting pretty miffed.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : 31  
 **Current Hand** (4): Graverobber, Scapegoat, Swordsman of Landstar, and Rocket Warrior

* * *

"If you won't take action, then I will!" he snapped, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon Rocket Warrior in attack mode!"

The warrior in rocket armor appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"You asked for it!" bellowed Percy some more. "Rocket Warrior, attack his life points directly!"

"Percy, no!" called Thomas.

"Not again!" moaned Mavis.

Rocket Warrior transformed and dove at 'Marik', but the Rare Hunter leader was ready for it, as expected...

"You've triggered my Trap card!" he stated, holding a hand out. "Eye of Wdjat!"

One of the facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself, creating a magical effect on Rocket Warrior and turning it around.

"Aw man..." mumbled Percy unhappily.

"Eye of Wdjat stops your attack and turns it back to another monster you control!" explained 'Marik'.

Rocket Warrior started to go and attack Alligator's Sword, but Percy was ready for it...

"I activate a Trap of my own!" he said, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Fairy Box!"

Percy's facedown card (which was actually a Quick-Play Spell card) flipped up and revealed itself... before creating a large whack-a-mole box.

"Now you have a chance to try and get my monster." teased Percy. "Time for a little peek-a-boo."

Alligator's Sword popped in and out of a hole in the box. Rocket Warrior struck the box and there was an explosion! ...but Alligator's Sword was still standing.

"Ha ha! You missed." laughed Percy.

'Marik' remained calm and collected still. Down below, 'Namu' sneered in response.

"Curses!" he thought angrily.

"Heh heh heh, I'm onto your little game." Percy proclaimed. "Once I wipe your entire field of Spell and Traps, you'll have nothing to stop me from getting at your life points."

"Oh?" 'Marik' raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Because you have no monsters in your whole deck! Just Spells and Traps."

"Is that true?" Ryan asked aloud. "A duelist with just Spell cards and Trap cards in their decks?"

"I've never heard of something like this." Edward admitted.

Unfortunately...

"Actually, you are partially right." said 'Marik' calmly.

Percy stopped laughing. "Partially?"

"While I do admit that I am short on monster cards, I possess something far worse than mere monsters..."

"Cut it out, you're scaring me!" Percy protested, sweating nervously.

"When you declared an attack earlier, you've triggered another Trap card." 'Marik' continued. "But this one is of a different sort."

"What's Marik talking about?" asked Toby.

"We'll have to wait and see." replied Thomas. "But I have the feeling it won't be good for Percy..."

"Duh!" retorted Gordon in a deadpan tone.

On the platform, 'Marik' continued to explain his plan.

"This is a special Trap card called...a Trap monster."

Percy blinked. "A Trap monster?"

"A Trap that works as a monster at the same time." said 'Marik', poking a button on his Duel Disk. "And you've triggered not one, not two, but three copies of them!"

Three facedown cards flipped up and revealed themselves... before creating purple smoke around the field.

"Behold the Embodiments of Apophis!" declared 'Marik'.

Three humanoid snake-like warriors rose from the purple smoke, each wielding a scimitar-like sword and a shield (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).

"Those...are Trap monsters?" stuttered Percy in fear.

"I hate snakes!" wailed James.

"This is bad." Discord muttered. "Percy-boy has completely played into Marik's hand."

"Percy..." said Lady quietly in concern.

"My little brother..." added Liz, looking even more worried.

"I guess you were actually wrong about me having no monster cards in my deck." 'Marik' teased. "You're at the end of your ropes, Mr. Avonside, and as soon as my three creatures attack you'll see what I mean!"

The three serpent-like monsters towered over the frightened green-haired boy while hissing in a threatening way.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	45. Temple of Traps (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Looks like I get my chance to punish Marik for all of the horrible things he's put us through."

"And the next duelist chosen is..." began the suit, looking at the ball for a moment before holding it up. "Number 4! Percy Avonside!"

"Whoo hoo!" cried Percy happily. "I'm next!"

Soon the machine stopped a second time and the suit took the ball that came out of the machine.

"Time to see who Percy's unlucky opponent will be." joked James R..

"And his opponent is..." began the suit, looking at the ball for a moment before holding it up. "Number 9! Marik Ishtar!"

Percy's friends (especially Thomas) all gave a shocked gasp. Nearby, 'Marik' (Odion) was leaning against the wall with his arms folded when he overheard his name being called out and raised his head.

"We began our duel, and he goes and plays this very strange Spell card."

The Rare Hunter leader held out his drawn card in an instant.

"I'll play this Continuous Spell card. It's called Temple of the Kings." He slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Now, watch carefully."

In the background appeared a huge, ancient temple.

"A temple?" quizzed Carlie.

"How does that work?" came from Toby.

"Temple of the Kings is a special Spell card that allows me to activate a Trap card on the same turn I set it...but for now, I won't do so." explained 'Marik'.

"Anyway, I thought I could wipe his field of Spells and Traps quickly with Giant Trunade, but that jerk was a step ahead of me!"

Suddenly, the wind ceased.

"It stopped?!" Percy was most surprised. "But how?"

He then noticed that one of 'Marik's' facedown cards had been revealed.

"The moment you played Giant Trunade-" said 'Marik'. "-you triggered this powerful Counter Trap card. Judgement of Anubis!. My Trap card not only negates your Spell, but it also destroys every monster you have on your side of the field."

Gearfried the Iron Knight, Little-Winguard, and Hayabusa Knight were each destroyed.

"Worst of all, half of their total attack points also comes out of your life points!"

Percy watched in horror as his life points took a hit (LP: 1900).

"Yeah, not a very good play on my part. But the worst was yet to come after I triggered another Trap card... or make that three Trap cards."

"When you declared an attack earlier, you've triggered another Trap card." 'Marik' continued. "But this one is of a different sort."

"What's Marik talking about?" asked Toby.

"We'll have to wait and see." replied Thomas. "But I have the feeling it won't be good for Percy."

On the platform, 'Marik' continued to explain his plan.

"This is a special Trap card called...a Trap monster."

Percy blinked. "A Trap monster?"

"A Trap that works as a monster at the same time." said 'Marik', poking a button on his Duel Disk. "And you've triggered not one, not two, but three copies of them!"

Three facedown cards flipped up and revealed themselves...before creating purple smoke around the field.

"Behold the Embodiments of Apophis!" declared 'Marik'.

Three humanoid snake-like warriors rose from the purple smoke, each wielding a scimitar-like sword and a shield (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).

"Those...are Trap monsters?" stuttered Percy in fear.

"Percy..." said Lady quietly in concern.

"My little brother..." added Liz, looking even more worried.

"I guess you were actually wrong about me having no monster cards in my deck." 'Marik' teased. "You're at the end of your ropes, Mr. Avonside, and as soon as my three creatures attack you'll see what I mean!"

The three serpent-like monsters towered over the frightened green-haired boy while hissing in a threatening way.

"Yeah... maybe I should've skipped out on this duel..."

* * *

 **Title: Temple of Traps, Part 2**

* * *

Percy was in big trouble. 'Marik' had summoned three powerful Trap monsters called the Embodiments of Apophis (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800). while he himself only had Alligator's Sword (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1200) and Rocket Warrior (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1300).

"Nuts..." thought Percy unhappily (LP: 1900).

"Hmm..." hissed 'Marik' (LP: 4000).

Down below off the platform, Thomas and the others were all deeply concerned about their friend (or brother in Liz's case).

"Percy's gotten himself into a bind." said Henry.

"Hopefully he can turn this duel around." added Edward.

"Unfortunately, he not only has those three creepy snakes to worry about-" reminded James. "-but that Temple of the Kings Spell card is also trouble."

"There has to be more to it than meets the eye." agreed James R..

Back on the dueling platform, Percy finished his move.

"I place one card facedown." he said, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "Then I'll switch Alligator's Sword into defense mode."

A facedown card appeared followed by Alligator's Sword kneeling down into a defensive stance.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (5): Magic Jammer, De-Spell, Prayer of the Temple, Magic Cylinder, and Monster Reincarnation

* * *

'Marik' added his drawn card to his hand and took another card from his hand.

"I'll place one card facedown." The Rare Hunter leader announced, as a facedown card materialized by his feet. "Now prepare to feel the wrath of my Trap monsters in action, Mr. Avonside!"

Percy winced, but put on a brave demeanor to save some face.

"Embodiments of Apophis, attack now!"

The snake creatures obeyed. Two of them destroyed Percy's monsters while the third one went for Percy directly.

"I activate Scapegoat!" announced Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The green-haired boy's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, creating four sheep tokens to absorb the blow.

"Nice idea, Percy!" called Carlie.

"Is it?" 'Marik' spoke up.

Percy looked worried. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your play was good, I'll admit." 'Marik' continued, discarding a card from his card to the graveyard. "...unfortunately, it was not good enough!"

The Rare Hunter leader's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"The Counter Trap card Magic Jammer!"

"But you can't play a Trap card the turn it was set!" protested Percy.

'Marik' laughed scornfully. "Already you forget. Remember what I told you about my Temple of the Kings Spell card?"

"Right." said Percy unhappily, now remembering everything. "It lets you activate Trap cards on the turn they're set."

On cue, the four sheep tokens vanished in an instant.

"Percy's open for a direct attack!" Liz exclaimed in complete fear.

She was right. The last snake creature slashed at Percy, causing him to yell (LP: 200).

"Oh no, Percy!" called out Emily.

"Stay strong!" added Thomas.

'Marik' laughed harshly. "You've lost all of your monsters, and now are down to 200 life points. One more attack, and it's over!"

Percy stood firm. "I may be down-" he said bravely. "-but as long as I have cards to draw, I'm not out!"

"Regardless of your words, the end is still near. What a shame, too!" sighed 'Marik'. "It looks like you have made it all the way to the Battle City Finals only to lose to me. You might as well stay down, because I'm about to take away the few life points you have left!"

Percy, despite is brave facade, was beginning to lose hope...especially thanks to 'Marik's' words.

"He's right..."

"Don't give up!" called Ryan.

"My brother can still win, right?" Liz asked, looking upset.

"Of course!" agreed James positively.

Lady, however, was not so sure right now...

"It's not looking too good." she said. "Marik's practically got this duel won."

"What's that suppose to mean, Lady?" asked Mavis, sounding a bit unhappy.

"Guys, I clearly want Percy to win, but right now the odds are against him." Lady explained. "I'm sorry, Liz, but Marik has all of his life points and Percy is down to a measly 200."

"Come on, Lady, try to be more supportive than that." Henry scolded. "Your Percy's girlfriend, aren't you?"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl softened up. "I know. There's still a chance Percy can turn this duel around...but he'll need big time support from all of us."

"I'd suggest forfeiting to save yourself from humiliation!" goaded 'Marik' to Percy.

The green-haired boy was just about to bring his hand to his Duel Disk to declare a surrender...well, he would if not for...

"Don't you even think about surrendering to that nut job!" called Lady.

"Huh? Lady?" Percy looked off the platform to his girlfriend.

"You can't give up, Percy." The beautiful blonde-haired girl continued. "You may be losing at the moment, but you still have something Marik will never have. Friends who are always by your side."

"And a family who loves you!" added Liz. "Never forget that!"

Odion watched the group of friends encourage the green-haired boy and felt touched by it.

"You're lucky-" The Egyptian man thought to himself. "-to have great friends, Mr. Avonside."

Odion looked up towards the moon as a memory began to seep into his mind from a long time ago.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was years ago in Egypt. There, in the middle of the night, was the wailing of a baby abandoned by his parents. Soon, a new, kind voice could be heard from nearby.

"Who would be so heartless as to abandon such a wonderful little baby?"

A young woman picked up the bundle to comfort the baby.

"There, there, young one. You will come home with me." she said in a sweet tone.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended and Odion closed his eyes from the memory.

"She was considered the light in my darkness." he thought. "I would have been a goner if it had not been for her."

At that point, Odion continued his ruse as Marik.

"So, do you wish to give up now?" he demanded. "If you do so, your end will be merciful."

"No way!" refused Percy, standing up bravely and drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 30  
 **Current Hand** (3): Graverobber, Swordsman of Landstar, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"First I'll activate my drawn Pot of Greed card!" The green-haird boy held the drawn card out. "Now I draw two more cards from my deck!"

Percy drew two more cards from his deck, revealing them to be Foolish Burial (Spell card) and Jinzo (Monster card). With Graverobber also in his hand, Percy now had a plan on the horizon.

"I place two cards facedown." he said, sliding two cards into two separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk. "And next I summon Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode."

Two facedown cards materialized, followed by the appearance of the little warrior monster (Level: 3/DEF: 1200).

"That's all for me."

"I hope Percy knows what he's doing right now." said Gordon. "If not, then he can kiss the rest of his life points goodbye."

'Namu' watched the duel and smirked to himself. "That's it, Odion... finish Percy Avonside off now!" he ordered mentally.

On the platform, 'Marik' nodded.

"At once, Master Marik." The Rare Hunter second-in-command replied mentally, before drawing his card and speaking aloud. "And now!"

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (5): Prayer of the Temple, Magic Cylinder, Monster Reincarnation, and The Eye of Truth

* * *

"Get ready to lose it all, Mr. Avonside! Embodiments of Apophis, triple attack!"

The three snake-like monsters went in for the kill...but Percy grinned in response.

"Sorry, baldy." he snickered. "I activate my facedown card - Foolish Burial!"

One of Percy's facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself.

"This handy Quick-Play Spell card allows me to send one card from my hand to your graveyard."

'Marik' didn't seem all that worried. "Seems to be a waste of a final move to me."

"I didn't say I was finished yet though." Percy retorted, after throwing a card from his hand over to his opponent. "I still have one more facedown card to play."

On cue, the final facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Go Graverobber!"

'Marik' raised an eyebrow. "Now you're gonna rob from my graveyard?"

"That's right." grinned Percy. "And I'm robbing the very card I sent there... I reveal Jinzo!"

The little graverobber took hold of the card while cackling, held it out...and summoned forth the familiar android monster that Percy won from Samson (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500).

For once, 'Marik' cringed in genuine shock. "Oh no! Not that monster!"

"That's right!" grinned Percy. "And Jinzo has the ability to destroy Trap cards!"

Jinzo charged up its eyes and fired off a long beam. the beam struck the three Embodiments of Apophis and destroyed them at once...since they still counted as Trap cards.

"I won this card from someone named Samson." explained Percy. "And I plan to put his monster card to good use against you, Marik!"

'Marik' scowled.

"That's the way, Percy!" cheered Lady.

"You go, Percy!" called Liz happily.

"Impressive." thought Spencer. "Perhaps Percy might survive long enough for Marik to summon Ra after all."

"It's my go!" said Percy, drawing. "So look out!"

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 29  
 **Current Hand** (1): Roll of Fate

* * *

It was the Roll of Fate Spell card.

"Behold my Roll of Fate Spell card!" The green-haired boy exclaimed, holding his drawn card out. "This card will allow me to draw cards from my deck depending on the roll of the die! ...of course I'll have to banish the same amount of cards from the top of my deck afterward, but I'm not worried about that!"

A die was tossed into the air...landing and rolling on a three.

"Oh yeah! I can draw three cards from my deck!"

So Percy drew three cards from his deck and banished three more cards from his deck.

"Alright, Marik, get ready!" The green-haired boy placed a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon Battle Warrior in attack mode!"

The muscular blue warrior appeared (Level: 3/ATK 700). Suddenly, Swordsman of Landstar stood up into a fighting stance.

"And I'll also switch Swordsman of Landstar into attack mode!"

'Marik' watched on in shock, for he was wide open for an attack by the three monsters.

"Alright, guys." commanded Percy. "Attack his life points directly!"

Jinzo attacked first, attacking with Cyber Energy Shock. 'Marik' yelled in pain when he got hit. This was followed by the two weaker monsters attacking next, knocking 'Marik' back some more. All at once, that was a total of 3600 points of damage dealt to the Rare Hunter leader's life points (LP: 400).

"One more attack and Percy's won!" cheered Emily.

"Way to go, Percy!" cheered Toby.

"Nicely done, Percy." thought Thomas. "You've definitely got better than ever before. Once you beat Marik, he'll be out of the finals."

'Namu' was not pleased in the slightest. "You'd better not lose to that pipsqueak, Odion!"

"I will not fail you, Master Marik." thought 'Marik', drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 400)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (5): Prayer of the Temple, Magic Cylinder, Monster Reincarnation, The Eye of Truth, and Swords of Revealing Light

* * *

The Rare Hunter leader's drawn card was the Swords of Revealing Light Spell card.

"You think you have me beat, Mr. Avonside?" 'Marik' suddenly asked, directing his whole attention to Percy once more. "You can attack me all you want, but you'll still never win the fight. My Temple of the Kings is a card that has never let me down before. It holds many secrets that no one but me knows about."

A Spell card (the drawn Swords of Revealing Light) materialized face-up.

"Now observe as I play my Swords of Revealing Light Spell card!"

Many large, bright swords appeared on Percy's side of the field, stopping his monsters from moving.

"Now your monsters are unable to attack for three whole turns!" taunted 'Marik'.

Percy scowled a bit. He was so close, so close. Off of the platform...

"It's not all bad news." Edward remarked. "Jinzo may not be able to attack, but its effect still prevents Marik from playing Trap cards."

"That's true." said Henry.

"My turn!" cried Percy, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 22  
 **Current Hand** (3): Salamandra, Insect Queen, and The Legendary Fisherman

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : 3 Turns

* * *

"...and I'll sacrifice my Battle Warrior to summon The Legendary Fisherman!"

Battle Warrior vanished and the mighty warrior riding a shark appeared in his place (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).

"Next I'll switch my remaining monsters into defense mode!"

Swordsman of Landstar knelt down...although Jinzo kept its arms folded.

"My turn is over now!" Percy then smiled to himself. "I got this card from another good friend of mine named Salty. But you know nothing on having friends."

'Marik' merely kept calm and drew his card. But upon doing so...

"What is this?!"

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 400)  
 **Deck** : 31  
 **Current Hand** (5): Prayer of the Temple, Magic Cylinder, Monster Reincarnation, The Eye of Truth, and The Winged Dragon of Ra

* * *

The card he drew was The Winged Dragon of Ra Egyptian God card... but rather than be happy about it, 'Marik' was actually quite terrified of seeing it. He looked over in the direction of 'Namu' and spoke to the boy mentally.

"Master Marik." The Rare Hunter leader thought. "This is YOUR card."

"Why look so surprised, Odion?" 'Namu' smirked, while speaking mentally. "If you're pretending to me, then you must have that one card in your deck."

"But...I can't play it!" 'Marik' protested mentally. "It's too dangerous."

"You have to use it." replied 'Namu' mentally. "Or else it will blow our covers. Besides, it is merely a copy of Ra."

"A copy...?" 'Marik' blinked. "But, Master..."

"Play it when the time is right."

Down below in the stands, the gang looked rather confused at 'Marik's' behavior at the moment.

"What's with Marik? He looks a bit freaked out." Emily remarked.

"Now I wonder why?" asked Michael.

'Marik soon shook of his shock and held a Spell card out.

"I play Prayer of the Temple!" he announced (LP: 200). "I'll discard two cards from my hand and pay half my life points to add two cards from my deck to my hand."

Immediately, 'Marik' discarded both Magic Cylinder and The Eye of Truth and added two cards to his hand. A facedown card then materialized afterward.

"As I said before, my Temple of the Kings holds many secrets." 'Marik' continued. "Soon I'll be ready to unleash them against you, Mr. Avonside!"

"I'm not afraid." said Percy bravely.

"Soon, you will be." retorted 'Marik'. "Now make your move."

"Gladly!"

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 21  
 **Current Hand** (3): Salamandra, Insect Queen, and Monster Reborn

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : 2 Turns

* * *

The green-haired boy held his drawn card up.

"First I'll activate Monster Reborn and revive my Alligator's Sword!"

The sword wielding alligator-like warrior returned to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Now I'll sacrifice him and my Swordsman of Landstar in order to summon my Insect Queen!"

Both monsters vanished in blue streaks and there came the queen of the insects, giving off a loud screeching roar to signal her arrival (Level: 7/ATK: 2200 - 2400/DEF: 2400 - 2600). Well, he did it - Percy had managd to summon all three rare monsters he had won in the Battle City tournament.

"I won this monster from a cheating snake called Diesel." explained Percy proudly. "Each one of these monsters represents the trials I went through to get where I am now. I faced tougher duelists every step of the way so I could become a True Duelist myself. Once I've done that, I can challenge my best friend to a real duel."

Everyone was amazed that Percy was able to successfully summon the three rare monsters he had won throughout the tournament...even Spencer was impressed.

"I'll admit that my tournament has done wonders for Percy's deck." he thought to himself.

"Would you look at that." smiled Lady. "Percy was able to bring out the three monsters he won before reaching the finals."

"Yes." agreed Thomas. "He did."

"Hopefully they'll do him some good." added Gordon hopefully.

"If only he wasn't barred from attacking right now." Mavis stated. "He could finish Marik off here and now."

"I'm not worried." thought Percy, giving a broad smile. "There's no way Marik can hope to take my three monsters down."

"It is my turn." said 'Marik', calmly drawing.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (4): Monster Reincarnation, Cup of Sealed Soul, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Mystical Beast of Serket

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, he gave his opponent a sinister look of disdain.

"Your monsters can't stop me." The Rare Hunter leader claimed. "Why not? Because I'm about to summon a beast you cannot hope to stop!"

"What?!" Percy yelped. "Are you serious?"

"Is he serious?" asked Emily in disbelief.

"Marik's field is completely empty...minus his facedown card and Temple of the Kings Spell card." added James.

Thomas, however, had a bad feeling on the matter.

"Be careful, Percy." he thought. "I can tell Marik isn't bluffing on his play...especially with that Temple of the Kings card."

"I activate the Ritual Spell Cup of Sealed Soul!" announced 'Marik', slotting his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, causing the card to materialize face-up...before the lone facedown card (A Spell card) also flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Then I'll reveal my facedown card; Seal of Serket!"

"What kind of move is this suppose to be?" questioned Percy, sweating nervously.

"Be patient, and I'll explain my plan of action to you." 'Mark' retorted. "As you can clearly see, these two Spell cards, when played along with Temple of the Kings, will enable me to call upon any monster from either my hand or deck. For now, I choose to summon a creature of power and darkness."

The power of all three Spell cards took affect. 'Marik' held a monster card (Effect) up and slammed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Now I can special summon from my hand the guardian of the temple; Mystical Beast of Serket!"

Purple fog came from the two Spell cards, soon to be absorbed into the Temple of the Kings itself. From there, a giant, frightening scorpion emerged from the entrance of the temple and slowly climbed down the steps.

"That thing's huge!" Percy cried out in terror.

"That's the guardian of the temple?" gawked Matt. "A scorpion?!"

"I sure looks like it." added a shocked Michael.

"I hope it's not poisonous." whimpered Molly, hugging James in fear.

Mystical Beast of Serket leered down at the three monsters and gave a roar (Level: 6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).

"If you think my new monster is terrifying now, I'll let you in on a secret." said 'Marik'. "...It actually pales in comparison to the true terror of what lurks inside the Temple of the Kings!"

"What is it?!" Percy demanded. "Tell me now!"

"Within the temple lays dormant...THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"

Percy, Thomas, Spencer, and Discord all reeled back in complete horror from hearing this bit of info. It just couldn't be possible! ...can it?

"With that giant scorpion outside! And that Egyptian God monster inside..." Percy said aloud in frightened realization. "...there's no way I can win!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	46. Temple of Traps (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Previously, I wasn't doing so hot against Marik. I was triggering Trap cards left and right, and they either stopped by attacks or destroyed my monsters."

Rocket Warrior transformed and dove at 'Marik', but the Rare Hunter leader was ready for it, as expected...

"You've triggered my Trap card!" he stated, holding a hand out. "Eye of Wdjat!"

One of the facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself, creating a magical effect on Rocket Warrior and turning it around.

"Aw man..." mumbled Percy unhappily.

"Eye of Wdjat stops your attack and turns it back to another monster you control!" explained 'Marik'.

"But I also had to deal with those creepy Trap monsters he also brought out. I tried to protect myself with Scapegoat, but that failed!"

"Embodiments of Apophis, attack now!"

The snake creatures obeyed. Two of them destroyed Percy's monsters while the third one went for Percy directly.

"I activate Scapegoat!" announced Percy.

The green-haired boy's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, creating four sheep tokens to absorb the blow.

"Nice idea, Percy!" called Carlie.

"Is it?" 'Marik' spoke up.

Percy looked worried. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your play was good, I'll admit." 'Marik' continued, discarding a card from his card to the graveyard. "...unfortunately, it was not good enough!"

The Rare Hunter leader's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"The Counter Trap card Magic Jammer!"

On cue, the four sheep tokens vanished in an instant.

"Percy's open for a direct attack!" Liz exclaimed in fear.

She was right. The last snake creature slashed at Percy, causing him to yell (LP: 200).

"I was in a tight spot, and Lady's words over it were not helping matters."

"It's not looking too good." Lady was saying. "Marik's practically got this duel won."

"What's that suppose to mean, Lady?" asked Mavis, sounding a bit unhappy.

"Guys, I clearly want Percy to win, but right now the odds are against him." Lady explained. "I'm sorry, Liz, but Marik has all of his life points and Percy is down to a measly 200."

"Come on, Lady, try to be more supportive than that." Henry scolded. "Your Percy's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Fortunately, thanks to a small strategy of my own, I was able to call out Jinzo and turn the tide of the duel and get Marik down to 400 life points."

The little graverobber took hold of the card while cackling, held it out...and summoned forth the familiar android monster that Percy won from Samson (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500).

For once, 'Marik' cringed in genuine shock. "Oh no! Not that monster!"

"That's right!" grinned Percy. "And Jinzo has the ability to destroy Trap cards!"

Jinzo charged up its eyes and fired off a long beam. the beam struck the three Embodiments of Apophis and destroyed them at once...since they still counted as Trap cards.

"Alright, guys." commanded Percy. "Attack his life points directly!"

Jinzo attacked first, attacking with Cyber Energy Shock. 'Marik' yelled in pain when he got hit. This was followed by the two weaker monsters attacking next, knocking 'Marik' back some more. All at once, that was a total of 3600 points of damage dealt to the Rare Hunter leader's life points (LP: 400).

"Later, I was able to summon the other rare monster cards I won from Diesel and Salty. If only I wasn't barred from attacking due to Swords of Revealing Light, then I would have been able to finish Marik off."

"I'll sacrifice my Battle Warrior to summon The Legendary Fisherman!" announced Percy, placing his card onto his Duel Disk.

Battle Warrior vanished and the mighty warrior riding a shark appeared in his place (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).

"Now I'll sacrifice him and my Swordsman of Landstar in order to summon my Insect Queen!" declared Percy, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Both Alligator's Sword and Swordsman of Landstar vanished in blue streaks and there came the queen of the insects, giving off a loud screeching roar to signal her arrival (Level: 7/ATK: 2200 - 2400/DEF: 2400 - 2600).

Well, he did it. Percy had summoned all three monsters he won in the Battle City tournament.

"...but my triumph did not last for long. Marik was still as prepared as ever before."

"I activate the Ritual Spell Cup of Sealed Soul!" announced 'Marik', slotting his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, causing the card to materialize face-up...before the lone facedown card (A Spell card) also flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Then I'll reveal my facedown card; Seal of Serket!"

The power of all three Spell cards took affect. 'Marik' held a monster card (Effect) up and slammed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Now I can special summon from my hand the guardian of the temple; Mystical Beast of Serket!"

Purple fog came from the two Spell cards, soon to be absorbed into the Temple of the Kings itself. From there, a giant, frightening scorpion emerged from the entrance of the temple and slowly climbed down the steps.

"All I can say now...is that I really, REALLY hate scorpions!"

* * *

 **Title: Temple of Traps, Part 3**

* * *

Percy had three strong monsters on his side of the field...but 'Marik' had the far stronger monster, however...  
-Percy had Jinzo (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500), Insect Queen (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2600), and The Legendary Fisherman (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).  
-'Marik' had summoned Mystical Beast of Serket (Level: 6/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000) to his side of the field, and he still had Temple of the Kings present as well.

"Y-Your over-sized scorpion doesn't frighten me!" Percy declared, trying to mask his fear. "I'll find a way to crush it!"

"We shall soon see." said 'Marik'. "And even if you do, you still cannot attack thanks to my Swords of Revealing Light!"

Down below, everyone was shocked to the core from seeing 'Marik's' new monster.

"Mystical Beast of Serket?" came from Mavis. "That's a monster I've never heard of before."

"It's essentially a scorpion." Gordon pointed out. "A big, ugly scorpion."

"And a rare monster card." Edward stated. "Rare and powerful."

"Do you know anything about it, Edward?" asked James.

"I've only heard about it one time. But it's said to be an unstoppable creature that grows stronger with each monster it destroys."

James was gawking at that statement. "S-Stronger?!"

No one else liked the sound of that one bit. On the duel platform, 'Marik' continued to speak to Percy...

"My new monster is unable to attack this turn because of my two previous Spell cards that were used to special summon it." he explained. "But my mystical beast is much stronger than any of your monsters. And thanks to Swords of Revealing Light, you're still unable to attack!"

"Things can change." said Percy, getting himself ready. "I just have to draw the right card."

With that said, he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-One** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 20  
 **Current Hand** (2): Salamandra and Polymerization

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : 1 Turn

* * *

The green-haired grimaced upon seeing what he drew...a useless card.

"Nuts!" Percy groaned, seeing it was the Polymerization Spell card. "I'll keep my monsters in defense mode and end my turn."

"So far that's all he can do." muttered Gordon to himself.

"Percy..." whispered Liz.

"Don't give up." Ryan also whispered.

As it was the third end phase after 'Marik' played Swords of Revealing Light, the bright swords disappeared.

"Things aren't looking too good." said Lady. "Unless Percy can pull off another miracle, that beast will destroy all of his monsters.

"No..." whispered Liz, feeling awful for her brother.

"What's the matter with you, Lady?" asked Emily harshly.

"How can you be so negative when Percy needs your support most of all?" scolded Edward. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Look, as I said before, I really want Percy to win this duel." Lady insisted. "But look at what he's facing right now!"

"That doesn't mean you have to give up hope on him." said Molly heatedly. "I didn't give up hope on James during his duel with Ryan when things looked grim, so why should you give up hope on Percy?"

Lady remained silent and looked back up at the platform where her boyfriend was. Thomas stared at the beautiful blonde-haired girl with concern.

"Lady..." The blue-haired boy thought, and look back at the platform where 'Marik' was. "If what Marik says is true, then Percy has to win the match before Marik decides to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra."

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Two** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 27  
 **Current Hand** (3): Monster Reincarnation, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Cursebreaker

* * *

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Avonside!" 'Marik' called. "Observe as my Mystical Beast of Serket attacks your Jinzo!"

Mystical Beast of Serket obeys and lungs forth, using its pincers to grab the android-like monster and...eat it whole. everyone on the platform (Except for Thomas, Discord, Matt, Michael, and Spencer) winced at how sick that was.

"That is so gross!" said Mavis, trying not to barf.

It only got worse. Mystical Beast of Serket suddenly grew taller and more humanoid.

"Whenever my monster destroys one of your own-" explained 'Marik'. "It gains 500 attack points!"

Mystical Beast of Serket grew stronger (ATK: 2500 - 3000).

"Aw man!" groaned Percy.

"There has to be something Percy can do." Matt protested.

"If you have an answer you'd like to share with us, we're all ears." replied Carlie.

"I'm thinking of one."

"I can't let Marik win." Percy thought, drawing his card. "But that over-sized scorpion gets stronger whenever it eats one of my monsters."

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Three** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 19  
 **Current Hand** (3): Salamandra, Polymerization, and Premature Burial

* * *

The green-haired boy flinched when he saw what card he drew from his deck.

"Premature Burial won't help me." Percy thought some more, and then spoke aloud again. "I pass this turn."

"Just hang in there, Percy!" called James.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Four** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 26  
 **Current Hand** (4): Monster Reincarnation, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Cursebreaker, and Trap Jammer

* * *

"Attack the Insect Queen now, my beast!" called 'Marik', upon drawing his card.

The giant scorpion obeyed, devouring Insect Queen in an instant.

"Oh dear..." moaned Emily, looking pale.

"Excuse (urp) me!" gagged Gordon, running over to the railing to hurl his guts.

Mystical Beast of Serket sudden sprouted wings on its back while it grew even stronger (ATK: 3000 - 3500).

"Not good." Ryan muttered.

"He's only got one monster left." said Lady worriedly.

"My poor brother! I just can't..." Liz choked up, looking like she was about to cry.

Percy noticed that his elder sister was about to run off...and immediately called out to her...

"Liz!" The green-haired boy exclaimed. "You can't leave!"

Liz stopped and looked up to her beloved younger brother silently.

"When things looked grim for Ryan in his duel against James, did you give up and runaway?" Percy asked. "No. You still believed in him. Please don't stop believing in me."

Liz still didn't say a word...and this allowed Percy to continue speaking.

"Family's support each other no matter what happens." said Percy. "Remember? You taught me that when I was little."

Liz did remember that. Finally understanding everything, the blonde-haired young woman nodded.

"Okay, Percy. I'll stay." she said.

Odion watched the scene and, again, felt touched by it.

"He's lucky to have a family that truly loves him." The Rare Hunter second-in-command thought.

Another flashback to his past ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was still many years ago. The same woman who took the abandoned the baby with her had returned to her home...which was in a underground area.

"It's okay, young one." The woman said to the crying child. "You're home now."

Baby Odion smiled and cooed happily to have a new home.

"Where have you been?!" called a new voice.

The kind woman turned and saw her husband approaching. He was a middle aged man with silvery hair and beard...and his face had no trace of kindness or even a smile of a sort.

"I found this young child abandoned outside." said the woman. "I didn't want to just leave the poor boy..."

"He belongs to a rivaling tribe." objected the man. "He cannot stay here."

The woman tried to protest. "But-!"

"That is the law of the Ishtar family tribe!" The man snapped, interrupting his wife. "We need a true heir if the family name is to live on."

He walked into a nearby room. On a table were two familiar Millennium Items; the Millennium Rod and the Millennium Necklace.

"For generations, our clan has guarded the Pharaoh's tomb in hopes for the arrival of the chosen one. But unless you and I have children, our destiny will be in jeopardy and the Ishtar clan will have failed."

Giving a heavy sigh, Mr. Ishtar then turned around and looked to his wife. His expression had softening a little bit once he saw the pleading look on Mrs. Ishtar's face.

"But..." continued Mr. Ishtar. "If you wish to raise the boy...then I will allow it."

(years later...)

For the next several years, the boy (whom Mrs. Ishtar named Odion) continued to grow and become aware that he was adopted. While Mrs. Ishtar loved Odion very much like a real son, Mr. Ishtar was much more distant towards the boy... mainly because he never saw Odion as a son at all, but as a mere servant.

One day, when Odion was 5-years old, Mrs. Ishtar had given birth to a girl.

"She's beautiful." said Mrs. Ishtar happily. "We shall call her Ishizu."

"Yes, after the goddess, Isis." agreed Mr. Ishtar.

But deep down inside, Mr. Ishtar was very disappointd, as he had hoped for a boy. That way, they would have a proper heir.

(a year later...)

Some time later, Mrs. Ishtar was talking to Odion.

"But, Mother, why won't Father accept me as his son?" he asked. "Doesn't he love me?"

"He does, Odion." Mrs. Ishtar insisted...but knew full well that it was a lie. "However, there is something important we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Young Odion quizzed.

"When you turn ten, you'll be undergoing a special ritual." Mrs Ishtar stated. "It's called the Tomb-Keeper's initiation. You will carry a special responsibility of protecting the Ishtar legacy until the descendant of the Pharaoh comes to pass no matter how long it takes."

"Is this why Father has been so...stressed?"

"I wouldn't say that. He's just very devoted to his family's tradition." insisted Mrs. Ishtar.

Young Odion looked down sadly. "But hearing this really makes me want to inherit the rights to guard the Pharaoh's tomb and prove my loyalty to him."

"Well, you may get your wish, dear." replied Mrs. Ishtar unhappily. "If by your tenth birthday we don't get a proper heir, then my husband will have no other choice but to choose you as the bearer of the carvings. But I'm sure he'll accept you as our son if you do undergo the initiation."

"I'll do it. Anything to show Father my loyalty to him...and the Ishtar name." proclaimed Young Odion.

(years later...)

Many years later, however, Mr. Ishtar's wish for a true heir had been granted; for Mrs. Ishtar, despite her advancing age, gave birth to a baby boy, much to her husband's delight and sense of triumph.

"At last!" Mr. Ishtar cried happily, taking hold of the baby boy. "A true heir! We will call him Marik!"

Unfortunately, Mrs. Ishtar was left bedridden...and dying. Not that Mr. Ishtar paid any attention to that. However, Young Odion sure did. The 4-year old Ishizu didn't know any better at the time.

"Mother, are you alright?" asked the now 10-year old Odion.

Mrs. Ishtar weakly looked over to her adopted son. "I'm...just tired. Don't worry about me."

Starting to cry, Young Odion gripped his Mother's hands as she then said her final words to her adopted son.

"Please look out for Marik and Ishizu like they were...your own siblings..."

Mrs. Ishtar's eyes finally closed, and she never moved again (she passed away). Mr. Ishtar, meanwhile, with the baby Marik in his hands, approached the moonlight in one of the chambers.

"Marik!" he announced. "One day, you shall become a Tomb-Keeper and keep the Ishtar legacy alive and prosperous!"

With that said, he held up the baby under the moonlight for the others to see. Baby Marik merely cooed happily and naively, unaware that his life would soon change forever, and for either the best or the worst...

(years later...)

Many years had passed, and Odion (19), Ishizu (14), and Marik (10) each began to grow up. Odion, now a young adult, remained very close with each of his siblings, especially Marik, even though Odion secretly harbored a hidden resentment towards the younger boy for becoming the heir of the Ishtar family legacy and preventing Odion from trying to prove himself to his adopted Father.

One day, the two brothers were playing in one of the corridors when Young Marik ran off to the right.

"I'll go get the ball!" The boy called out.

Odion smiled a little bit, but it didn't last for very long. Suddenly, Young Marik cried out in pain from something.

"Marik?!" Odion ran in the direction his little brother went down.

When the Egyptian young man found Young Marik, he gasped in horror. A cobra was hissing threateningly as Young Marik laid on the ground clutching his bleeding arm in pain. It was clear to him that the snake had bitten the young boy when he startled it by accident.

"It bit me." Young Marik whimpered.

Odion quickly killed the cobra with a dagger, but the damage was done. When Mr. Ishtar found out what had happened, he became very angry with Odion for letting Marik get bitten! ...even if was by accident.

(later on...)

Inside Mr. Ishtar's room, the man was beating Odion up over what happened. Because of the cobra bite, Young Marik had fallen ill with a terrible fever.

"If my son dies because of your carelessness-" snarled Mr. Ishtar, finally grabbing Odion by the collar. "-I will make you wish you were never born! You are to stay by Marik's side until his fever has passed...or else."

Odion watched as his adopted Father left the room. Odion was feeling angry...not only with Mr. Ishtar and Young Marik...but with himself, too.

"I had the chance to prove myself to him." The Egyptian young man said quietly to himself. "And this happens."

He slowly approached Marik's bed...carrying the dagger he had used to kill the cobra. What was Odion planning to do to is brother... only he knew.

"If I have to die for doing this deed... so be it."

Suddenly, a teenaged Ishizu entered the room to check on her two brothers... when she saw what Odion was about to do.

"Odion!" The Egyptian girl cried out, running inside the room and grabbing her adopted brother's wrist. "What are you doing?!"

"If it hadn't been for Marik-" insisted Odion spitefully. "-I would have been given the Tomb-Keeper's initiation. I would have finally proven that I could truly be part of the family!"

Suddenly, Young Marik opened his eyes and looked over to his two siblings...but mainly Odion.

"Brother..." he whispered weakly. "I'm so sorry..."

Odion and Young Ishizu both froze when they heard the voice, but the former was the most shocked.

"Did you...call me brother?"

"I'm sorry I had gotten you into trouble with our father." said Young Marik sickly. "I shouldn't have been so careless."

Odion, realizing what he was about to do, dropped the dagger onto the ground, sank to his knees beside the bed, and began to cry.

"No, this was my fault, Master Marik..." he sobbed. "I will never fail you like this ever again."

(new scene...)

Over the course of the current year, Odion did everything he could to protect Young Marik and ensure that he did not cause him anymore illnesses. One day, Odion had been asked to bring Young Marik some soup for dinner. In his room, Young Marik was doing some reading.

"I brought you some dinner." Odion said kindly, carrying a tray with a bowl of hot soup on top.

"I'm not hungry." replied Young Marik abruptly.

"But the future Tomb-Keeper must keep his strength up." insisted the Egyptian young man. "Please, you need to eat something, Master Marik..."

He walked closer with the tray, but then...

"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!" shouted Young Marik, waving his right arm and smacking the tray out of Odion's hands and knocking the soup onto the ground.

Rather than become angry over what happened, Odion felt sorry for his adopted brother.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry for lashing out at you." Young Marik apologized, and decided to explain what was going on. "I'm just upset, because soon I am going to be given the Tomb-Keeper's Initiation."

"Isn't that a good thing though?" asked Odion softly, while picking up the tray and bowl. "It means you will be carrying the responsibility of the Ishtar name..."

"NO, IT'S NOT!" Young Marik yelled once more.

"Huh?"

"They're gong to carve a marking onto my back." The young boy went on, speaking more quietly. "I don't want to do it. If that were to happen, I would remain down underground for the rest of my life and never get to see the outside world." Tears started welling up in Young Marik's eyes. "Why did I ever have to be born into a family dedicated to awaiting the descendant of a long dead Pharaoh? It isn't fair!"

Odion laid a hand on the crying child's shoulder.

"I won't let it happen to you." The Egyptian young man said. "I'll take the initiation."

Young Marik looked up to Odion. "R-Really?"

"Yes." nodded Odion. "I will try to talk to your Father about it. Besides, your Mother saved me from the deadly desert and raised me like I was her son. For such devotion, I will gladly bear the pain for you."

Young Marik felt better and hugged his older brother. "Oh, thank you!"

(new scene...)

Unfortunately for both of them...

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" shouted the voice of an angry Mr. Ishtar. "YOU ARE NOT THE RIGHTFUL HEIR TO THE ISHTAR CLAN!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside another chamber, Odion was speaking to his adopted Father about taking Marik's place for the Tomb-Keeper's initiation.

"But Marik is afraid!" protested Odion. "He does not wish to live underground like a common mole! I have promised to protect him."

"It is not my choice for his fate to be this." retorted Mr. Ishtar. "The Ishtar family's sacred duty can only be passed to a true heir. As you were adopted, you are not an option. Know that I have never even considered you a member of the family at all... just a lowly servant who my dead wife adopted! My true son Marik shall receive the initiation, and I want to hear no more from you about it... Or else!"

Mr. Ishtar's mind had been made up. There was nothing Odion could do to change it, much to his horror and regret.

(weeks later...)

Finally, the big day had come. Two men wearing robes were carrying a screaming and wailing Marik away to have the carvings carved into his back.

"No, please!" he cried. "I don't want to be a Tomb-Keeper!"

Young Marik then saw Odion standing nearby with his head bowed in shame.

"Odion, please help me!"

But there was nothing Odion could do to stop it.

(elsewhere...)

Alas, there was nothing Young Ishizu could do either except pray inside her room for Young Marik's safety.

(elsewhere...)

Young Marik was chained onto a table while lying on his stomach while his own Father, with a cruel smile on his face, heated a dagger over a burning candle.

"The time has come, my son." he said calmly. "Today you shall bear the honor every Ishtar has held of guarding the Pharaoh's tomb until the arrival of his chosen descendant."

With that said, Mr Ishtar began carving the symbols into Young Marik's back, all while the poor boy screamed in agonizing pain through the gag on his mouth. Outside the chamber, Odion had with him another dagger in one hand, and a candle holder with another lit candle in the other hand.

"You won't be alone anymore, Master Marik..." The Egyptian young man thought to himself.

(elsewhere...)

Hours later, Young Marik was lying on his bed by his stomach with bloodied bandages around his torso. He was in a very bitter mood when Odion arrived to change the bandages.

"My life is over..." Young Marik muttered.

"Fear not, master. You're a Tomb-Keeper now." Odion replied.

"GO AWAY!" snapped Young Marik, just before grimacing in pain.

"I'm sorry." apologized Odion.

"What have you to be sorry for?" asked Young Marik angrily. "You didn't force my family to live underground. I was the one who was chosen to bear the pain. I feel so alone... Why should I have to devote my life just to serve some stupid Pharaoh?!"

As Young Marik said the last part of his sentence, his voice sounded like there was two people speaking at once... along with the image of a darker version of the boy briefly appearing while smirking evilly. Suddenly, Young Marik saw that Odion had his face all bandaged up.

"What's with your face?"

"I performed my own ritual since your father would not allow me into the clan." said Odion, just as he undid the bandages to show his new markings. "You will never be alone again, Master Marik."

The sight of the markings on Odion's face seemed to have calmed Young Marik down.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Odion closed his eyes briefly from his flashback to memory lane. ...before another voice broke his thoughts.

"Odion, enough day dreaming about our past!" commanded the voice of 'Namu'. Down below, Marik was glaring hard. "Finish off the Avonside boy with The Winged Dragon of Ra as soon as you can!"

"But isn't this YOUR card?" asked Odion mentally.

"As I've mentioned earlier-" explained Marik mentally. "-I had my Rare Hunters make several copies of that card and had many of said Rare Hunters test them out."

Odion blinked. "Test?"

"Yes, and many of them were killed by the ' **Wrath of the Gods** ' themselves." Marik went on mentally. "However, I have faith that you will succeed in controlling the copy of Ra."

"Thank you for your confidence in me, master..." replied Odion mentally. "However, I assure you that I won't even need to use the copy of Ra to win this duel." Finally, he spoke aloud and resumed his ruse. "My turn has ended, Mr. Avonide!"

"It's my go!" announced Percy bravely. He then drew his card, hoping it would be one that would turn the duel around.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Five** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 19  
 **Current Hand** (4): Salamandra, Polymerization, Premature Burial, and Flame Swordsman

* * *

Unfortunately, it was a level five monster card... and a pretty useless one at that.

"Great, how do I stop something with only three useless Spell cards and a monster card that is not all that helpful?"

Below the platform, Lady was thinking about what her boyfriend had drawn.

"Did you draw what you need, Percy?" she thought to herself.

Back on the platform... Percy looked back up with a heavy sigh.

"I'll leave my fisherman in defense mode." The green-haired boy said in defeat.

"A smart move... but forfeiting would be a smarter move." retorted 'Marik', drawing his card. "At least by doing so, you could save yourself some dignity!"

"Oh, I don't plan on losing this match, baldy!"

Down below, Lady felt disappointed in the lack of progress Percy was making in the duel.

"I guess Percy's luck has finally ran out." she sighed.

Suddenly, Thomas noticed something with his best friend. "Not so, Lady. Take a look at Percy's eyes!" he pointed out.

On the duel platform, the green-haired boy's eyes were fueled with anger and determination.

"Make your move." he said coldly.

"You're right." gasped Lady. "His eyes are burning with fire, like he knows he's going to win. But how?"

"Percy's eyes show his fighting spirit." explained Thomas. "The tension on the battlefield shows the duelist's pride. They feel honored for meeting each other. No matter what happens in this duel, they both won't stop fighting until the last moment."

"That's interesting." remarked Discord. "I can't pin-point it, but I feel that Percy-boy will win this duel."

On the platform, 'Marik' began his turn...

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Six** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 25  
 **Current Hand** (5): Monster Reincarnation, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Cursebreaker, Trap Jammer, and Judgement of Anubis

* * *

"Mystical Beast of Serket, attack and destroy The Legendary Fisherman!" commanded the Rare Hunter leader almost at once.

The giant scorpion obeyed, eating both the fisherman and his shark whole.

"No more sea food for me..." grimaced Mavis.

"Me neither." agreed Molly, looking pale.

Percy sighed. "Sorry, Salty..." he muttered to himself.

Mystical Beast of Serket gained a flipper at the end as it grew even stronger (ATK: 3500 - 4000).

"Quite the look that monster has now." Spencer remarked.

"Marik can win with one attack!" Skiff exclaimed.

"Percy..." mumbled Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Back on the duel stage, Mystical Beast of Serket leered over the helpless green-haired boy.

"Perhaps now would be the time to surrender." insisted 'Marik'.

"No way!" denied Percy. "It might be a hopeless struggle, but I have my duty. I will keep fighting until my life points hit zero."

"The boy has a wonderful fighting spirit." thought 'Marik'.

"It's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Seven** : Percy Avonside (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 18  
 **Current Hand** (5): Salamandra, Polymerization, Premature Burial, Flame Swordsman, and Legendary Sword

* * *

Unfortunately, Percy didn't draw anything to protect himself from an attack.

"Still no monster to help defend my life points!" thought the green-haired boy, before speaking aloud. "Again, I have to pass this turn."

"I guess it's all over, guys." sighed Matt sadly.

"Percy's about to lose the duel." added Ryan.

"Oh, poor Percy." whispered Liz.

"He fought well... but I'm guessing Marik fought better." Lady finished.

Over with Spencer - the silver-haired boy had a look of disappointment on his face due to the lack of appearance from the final Egyptian God card.

"I guess I won't be seeing Ra just yet." he thought to himself.

"You've played rather well, Mr. Avonside-" said 'Marik' politely. "-but once I attack you directly, you will be finished."

"I told you, I'm not gonna lose!" Percy insisted. "...but if you're so confident that you will win the duel, then draw your card and attack!"

'Marik' drew his card as commanded to.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Eight** : Odion Ishtar (LP: 200)  
 **Deck** : 24  
 **Current Hand** (6): Monster Reincarnation, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Cursebreaker, Trap Jammer, Judgement of Anubis, and Magic Jammer

* * *

"This is it, everyone..." whispered Michael. "The big finisher..."

Just before 'Marik' could declare an attack, Percy spoke up once more.

"Before you attack, there's something I want to tell you."

'Marik' raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in response.

"I'll never forget when you controlled my mind and forced me to hurt my best friend in that crazy duel." said Percy. "You didn't have the courage to face Thomas yourself, so you made me do your own dirty work for you."

"I am facing you right now." insisted 'Marik'. "And I'm about to defeat you, too."

"Funny you should bring that up." The green-haired boy continued. "At the beginning of the duel, your anger was fierce, but it has vanished now. I only have a little impression of the guy who controlled my mind, but you didn't fight with any foul means. Maybe I'll lose at last, but this duel will be almost the best duel I've had so far. You're a True Duelist. I don't know why you pretend to be Marik, but my instinct can tell you weren't that jerk who brainwashed me and my two friends." He then pointed forth at his opponent accusingly. "I know, without a shadow of a doubt, you're not Marik!"

Everyone in the stands gasped from hearing this.

"Not Marik?!" came from Carlie.

"What's Percy talking about?" exclaimed James R..

"If that's not Marik, then was he lying about possessing The Winged Dragon of Ra?" thought Spencer.

"I believe Percy." Thomas thought to himself. "My Millennium Puzzle has sensed that the guy up there has no darkness within him. But if he's not Marik, then who...?"

He immediately cast a suspension glance over to 'Namu'.

"NO!" thought 'Namu' furiously. "If I'm exposed, my plan for revenge will be ruined! I have to kill Thomas Billinton and obtain the two remaining God cards! I can't afford to get exposed this soon!"

Just then, 'Marik' took out his fake Millennium Rod.

"Only the real Marik Ishtar can use this rod!" he objected, holding the Rod out in anger. "And now I shall finish you off! Mystical Beast of Serket, attack my opponent directly and end this duel!"

The giant scorpion monster obeyed and lunged for the green-haired boy's neck with the pincers. Percy closed his eyes and waited for his fate.

"Percy!" called out both Thomas and Liz in unison.

"This is it, guys!" Lady exclaimed.

Just before the attack could land its mark...

"Wait, Odion!" 'Namu' shouted mentally. "Stop your attack!"

The giant scorpion stopped its claws just inches before Percy's neck. 'Marik' then cast a look down below the platform.

"But... why, Master Marik? Why make me stop attacking?"

"I want you to play The Winged Dragon of Ra." insisted 'Namu'. "That's the only way to prove to them that you really are me!"

"But I can't! It's too dangerous to play!" argued 'Marik'.

"Play that card now, or I'll banish you to the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

What will 'Marik' do? Finish Percy off and risk exposing his and 'Namu's' identities to everyone watching? ...or play the fake Egyptian God card? We'll find out the results soon enough.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	47. Temple of Traps (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Odion began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"All my life, I've served Master Marik and his family after I was abandoned as a baby. But no matter what I did, my adopted father would never grant me my wish to become a tomb-keeper."

"But Marik is afraid!" protested Odion. "He does not wish to live underground like a common mole! I have promised to protect him."

"It is not my choice for his fate to be this." retorted Mr. Ishtar. "The Ishtar family's sacred duty can only be passed to a true heir. As you were adopted, you are not an option. Know that I have never even considered you a member of the family at all... just a lowly servant who my dead wife adopted! My true son Marik shall receive the initiation, and I want to hear no more from you about it... Or else!"

Mr. Ishtar's mind had been made up. There was nothing Odion could do to change it, much to his horror and regret.

"Marik underwent the ritual and had the ancient carvings imprinted on his back... which increased his resentment towards the Pharaoh despite my attempts to help him."

"I feel so alone... Why should I have to devote my life just to serve some stupid Pharaoh?!" demanded Young Marik in anger.

As he said the last part of his sentence, his voice sounded like there was two people speaking at once—along with the image of a darker version of the boy briefly appearing while smirking evilly. Suddenly, Young Marik saw that Odion had his face all bandaged up.

"What's with your face?"

"I performed my own ritual since your father would not allow me into the clan." said Odion, just as he undid the bandages to show his new markings. "You will never be alone again, Master Marik."

The sight of the markings on Odion's face seemed to have calmed Young Marik down.

"Because of the darkness in Marik, I must protect him from being taken over by that evil. I mustn't let him down... even if I have to do some questionable things."

"I want you to play The Winged Dragon of Ra." insisted 'Namu'. "That's the only way to prove to them that you really are me!"

"But I can't! It's too dangerous to play!" argued 'Marik'.

"Play that card now, or I'll banish you to the Shadow Realm for all eternity!"

"You have played well, Mr. Avonside-" said 'Marik' to the green-haired boy. "-but once I attack, you will be finished."

"I only hope I don't anger the Gods over what I'm about to do..."

* * *

 **Title: Temple of Traps, Part 4**

* * *

On the duel platform, 'Marik' was still speaking to 'Namu' mentally...

"But, Master Marik, playing The Winged Dragon of Ra is far too dangerous!" he protested. "Please relent, I beg of you!"

"If you don't play that card-" argued 'Namu'. "-then everyone will believe Percy that you're not actually me and my plan for revenge will be ruined!"

'Marik' was now conflicting with himself over what to do... at least until some new words from 'Namu' were said...

"Besides, if you do summon the fake Ra, and are successful in controlling it as if it were the real being, then you'll prove yourself worthy of being a Tomb-Keeper like you've always wanted to be. You'll truly become a member of the Ishtar family!"

'Marik' took these words in carefully. All his life he had wanted to prove himself a member of the Ishtar family. Could this finally be his chance to do so? As 'Marik' thought this over, a flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Odion was speaking to his adopted father over Young Marik becoming a Tomb-Keeper.

"But Marik is afraid!" protested Odion. "He does not wish to live underground like a common mole! I have promised to protect him."

"It is not my choice for his fate to be this." retorted Mr. Ishtar. "The Ishtar family's sacred duty can only be passed to a true heir. As you were adopted, you are not an option. Know that I have never even considered you a member of the family at all... just a lowly servant who my dead wife adopted! My true son Marik shall receive the initiation, and I want to hear no more from you about it... Or else!"

Mr. Ishtar's mind had been made up. There was nothing Odion could do to change it, much to his horror and regret.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, but 'Marik' was still thinking things over. Dare he go and play the counterfeit of Ra... or not? Below the platform, the spectators were curious as to why 'Marik' stopped his attack.

"I wonder what's wrong." pondered Henry.

"Marik has this duel won! ...yet he stopped his attack at the last second." added Zack.

"The question is why?" came from Ryan.

"I hope whatever he has in store isn't going to be brutal." Ben, who had been silent for the last little while, prayed.

"With Marik, I highly doubt that." retorted James.

Up on the platform, while taking out his fake Millennium Rod once more, 'Marik' finally made a decision on what to do next.

"I have a better idea on how to defeat you, Mr. Avonside." he said to Percy. "I'll activate my Mystical Beast of Serket's final ability!"

Suddenly, a lid on the coffin inside the temple began to slide off as gold light began to shine.

"By offering both my beast along with my Temple of the Kings Spell card, I can call upon ANY monster from my hand or deck, or a fusion monster from my extra deck! And the one I choose to summon...is The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The Rare Hunter leader held out a card from his hand! ...which was the third Egyptian God monster itself.

"Then he really DOES have it!" Lady exclaimed.

"This is not good!" Thomas added in shock.

"Excellent!" thought 'Namu' with a pleased smirk.

Spencer watched with anticipation. Mystical Beast of Serket vanished and the Temple of the Kings itself was beginning to reduce itself into rubble as golden light rose high into the forming storm clouds.

"The...third God card!" gasped Thomas.

"What's going on, Marik?" demanded Percy, even though he had a clear idea.

'Marik' was facing the sky... or rather the heavens.

" ** _Ancient one! I call upon thee, right now_**!" he called. " ** _Show yourself - by the name of the next great Pharaoh! ...Marik Ishtar_**!"

Out of the clouds descended a large, golden-like, dragon. At once, it gave an enormous, screeching roar. The monster's body almost looked like fire rather than gold. Below the platform, 'Namu' grinned to himself upon seeing the third God being summoned successfully.

"Well done, Odion." The Rare Hunter leader said mentally. "You've made me, and the Ishtar family name, proud."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the tenth finalist's room, the woman there sensed something had happened in the duel going on...

"The Winged Dragon of Ra..." The mysterious woman thought to only herself. "It has been awoken by Odion! ...but is it for the better...or the worst?"

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp, The Winged Dragon of Ra had finished lowering from the stormy clouds and was gazing down at the opposition.

"Behold the fires of The Winged Dragon of Ra!" announced 'Marik' proudly.

Everyone was gawking at the magnificent power the legendary beast seemed to possess.

"That's The Winged Dragon of Ra?!" came from Michael.

"It looks unstoppable!" added Matt, looking just as horrified.

"It is, I'm afraid." said Discord with shock.

"The final Egyptian God monster..." whispered Spencer in amazement. "At last, we meet face-to-face!"

Percy was looking up in awe and shock at the huge monster.

"Behold the most powerful of the three Egyptian Gods!" called 'Marik'. "And remember one thing; my Mystical Beast of Serket had absorbed power from your Jinzo, Insect Queen, and The Legendary Fisherman!"

A brief flashback ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Mystical Beast of Serket ate Jinzo up.

(next...)

Mystical Beast of Serket ate the Insect Queen up.

(next...)

Mystical Beast of Serket ate The Legendary Fisherman up.

(next...)

"This granted my monster an additional 1500 attack points, and putting it directly at 4000 attack strength!" 'Marik' narrated.

Mystical Beast of Serket gained a flipper at the end as it grew even stronger (ATK: 3500 - 4000).

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, as Ra stared down at its prey with burning fury.

"And those attack and defense points are transferred to The Winged Dragon of Ra once I sacrificed my beast!" continued 'Marik'. "Now, prepare to lose this duel and your chance at winning this tournament, Mr. Avonside!"

He gave an evil laugh. Percy, meanwhile, stared on in defiance...

"Then what are you waiting for?" The green-haired boy asked bravely. "Give me your best shot!"

"Don't mind if I do!"

'Namu' felt very pleased. "Odion, You've done well controlling the counterfeit God card! This alone proves that you have the same blood as an Ishtar! When they see Ra before them, no one will doubt that you are a user of the Gods! No one will doubt that you are Marik!"

The rest of the gang was talking about The Winged Dragon of Ra and the potential disaster if it were to attack now...

"Thomas, remember what happened when you used Slifer the Sky Dragon in your duel?" Toby asked in complete worry.

"I do." replied Thomas grimly.

"Those things are dangerous!" protested Mavis. "Percy could get serious hurt or worse!"

"Too bad Spencer won't call the match off" Gordon muttered, glaring over to his cousin nearby.

With the silver-haired boy...

"Nicely done, Percy..." thought Spencer with a small smile on his face. "To be destroyed by the fury of The Winged Dragon of Ra... you must be feeling very honored right now."

"Now, Odion, finish him off!" 'Namu' mentally shouted. "The power of the Egyptian Gods is yours to command!"

"Yes, Master Marik." said 'Marik' mentally before looking towards Percy. "This is the end for you, Mr. Avonside... Go forth, Winged Dragon of Ra, and attack my opponent's life points directly!"

But The Winged Dragon of Ra...just stood there doing nothing.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the tenth finalist's room, the finalist felt her Millennium Necklace glowing with power, and this horrified her when she learned what was about to happen.

"Oh no! Odion has angered the Egyptian Gods!" gasped the mysterious woman in realization. "He had played a copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra...!"

(elsewhere...)

The tenth finalist wasn't the only one who had sensed something was terribly wrong. 'Namu's' deck began glowing all rainbow-like colors from the fury of the real Winged Dragon of Ra from within, and the Millennium Rod was glowing all gold.

"What is going on?!" The Rare Hunter leader thought to himself in worry. "My Millennium Rod and deck are both emitting power and anger to the copy of The Winged Dragon of Ra being present on the field! ...and it's growing stronger by the second...!"

Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst bit...

"My Millennium Puzzle!" Thomas suddenly exclaimed, seeing that his own Millennium Item was glowing, too.

"What's going on?" asked Emily.

"Shouldn't Percy be roasted by now?" questioned James.

The blue-haired boy didn't know what was happening. "Something is seriously wrong."

"Yes, I agree." said Discord, closing his eyes. "Something is wrong. No... it's far worse than that."

"What's that suppose to mean, Discord?" asked Edward.

"Marik must have made, and then foolishly played, a counterfeit of The Winged Dragon of Ra. Now the fury of the real Gods with be unleashed upon those taking part in the duel!"

"WHAT?!" Everyone in the group gasped in shock.

On the dueling platform, 'Marik' was still trying to get his monster to attack...

"Obey me! Attack my opponent now!" he called out in desperation.

Suddenly, the huge dragon roared defiantly as if to say ' ** _No_**!'. Then, much to 'Marik's' further shock, the fake card glowed before bursting into flames.

"It didn't work!" thought 'Marik', becoming greatly saddened. "...I guess it wasn't meant to be for me."

Suddenly, once The Winged Dragon of Ra was gone, lightning began striking the duel field.

"Whoa!" cried Percy. "Things are really getting out of hand."

"This has happened once before!" 'Namu' thought to himself. "Whenever a fake God card is played by someone, both players will suffer the judgemental wrath of the Gods themselves... I thought it was because my Rare Hunters were weak!"

A flashback ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Somewhere near some ruins within the deserts of Egypt, shortly after stealing The Winged Dragon of Ra, Marik was having a few Rare Hunters test out counterfeits of the Egyptian God monster in normal duels. To his dismay, the moment a Rare Hunter played a copy, the God's judgement immediately struck the two players down (possibly killing them).

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I've always thought Odion would be able to control the counterfeit of The Winged Dragon of Ra! ...was I wrong all this time?"

Finally realizing the true danger, horror, and consequences of his actions, 'Namu' knew he had to get his adopted brother to safety...

"Odion, get out of there!" The Rare Hunter leader called out mentally.

But Odion just stood in his place, his head bowed, and a heartbroken look on his face.

"No, Master Marik." The Egyptian man mentally refused. "It must be this way. I am so sorry for failing you once more..."

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck him in the head.

"ODION!"

As Odion began to fall forward, the fake Millennium Rod shattered into pieces.

"That Millennium Rod is a fake!" exclaimed Thomas, seeing the little bits of the... well, fake Millennium Rod.

"That means he really wasn't Marik after all!" added James.

"But if he isn't Marik-" Mavis asked quickly. "-who is he?"

'Namu' could only watch in horror at what was happening to his adopted brother.

"ODION!" he mentally screamed out, briefly becoming Young Marik in the process. "PLEASE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN! ODIOOOOOOOON!"

It was too late; Odion had finally collapsed. Percy noticed this almost immediately...

"Hey, are you alright?!" The green-haired boy started to run over to check and see if his opponent was hurt, but stopped when a lightning bolt nearly hit him.

"Percy!" cried Edward. "You have to get down from there!"

"Hurry!" called Liz, panic-stricken.

Sadly, just before he could even try to escape, a lightning bolt finally struck Percy on the head, making him scream before collapsing facedown, as well.

"PERCY!" The green-haired boy's friends cried out in horror.

"NOOOO!" Liz shrieked, trying to run towards the platform, but was held back by her husband.

"Don't, Liz!" warned Ryan. "It's too dangerous!"

Almost immediately, Gordon tried to climb up onto the duel platform to get to his badly hurt friend.

"Percy, I'm coming!"

"Get down. There's a duel going on!" scolded the referee.

"Are you blind?!" asked Gordon angrily. "Both duelists have been struck with lightning! They could die if we don't help 'em!"

The referee wouldn't budge. "Freak of nature... Both players are left with 200 life points, meaning the duel is still on."

"Spencer, call off the duel!" Mr. Gresley (Boxford) ordered his oldest son. "Those two need medical attention!"

"He's right." spoke up Spencer, speaking about the referee. "It was all just a freak of nature... Not part of the Duel Disks' function!"

"What?!" Gordon raged.

"Then what shall we do, sir?" asked the referee. "Do I disqualify both of them?"

"I've got a better idea; since both players have an equal amount of life points, the first to stand within five minutes will be declared the winner." Spencer suggested. "If neither stand up, then they will both be disqualified."

"How can you see a duel being more important than innocent lives?" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) in an upset tone.

"This tournament WILL go on, no matter what happens!"

No one could believe Spencer was behaving like this... Why did he not care if people died in this tournament? Right now, however, all that mattered was that Percy needed to wake up, now!

"Percy, please wake up!" Liz pleaded.

"Get up, Percy!" called Ben.

"We know you can do it!" added James R..

At that very moment, Odion chose to slowly awaken and get to his knees.

"I...must...get...up!" Odion muttered weakly. "I...must...protect...Master Marik...!"

Nearby with the gang, 'Namu' was grimacing in pain for some reason.

"Odion..." The Rare Hunter leader groaned mentally. "Help me..."

"He'll never hold me back again..." came a new voice from in 'Namu's' head. "The time for me to resurface is now..."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the tenth finalist's room, the Millennium Necklace was glowing around the tenth finalist's neck.

"Oh no..." The mysterious woman sighed to herself sadly. "' ** _He_** ' is returning! And there's nothing that can be done about it... Odion needs to be conscious to prevent the evil in my brother from taking over completely..." She closed her eyes. "But now that Odion is near death, that evil will certainly overpower Marik's good side."

(elsewhere...)

Back at the duel stage, the referee noticed that Odion was managing to stand back up.

"And it looks like Marik Ishtar is going to be the winner." The suit had said. Suddenly, he saw that Odion had collapsed once more. "Err... maybe not."

"Come on, Percy!" called James.

"Get your butt up before it's too late!" added Michael.

Percy was still unconscious, but that was because he was having a dream sequence of some sort...

* * *

 **DREAM SEQUENCE**

Percy was inside the Tidmouth classroom at Sodor High School...and sleeping on his desk.

"Percy, wake up!" echoed a voice (male).

The green-haired boy gave a startled yelp and fell to the ground. Once Percy gave a yawn and regained his vision, he saw his friends looking at him.

"Hey there, guys... What's going on?"

"You fell asleep, you silly goof." scolded Lady. "You're going to be late!"

Percy got up and stretched out his arms. "Late for what?"

Gordon facepalmed himself in annoyance, while James stepped forth to speak to the green-haired boy.

"Do you even know what today is?" The red-haired boy asked irritably.

Percy blinked. "It's Friday."

"That's right." said Toby. "And you have that big duel against Diesel today."

Percy smiled and nodded... before his eyes widened like dinner plates.

"Wait... I what?!" he panicked. "GAH! I totally forgot!"

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Gordon with a deadpan expression on his face.

Percy started gathering his belongings, but due to the rush he slipped and fell down, taking his whole desk (and belongings) with him while scattering all of his Duel Monsters cards.

"Oh botheration!" cried Percy, leaving his belongings and beginning to pick up some of his cards.

James sweatdropped. "Somehow, I'm really glad I'm not the one who's dueling today."

The rest of the teenagers started helping Percy clean up, as well.

"Don't worry, Percy." said Emily kindly. "We'll help you get ready."

"We'll make sure that you kick my former boyfriend's butt!" added Mavis, winking

As everyone gathered up Percy's dropped school stuff and Duel Monsters cards, Percy noticed a certain someone standing nearby and watching with a smug smile. It was Spencer... which was just what Percy needed at the time, and not exactly in a good way.

"Only a little flounder like you needs assistance from a band of losers." The silver-haired boy remarked teasingly, just before walking away importantly while carrying his metallic briefcase.

"Why that Spencer!" growled Percy, before asking... "Why is he even here, anyway? He doesn't go to this school!"

"It's your dream, you know, kiddo." came a familiar male voice.

Percy turned and saw Ryan and Liz both helping the others with picking up the green-haired boy's dropped cards.

"Ryan? Sis?" asked Percy in surprise. "What are you both doing here?"

"Silly, you know why. Today's your big duel. We just had to be here." smiled Liz.

"After all, we're family." added Ryan, winking.

Percy felt better hearing this. Soon his deck was fixed up.

"Well, it's ready." announced Thomas, handing the deck to his best friend. "We fixed it up with some of the best cards you had."

"Man, thanks a lot, guys." said Percy happily. "You all rock!"

"Let's get going." suggested Edward.

Everyone except Percy got up and started to leave...before noticing that the green-haired boy was not moving.

"What's the matter?" asked Henry.

"I would get up... but I seem to be stuck." smiled Percy. "A little help?"

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not trying to chicken out?" she asked curiously.

"I'm serious." The green-haired boy insisted, not losing his smile. "Some help, guys?"

"Of course, Percy." smiled Lady sweetly, extending a hand.

"Anything for our friend." added Thomas, extending a hand.

Soon, everyone had a hand out for Percy to grab. Despite being in darkness, Percy had clearly found the light...

 **END DREAM SEQUENCE**

* * *

The dream ended, and Percy felt groggy—yet was standing up.

"And the winner of the duel is Percy Avonside!" announced the referee.

"Where...am I?" Percy groaned, his head was hurting a little bit.

"You've won the duel, that's what!" cheered Emily.

But Lady was a bit unhappy. "And how dare you scare us like that!" she snapped, but not unkindly. "We thought you were... were..."

"She's just glad you're alright." finished Liz, cutting off Lady's sentence.

"Never mind me." said Percy, looking over towards 'Marik'. "What about him?"

The duel platform lowered and Matt, Thomas, and Discord each climbed on to go and join Percy in checking on the fallen 'Marik'. Spencer watched with a small frown on his face, although Skiff, along with Mr. and Mrs Gresley (Boxford), was very happy that Percy was okay and had won.

"Percy won... I guess I should have figured that." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "But what about The Winged Dragon of Ra? Why didn't it attack? The Duel Disk is not suppose to glitch out like that!" The look on his face became one of shock. "...unless the card that was played was a fake!"

Finally, Thomas, Matt, Percy, and Discord reached the unconscious man.

"Hey, are you alright?" Matt asked.

'Marik', or rather Odion, opened his eyes weakly.

"I'll...be okay." he answered weakly. "Please forgive me for deceiving you all of you... Especially you, Percy. It was an honor for me to duel a True Duelist like you."

"Thank you." bowed Percy, smiling a bit. "But... just who exactly are you?"

"My name is Odion." said the Egyptian man in response. "I am the servant and adopted brother... to the real... Master Marik."

He weakly pointed over to 'Namu', who was still clutching his head and moaning in pain. The boy was also holding onto the real Millennium Rod.

"Namu?" Emily questioned.

"What's wrong?" came from Carlie.

"Enough of the charade." shouted Thomas. "Reveal your true identity, villain!"

'Namu', or rather Marik, stopped clutching his head and turned around with a pained, yet sinister, smile on his face.

"Very well then, Thomas Billinton." he said deviously. "I admit it... I am the real Marik Ishtar!"

Thomas scowled. "I knew it!"

"You snake!" sneered Matt (making it sound almost like the Japanese pronoun ' **Kisama**!').

"Why did you lie to us?!" asked Emily, feeling outraged over being lied to. "Why say your name was Namu?"

"I made up that identity so that I could gain your trust." explained Marik. "It was also I who set your friend Duck up to get that injury on his arm!"

"You what!?" demanded Ben angrily.

"So he has the real Winged Dragon of Ra in his deck!" thought Spencer furiously.

Marik then addressed Thomas at once. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Thomas Billinton. Very soon, I will take revenge for my family by killing you - the descendant of the Pharaoh... By doing so, I will finally be rid of that stupid curse of the Ishtar bloodline, forever! I will then drown this world in darkness..."

As he spoke that last part, a new voice had joined in briefly. Groaning in agony, Marik started to clutch his head in pain once more.

"Umm... what's up with that?" Percy asked naively.

"Oh no..." moaned Odion. "I was afraid of this. ' ** _His_** ' power is growing now, because I'm unable to contain it any longer..."

"Say what!?" gasped Matt, looking positively shocked.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Carlie.

"There is a great evil deep inside of Master Marik." explained the Egyptian man weakly. "You have to stop it... Once I go out, he will then awaken, and we will all be in great danger... Please! You must save Master Ma...!"

He didn't get a chance to finished, as the Rare Hunter second-in-command finally collapsed into a coma.

"Hey, wake up!" Percy shook Odion. "Hang in there, please!"

Marik, meanwhile, was still gripping his head and trying to fight whatever was inside his body and trying to take over.

"I can't let you...take...!" Marik winced hard.

"Let me out... You know you can't hold me back any longer." came the voice from inside the Rare Hunter leader.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Marik suddenly raised his head up and screamed in agonizing pain as he became engulfed in yellow energy. Once the energy faded, Emily, Mavis, Carlie, and Liz all gave a terrified scream at the sight... Although Gordon, Henry, and James each didn't look any better, either.

"He's changed!" Henry exclaimed, pointing forth in shock.

"Oh man...!" groaned Gordon.

"Can I file this in the category of...not good?" asked James nervously.

When 'Marik' lowered his head, he suddenly looked very demented. His hair was now even crazier looking also. The man immediately gave a sinister laugh from the triumph of his arrival.

"At last." he spoke up in a deep-toned voice, the Millennium Eye symbol glowing on his forehead. "I am finally free again!"

The man's face seemingly stretched out like crude animation of a sort.

"I no longer need a shadow... Whenever Odion is around, I am but a mere shadow..."

"Who—err... What are you?" Michael demanded, looking visibly sickened.

"I am Marik's inner darkness." explained the man. "As I've just said, Odion was the only one who could keep me from coming out. But with him in a coma, I am free to do as I wish!"

"Inner darkness?" Zack quizzed.

"Yes." said the 'Dark' Marik. "But compared to me, the other Marik is a mere child. That is why he cannot ever finish a duel properly." The evil man's face started stretching like crude animation once more. "And, while I'm rather ashamed to admit it, my weaker self always loathed, even feared, the darkness. Me? I don't hate it at all... In fact, I love the darkness!"

"Another Marik?" thought Thomas. "But how? This... this doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, to me, every single one of you are merely shadows." Dark Marik remarked coolly, looking at the gang of teenagers and adults. He then turned his attention over to unconscious Odion. "On the other hand... that man was one of the more convient ones to disappear on me."

"You're a monster, you know that?" snarled James R..

"Why, thank you for your kind words." smiled Dark Marik, chuckling sadistically. "In this duel, Odion had proven something to me - as expected, the only ones capable of controlling the Egyptian Gods are the wielders of a Millennium Item...or have a connection to them." He then looked to Spencer. "However, one thing does elude me... Someone like you, Spencer Gresley, can actually control the power of an Egyptian God monster. And you don't even possess a Millennium Item like me and Thomas Billinton here."

"That's because I'm a powerfully skilled duelist." protested Spencer, sounding arrogant. "And I am destined to win this whole tournament, and the title of Duel King, to prove that!"

"Or perhaps it has something to do with your Egyptian ancestor from 3000 years ago..." The evil man snickered in response. "Like it also has to do with Thomas here, as well."

Spencer, as well as Thomas, gave a gasp. Dark Marik merely chuckled to himself from making his greatest enemies feel all confused and such.

"Ah, forget about it. We'll find out the answer soon enough."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the tenth finalist's room, the said finalist was dismayed that Marik's evil side had been unleashed... And it was all because Odion was in a coma.

"Marik's darkness has been awakened." said the mysterious woman unhappily. "It was as my Millennium Necklace had told me it would happen... Now it's up to fate if the darkness can be stopped...or not."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the duel stage, Dark Marik continued to taunt his enemies with wicked glee and all that kind of jazz...

"Thomas Billinton, the ' _real_ ' Millennium Battle has begun. " he said slowly. "We are headed for true darkness... and none of us can turn back!" The evil man's expression turned more and more deranged by the second. "Brace yourselves, you little fools. Because you will all be devoured by the darkness and I will rein supreme as its new ruler!"

Everybody aboard the blimp stared on in fright as Dark Marik began to snicker quietly before erupting into terrifying laughter. The evil man's savage laughter echoed throughout the whole blimp. Before long, images of all three Egyptian God monsters appeared in the night sky.


	48. The Sun Dragon (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Dark Marik began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"At long last, after several years of being imprisoned inside my weaker self, I'm finally free... All because that fool Odion played a counterfeit of The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"I have a better idea on how to defeat you, Mr. Avonside." 'Marik' said to Percy, while taking out his fake Millennium Rod once more. "I'll activate my Mystical Beast of Serket's final ability!"

Suddenly, a lid on the coffin inside the temple began to slide off as gold light began to shine.

"By offering both my beast along with my Temple of the Kings Spell card, I can call upon ANY monster from my hand or deck, or a fusion monster from my extra deck! And the one I choose to summon...is The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The Rare Hunter leader held out a card from his hand! ...which was the third Egyptian God monster itself.

" ** _Ancient one! I call upon thee, right now_**!" he called. " ** _Show yourself - by the name of the next great Pharaoh! ...Marik Ishtar_**!"

Out of the clouds descended a large, golden-like, dragon. At once, it gave an enormous, screeching roar. The monster's body almost looked like fire rather than gold.

"Ultimately, it backfired completely as expected, and put him into a death-like coma. Without Odion being around and conscious, I was able to successfully overpower my weaker self and take over."

"I am so sorry for failing you once more..." apologized Odion mentally.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck him in the head.

"ODION!"

As Odion began to fall forward, the fake Millennium Rod shattered into pieces.

"That Millennium Rod is a fake!" exclaimed Thomas, seeing the little bits of the... Well, fake Millennium Rod.

"That means he really wasn't Marik after all!" added James.

"But if he isn't Marik-" Mavis asked quickly. "-who is he?"

'Namu' could only watch in horror at what was happening to his adopted brother.

"ODION!" he mentally screamed out, briefly becoming Young Marik in the process. "PLEASE! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN! ODIOOOOOOOON!"

It was too late; Odion had finally collapsed. Marik, meanwhile, was still gripping his head and trying to fight whatever was inside his body and trying to take over.

"I can't let you...!" Marik winced.

"Let me out... You know you can't hold me back any longer." came a new voice from inside Marik.

Unable to hold it back any longer, Marik suddenly raised his head up and screamed in agonizing pain as he became engulfed in yellow energy. Once the energy faded, Emily, Mavis, Carlie, and Liz all gave a terrified scream at the sight... Although Gordon, Henry, and James each didn't look any better, either.

"He's changed!" Henry exclaimed, pointing forth in shock.

"Oh man...!" groaned Gordon.

"Can I file this in the category of...not good?" asked James nervously.

When 'Marik' lowered his head, he suddenly looked very demented. His hair was now even crazier looking also. The man immediately gave a sinister laugh from the triumph of his arrival.

"At last." he spoke up in a deep-toned voice, the Millennium Eye symbol glowing on his forehead. "I am finally free again!"

The man's face seemingly stretched out like crude animation of a sort.

"I no longer need a shadow... Whenever Odion is around, I am but a mere shadow..."

"Who—err... What are you?" Michael demanded, looking visibly sickened.

"I am Marik's inner darkness." explained the man. "As I've just said, Odion was the only one who could keep me from coming out. But with him in a coma, I am free to do as I wish!"

"Inner darkness?" Zack quizzed.

"Yes." said the 'Dark' Marik. "But compared to me, the other Marik is a mere child. That is why he cannot ever finish a duel properly." The evil man's face started stretching like crude animation once more. "And, while I'm rather ashamed to admit it, my weaker self always loathed, even feared, the darkness. Me? I don't hate it at all... in fact, I love the darkness!"

"Another Marik?" thought Thomas. "But how? This... this doesn't make any sense!"

"Thomas Billinton, the ' _real_ ' Millennium Battle has begun. " Dark Marik said slowly. "We are headed for true darkness... and none of us can turn back!" The evil man's expression turned more and more deranged by the second. "Brace yourselves, you little fools. Because you will all be devoured by the darkness and I will rein supreme as its new ruler!"

Before long, images of all three Egyptian God monsters appeared in the night sky.

"Oh yes, the time has come for me to reign supreme. Not only will Thomas Billinton die by my hands, but anyone who even dares to try and face me will suffer pain and torture like no other! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **Title: The Sun Dragon, Part 1**

* * *

Everyone was gathered inside Odion's room. The poor Egyptian man had been put into bed to rest up... but he showed no signs of awakening anytime soon.

"Is... is he going to be okay?" asked Mavis.

"The doctors said that Odion will live... but he's in a deep coma right now." answered Discord. "And they have no clear idea when he will wake up."

"Poor guy." sighed Percy quietly. "He wasn't a bad person at all..."

"There's one guy I'd like to blame for this." said James crossly.

"Marik..." whispered Thomas.

"He used his own brother to do his dirty work for him." added Toby.

"That snake!" growled Michael, slamming his clenched fist on the nearby table.

Everyone in the room was very upset with all that Marik had done. The Rare Hunter leader had to pay for his horrible crimes. Discord, however, knew that right now they had a duel to prepare for...

"I'm afraid our anger towards Marik will have to wait." he spoke up. "We have another duel to go get ready for."

"Agreed." nodded Lady. "There's still me, Marik, Spencer, and the tenth finalist left."

Everyone gave a nod, but Liz only gave a heated glare towards the beautiful blonde-haired girl.

"Is something the matter, dear?" quizzed Ryan, noticing his wife's look.

"Did I say something wrong?" Lady quizzed.

"Could the rest of you please go?" asked Liz, trying to look as calm as possible. "I would like to have a private talk with Lady."

Everyone else, feeling uneasy about what was about to happen, obeyed and left the room. Once they were alone, Liz's calm face turned into an angry one...

"Lady, I just can't believe you!" she began.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lady.

"You're my brother's girlfriend, are you not?" Liz questioned accusingly. "Then why not show a little faith? While everyone else, myself included, showed him some encouragement during the duel, you were not being all of that very much!"

"I told you I wanted him to win!" objected Lady. "But the situation looked very bleak."

"That's no excuse!" snapped Liz. "Stop being such a pessimist towards your friends! It's like you don't truly care for Percy at all, otherwise you would never have doubted him!"

Lady had a look of shock and hurt on her face. Unfortunately, the young woman didn't stop there...

"If you continue to be so doubtful about Percy in his duels, then perhaps it's best that you never see him again! ...or even everyone else here."

Outside the room, everyone else actually did not leave... they were listening onto the conversation going on inside the room! ...when the door opened and Lady ran out sobbing down the hallway. Liz then came out of the room and gave a contented sigh after letting her anger and frustration out.

"Much better." The young woman said to herself.

"Liz?" asked Percy. "What did you say to Lady that made her so upset?"

"She needed to learn a lesson." The green-haired boy's older sister answered. "I was just being a good elder sister."

"From the way Lady was crying-" remarked Percy. "-it seems like you really broke her heart. What was it you said to her?"

"Like I said, she needed to know to stop being such a pessimist towards you and your friends!"

"But you did it the wrong way!" Emily protested.

"How else was I supposed to get it through her head that she needs to be more supportive?" asked Liz harshly.

"I can't believe you!" said Ryan in dismay. "How could you do this?"

"It's something called ' _tough love_ '." insisted Liz, walking away. "Once Lady has calmed down, she'll be a better person. Trust me."

No one else could believe that Elizabeth Avonside, one of the kindest, most caring, girls on the whole Island of Sodor, had just showed a side no one had ever seen before in their life.

(elsewhere...)

Inside her own room, Lady was laying on her bed crying her eyes out.

"Liz is right about me." she sobbed quietly. "I'm a terrible friend! I'm honestly surprised that Percy hasn't broken up with me yet."

It took a few minutes, but once Lady had a chance to calm herself down she began to do some thinking on the matter.

"I have to make it up to my friends for being so doubtful." Lady said to herself. "But how?"

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, inside his room, the new ' **Dark** ' Marik had finished changing his clothes into something...far more sinister looking... It consisted of a long purple cape with a gold chain, a black sleeveless tank top, and beige pants. For added accessories, he wore golden earrings, neckwear, armbands, and bracelets.

"Ahhh-" The evil man sighed heavily, before chuckling evilly. "-nothing like a new look to make me feel like a newly reborn split personality."

Suddenly, Dark Marik had a look of anger on his face. He could remember the time where Odion had managed to seal him away inside the weaker Marik five years ago, and the evil man would have none of that this time around.

"I must eliminate that fool Odion before he wakes up and tries to get rid of me once again."

(elsewhere...)

Later on, everyone (except for Lady and Dark Marik) was gathered in the dining room to wait for the gambling machine to select the next two duelists to duel next.

"We've got four duelists left." said James. "Who will be next?"

"Personally, I hope either Spencer or Lady don't face off against Marik." sighed Thomas. "They would be no match for him, I just know it."

"I agree." Matt nodded. "Marik's power seems unreal...and that could lead to great danger for anyone."

Just then, Lady walked into the room.

"Hi, Lady." said Percy brightly. "Feeling any better?"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl gazed at her boyfriend for a moment...but then just ignored him and walked over to another part of the room.

"Man, she's really upset." said Percy to himself. "Liz was harder on her than I first thought."

Meanwhile, Thomas and Emily both decided to give it a try...

"Lady, we were all worried about you." began Thomas.

"Are you feeling any better?" Emily finished with a question.

But Lady didn't seem to answer the two of them.

"Lady?"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl closed her eyes and finally began to speak.

"I'm fine." she said quietly. "But why would you guys care?"

Thomas was surprised. "What are you-?"

"Of course we care, Lady!" Emily protested. "We're your friends."

"Are you?"

"Is this because of what Liz said?" asked Thomas.

"Maybe, maybe not." shrugged Lady uncaringly. "You can decide that for yourself."

Thomas and Emily both couldn't believe that their friend was acting like this. Deciding to just leave Lady alone for a little bit, they walked back over to their waiting friends.

"Will Lady be okay?" Molly asked.

"Probably not." sighed Emily.

It was then the suit began to make the announcement for the next duel of the finals.

"The next duelist to partake in the semi-finals is number 7! Lady Stone!" he called out, holding out a number ball.

"Hey, that's great!" smiled Percy. "Did you hear that, Lady? You're dueling next!"

Lady just gazed at her boyfriend, yet didn't seem to say anything.

(elsewhere...)

Outside Odion's room, a doctor was just exiting the room after making sure that the unconscious man would be okay when a new voice was heard.

"Could I please go see the patient?"

Before the doctor could object, the Millennium Rod was held up by someone and began glowing all gold.

"W-Who...?" The doctor began, looking very surprised. "GAH! W-What-?"

Alas, the doctor didn't have time to finish or yell before collapsing onto the ground. The owner of the Millennium Rod was revealed to be...Dark Marik.

"That's better." The evil man said to himself, taking the dropped keycard and opening the door.

Now inside the room, Dark Marik suddenly pulled off the handle of the Millennium Rod... and revealed it to be half rod, half dagger.

"One-by-one... I will sacrifice them to the darkness." he said to himself, approaching the bed and speaking to the unconscious Odion... "Hello, Odion, my old friend... As long as you live on with that repulsive carving on your face, there's a chance my weaker self may try to retake control of the body. So, that is why I'm here to ensure that it never happens again!" The evil man then gently lowered the exposed dagger to Odion's forehead. "I was trapped within the darkness for far too long... Now, it's your turn to go visit there!" The dagger was raised into the air. "Be sure to say hello to my old man when you arrive in the underworld."

Just then, a voice spoke up on the intercom before Dark Marik could deliver the killing blow...

"Lady Stone's opponent will be duelist number 9! Marik Ishtar!"

Dark Marik scowled a bit upon hearing his name being mentioned, and put the handle back onto the Millennium Rod before gazing at the unconscious Odion hatefully.

"Heh! You've got quite the luck, Odion... I guess you can live a little while longer." The evil man sneered, just before an extremely cruel smile appeared on his face. "But I can at least have some fun before I come back to finish what I was about to do..."

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, Lady was outside on the duel platform and waiting for Dark Marik to arrive.

"Marik..." The beautiful blonde-haired girl said to herself darkly. "He has put my friends through so much pain and trouble." Then Lady had an idea. "Wait a minute... If I can defeat him, then perhaps that will help me make things right with my friends."

Just then, she felt a cold chill enter her body. Lady then noticed Dark Marik walking out of the staircase and onto the platform. The man was smiling sadistically upon seeing who he was dueling first.

"So, you're my opponent?" asked Dark Marik. "Very good. A young girl like you will be a...most interesting appetizer."

Lady just activated her Duel Disk in response...before getting into a dueling position.

"Once I'm done with you-" she said bravely. "-you will never hurt anybody ever again!"

Dark Marik chuckled and activated his own Duel Disk in response. "Prepare for an experience like none you've ever experienced in your life!"

"Oh please, you don't scare me." Lady scoffed.

Dark Marik glared fiendishly. "Then why do I sense the fear in your eyes?"

Just then, the referee walked up to begin the duel. "Lady Stone and Marik Ishtar, begin the duel, now!" he ordered.

It was around then, the rest of the gang arrived to watch the duel.

"Did we miss anything?" asked Carlie.

"The duel is about to start!" replied Ben.

"Good luck, Lady!" called Percy.

Lady didn't reply, while Dark Marik chuckled in amusement.

"You're either very brave or very foolish to ignore your friends like that, little Lady." The evil man teased.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you put my friends through!" snapped Lady.

The two duelists drew their opening hands and began the duel (LP: 4000).

* * *

 **Turn One** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): De-Spell, Dunames Dark Witch, Mirror Wall, Amazoness Swords Woman, and Fairy's Hand Mirror

* * *

"The first move will go to me!" declared Lady, taking a card from her hand. "I'll summon Dunames Dark Witch in attack mode!"

The red armored fairy appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1800).

"Let's see what my own deck has to offer." commented Dark Marik, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 44  
 **Current Hand** (6): Jam Defender, Revival Jam, Legendary Fiend, Remove Trap, Jam Breeding Machine, and Makyura the Destructor

* * *

Smiling at his opening hand, the evil man took a card and placed it sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Meet the Revival Jam!" he called out.

Appearing to the field was the familiar blue slime Thomas had faced once before (Level: 4/DEF: 500).

"I remember that monster..." Thomas whispered, before raising his voice. "Lady, watch out! That monster-!"

But Lady suddenly held a hand to tell the blue-haired boy to keep quiet. "I appreciate that you want to help, Thomas-" she said sternly. "-but it's against the rules to take advice from the crowd during a duel. I'm sorry, but I have to face him myself."

Thomas instantly became became quiet as a result.

"Attack my monster if you dare." teased Dark Marik. He then took out another card from his hand (a Spell card). "I then activate this Continuous Spell card - Jam Breeding Machine."

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"What's that suppose to do?" Lady quizzed.

"During each of my standby phases-" explained Dark Marik, just as a large machine emerged from the ground. "-this Spell card special summons a Slime Token onto my side of the field."

Thomas also remembered this card. He also instantly recognized the strategy Dark Marik was using...

"He must be gathering enough sacrifices to summon his Egyptian God monster!" Thomas thought to himself.

"It's my turn!" announced Lady, drawing her card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (5): De-Spell, Mirror Wall, Amazoness Swords Woman, Fairy's Hand Mirror, and Amazon Brigade(!)

* * *

Immediately, she slotted two cards into his Duel Disk. On cue, two facedown cards materialized.

"I set two cards face down." said the beautiful blonde-haired girl. "And now, I will send my Dark Witch to attack your Revival Jam!"

The witch obeyed and fired a blast of magic at Revival Jam. It splattered into blobs of liquid when struck, but also regenerated just as quickly!

"It wasn't destroyed?!"

Dark Marik chuckled. "Revival Jam cannot be destroyed, I'm afraid. You can try attacking all you want, but you'll just waste your time."

"So that's why they call it ' ** _Revival_** ' Jam." groaned Lady.

"I know that feeling all too well." thought Thomas to only himself.

Dark Marik then went ahead and drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 43  
 **Current Hand** (5): Jam Defender, Legendary Fiend, Remove Trap, Makyura the Destructor, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"Now my Jam Breeding Machine will create a Slime Token!"

The machine activated and out came a small Slime Token (Level: 1/ATK: 500).

"Then I'll use my drawn Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." The evil man declared, holding his drawn card out. "As you know; greed is good."

Dark Marik's life point counter started flashing the word ' ** _draw_** ' thrice, and he drew two more cards from his deck. His drawn cards were Melchid the Four-Face Beast and Masked Beast Des Gardius (both being monster cards).

"And I will end my turn with one facedown card." finished Dark Marik, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

Thomas instantly had a clue to what it was.

"Since Marik has Revival Jam on the field, his set card has to be Jam Defender." he thought to himself, before speaking aloud. "Lady!"

"Remember what I said, Thomas." interrupted Lady firmly, cutting Thomas off once more. "I can't have any advice from the audience or it'll be a disqualification."

Again, Thomas bit his lip and stayed silent.

"Lady will be fine, Thomas." Emily reassured. "Just believe in her."

Up on the platform, Lady drew her next card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (5): De-Spell, Amazoness Swords Woman, Fairy's Hand Mirror, and Harpie's Feather Duster

* * *

Seeing what she drew, the beautiful blonde-haired girl gave a satisfied smile.

"Sorry, Marik, but your facedown card won't be of any help to you."

Dark Marik frowned, but said nothing. Suddenly, the Harpie's Feather Duster Spell card materialized face-up on Lady's side of the field.

"I activate Harpie's Feather Duster!" she called out.

A tornado came out of the card and swept across Dark Marik's field, destroying Jam Breeding Machine and his facedown card (Jam Defender).

"Alright, Dark Witch." smiled Lady. "The coast is clear. Now destroy his slime token!"

Dunames Dark Witch obeyed and fired an orb of light, destroying the Slime Token. Dark Marik merely smirked evilly as his life points took a large hit (LP: 2700)...

"Well done, Lady!" cheered Percy.

The beautiful blonde-haired girl smiled a bit from hearing her boyfriend cheering her on.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Dark Marik (LP: 2700)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (6): Legendary Fiend, Remove Trap, Makyura the Destructor, Melchid the Four-Face Beast, Masked Beast Des Gardius, and Rope of Life

* * *

"Nice try, little girl." interrupted Dark Marik, wagging his tongue around a little bit while adding his drawn card to his hand. "But I've got something far worse in store for you!"

To prove his point, he placed a monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Meet Melchid the Four-Face Beast!"

Appearing to the field was a large creature with four faces on each side like a square (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"But it won't be around for much longer..." continued Dark Marik. "Because I sacrifice it and Revival Jam in order to special summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius!"

A huge creature with three masked heads appeared in place of the two monsters (Level: 8/ATK: 3300/DEF: 2500).

"Marik's deck seems to consist of cards his previous Rare Hunters used." thought Spencer, looking rather currious and impressed. "How interesting..."

"But you've already summoned a monster!" objected Lady, looking nervous at facing a very powerful monster like Masked Beast Des Gardius.

"My dear, you should know about this monster." mocked Dark Marik. "Des Gardius can only be special summoned by tributing two monsters on my field that include either Grand Tiki Elder or Melchid the Four-Face Beast, and that's exactly what I did!"

He began to laugh maniacally. Lady cringed a bit, but managed to regain a bit of her composure as the battle phase began.

"Des Gardius!" ordered Dark Marik. "Destroy her Dark Witch now!"

Masked Beast Des Gardius obeyed and lunged forth... but ended up swiping its claws into a large wall of mirrored glass, much to Dark Marik's surprise.

"What's this?!"

Lady was smirking, and also had her facedown card now face-up. What was it? It was revealed to be Mirror Wall, of course.

"This is my Mirror Wall Trap card." The beautiful blonde-haired girl answered. "It stops your monster's attack and cuts its attack points in half."

Masked Beast Des Gardius's attack stat took a large drop (ATK: 3300 - 1650).

"Dunames Dark Witch, counterattack!"

Dunames Dark Witch obeyed and fired a light orb at Masked Beast Des Gardius, destroying it in an instant.

"So much for your all-powerful Masked Beast!" Lady called out tauntingly.

Dark Marik, despite losing a powerful monster and life points, still didn't look worried in the slightest (LP: 2550).

"Alright, Lady!" cheered Emily.

"Way to sock it to him!" came from Ben.

Suddenly Dark Marik began chuckling. "Congratulations." he said rather quietly.

Just then a mask equipped itself to Lady's monster, making her go to Dark Marik's side of the field.

"What has happened to my monster?" Lady asked, while looking shocked.

"When Masked Beast Des Gardius is destroyed-" explained Dark Marik. "-it leaves behind the Mask of Remnants, which allows me to take control of your monster!"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl suddenly smirked. "Sorry, honey. But that won't happen."

"What?!" Dark Marik demanded.

"Reveal Trap card!" Lady announced, as her remaining set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Amazon Brigade!"

"Amazon Brigade?" quizzed Percy. "I wonder what that card does?"

"Amazon Brigade can only be activated if a monster I control is given to the opposing duelist while I hold a monster that at least has the word ' _Amazon_ ' or ' _Amazoness_ ' in its name in my hand." explained Lady. "The monster that fell under your control is automatically returned to my hand, and then I special summon the ' _Amazon_ ' or ' _Amazoness_ ' from my hand to the field in its place."

Dunames Dark Witch vanished in an instant and also returned to Lady's hand while she took the Amazoness monster from her hand.

"I choose the Amazoness Swords Woman!"

A woman with wild, wavy hair, skimpy clothing, and sword appeared on the beautiful blonde-haired girl's side of the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

Dark Marik merely held out a card from his hand.

"I'll remove your Mirror Wall Trap card with this; the Spell card Remove Trap!"

Mirror Wall was destroyed. With nothing more Dark Marik could do, Lady then took her turn.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (4): De-Spell, Dunames Dark Witch, Fairy's Hand Mirror, and Amazoness Archers

* * *

"Thanks to another effect of my Trap card, I am unable to declare an attack this turn." Lady stated, taking another card from her hand. "But I'll set this facedown and call it a turn."

A facedown card materialized behind Amazoness Swords Woman.

"Lady is doing really well again Marik. Isn't that right, Ben?" asked Carlie to her brother.

"She sure is." said Ben.

Suddenly, Dark Marik could be heard snickering... the snickering soon erupted into psychotic laughter, surprising everyone greatly.

"What is so funny?" Lady demanded hotly. "Last I checked, you're down on life points and have an empty field."

"The funny part is that you actually think you can defeat someone like me." said Dark Marik coolly. "But I'm just getting warmed up!"

With that, he took out the Millennium Rod from his cape as the wind blew it about fiercely.

"Playtime is over! It's time to take things up a notch!"

Suddenly, a large purple fog began to cover the top of the blimp.

"Purple fog?" Zack blinked.

"Oh no..." whispered Discord. "It's happening again."

Thomas knew this, too. "The purple fog..."

Soon, the whole top of the blimp was covered in thick, purple fog.

"Welcome to the Shadow Realm!" cackled Dark Marik. "The darkness hungers for potential sacrifices!"

"W-What is this fog?" exclaimed Lady, looking around. "I know I've seen it somewhere before, but I-!"

"You're about to experience the world's most terrifying game." interrupted the evil man. "There is no going back now, Polly Stone!"

"It's not the altitude that's making it hard to breathe." said Michael, still shocked by the purple fog.

"This is just like Thomas's duel against Sailor John." whispered Emily.

Thomas scowled. "A Shadow Game!" he thought to himself.

On the platform...

"That's right, Thomas." thought Dark Marik, smirking evilly. "You know that hatred can make the night even darker."

"Marik, stop this at once!" called Thomas. "Lady is innocent...!"

But Dark Marik wouldn't listen. "My grudge is the source of this darkness... Thomas, your death is the only thing that can clear the fog of evil, and it is hungry for innocent victims! This girl will be sacrificed to the darkness, and nothing you say or do will stop it..."

Over with Thomas and the others...

"Lady, this duel has gotten much more dangerous!" Thomas called to his friend. "You'll die if you lose to Marik!"

Percy looked to his best friend. "Thomas?"

"You have to stop dueling and escape while you still can!"

"Thomas, I know that this dark fog is dangerous." replied Lady sternly. "You faced Sailor John inside of it back in San Francisco... but this here is my fight, and my fight alone! I'm not gonna give up when I got this far."

"Lady!" exclaimed Thomas in dismay.

"Thomas, Percy-" The beautiful blonde-haired girl continued. "-I will win! ...and when I do, I'll face either of you in the next round."

The gang was dismayed to the bone; for Lady wasn't going to give up just like that. Dark Marik, meanwhile, was very pleased and moaned in a suggestive way.

"How wonderful!" he thought to himself, just as his face began stretching out like bad animation. "Embrace life and raise your voice, Polly Stone! Season it with the spice of pride to create the finest dish!"

Back down below...

"We have no choice, Thomas." sighed Percy. "Lady wants to fight Marik to the finish, so we cannot convince her otherwise."

"Lady..." whispered Thomas.

Of course, the green-haired boy was just as worried. "I know you can win, Lady, I know it..."

Back on the platform...

"I'm ready for your game, Marik!" declared Lady bravely.

"Heh heh heh... then let's begin the Shadow Game." chuckled Dark Marik.

And thus, the duel continued...

"Now this duel will get a few new...interesting twists." The evil man continued, looking very eager to torture someone. "For example; look at your only monster."

Lady did to...and saw a red wire being connected to the back of Amazoness Swords Woman all the way to the beautiful blonde-haired girl's chest.

"What is this?!" she demanded.

"Heh! Since you're participating in this Shadow Game, you should know what that wire is." teased Dark Marik. "But I'll give you a hint; it is a link to your very life."

"A link...to my very life?" thought Lady to herself. "What could that mean?"

"But instead of explaining it-" Dark Marik continued, drawing a card. "-you'll understand easier if you experience it first hand! ...after all, this is a game of fear and pain." His face started stretching out like bad animation. "You'll experience it more greatly than in any duel you were ever in!"

He cackled madly. Lady's eyes widened as they became dull with fear.

"The madness in his eyes..." she thought to herself. The beautiful blone-haired girl's eyes soon returned to normal. "I won't be intimindated!"

"Now then-" said Dark Marik, adding the drawn card to his hand. "-watch as I take my turn now..."

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Dark Marik (LP: 2550)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (4): Legendary Fiend, Makyura the Destructor, Rope of Life, and Lord Poison

* * *

"I summon Makyura the Destructor in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was what looked like a warrior with long blades on his hands and one eye (Level: 4/ATK: 1600). A red wire appeared from the monster's back all the way to Dark Marik's chest also.

"A Shadow Game is a world of illusion and enchantment." Dark Marik thought to himself. "Only the chosen ones could truly see its effects." He then sneered at his pathetic opponent. "And now, Makyura, attack Polly Stone!"

Makyura the Destructor obeyed and lunged forth towards Amazoness Swords Woman.

"Hold it!" snapped Lady. "I reveal the Trap card Amazoness Archers!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. On cue, several Amazoness monsters wielding bow and arrows came out and fired arrows. Makyura the Destructor got struck by the arrows and stopped its attack.

"This Trap card weakens your monster's attack by 600 points."

Makyura the Destructor's attack got weakened (ATK: 1600 - 1000). Even then, Dark Marik smiled like he wasn't even worried.

"Very good, my little bird." The evil man whispered.

"Now my Swords Woman!" called Lady. "Counterattack!"

Amazoness Swords Woman obeyed and slashed Makyura the Destructor in half, destroying it in an instant.

"Take that, you creep!" cheered Lady.

Suddenly, she heard some sinister laughter coming from Dark Marik, making her confused and such. Dark Marik continued to chuckle as...blood came splurging from his neck.

"Well done..." The evil man said in a creepy tone (LP: 2050). "You took away more of my life points."

Suddenly, with little warning, Dark Marik's head...fell off his shoulders and onto the ground, leaving behind a very bloody mess coming from Dark Marik's neck (both body and head). Terrified out of her mind, Lady gave a shriek like no other.

"Y-Your head!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl stammered.

"That was a very nice hit, indeed." Dark Marik continued, sounding more creepy than normal while also using his headless body (the upper body was also covered in disgusting, oozing blood) to pick up his head and reattach it to his body, staining his right hand with even more blood in the process. "It was also nice for me, too."

Down below the platform, no one could understand why Lady was freaking out. Dark Marik looked completely fine, too.

"What's the matter with her?" asked James.

"She took out one of Marik's monsters and dealt more damage to his life points." added Gordon. "Why would Lady suddenly be freaking out."

"No clue." shrugged Mavis.

Suddenly, Thomas had a look of horror on his face from a possible answer.

"An illusion!" he exclaimed.

The rest of the gang's eyes were focused on their blue-haired friend.

"Say what?!" came from James R..

"What are you talking about?" asked Matt.

"Marik must be using his Millennium Rod to create horrifying illusions to try and scare Lady." said Thomas.

"But if they're illusions, then they shouldn't be real." Toby pointed out.

"We know that, but Lady doesn't. And judging from her reaction from seeing one such illusion, she's probably too scared to even care."

"We have to help her!" cried Percy, turning to look at his girlfriend. "Lady! It's okay, just calm down! It's all just an illusion!"

But Lady didn't seem to hear, because she was looking positively terrified right now. To this point, she even began to regret ever challenging Dark Marik to a match. But unfortunately for her, the worst was yet to come...

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	49. The Sun Dragon (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Lady began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Alright, things weren't going so well thus far. Odion was out cold, Marik is on the loose, and...Liz also seems to be really mad at me."

Liz's calm face turned into an angry one...

"Lady, I just can't believe you!" she began.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lady.

"You're my brother's girlfriend, are you not?" Liz questioned accusingly. "Then why not show a little faith? While everyone else, myself included, showed him some encouragement during the duel, you were not being all of that very much!"

"I told you I wanted him to win!" objected Lady. "But the situation looked very bleak."

"That's no excuse!" snapped Liz. "Stop being such a pessimist towards your friends! It's like you don't truly care for Percy at all, otherwise you would never have doubted him!"

Lady had a look of shock and hurt on her face. Unfortunately, the young woman didn't stop there...

"If you continue to be so doubtful about Percy in his duels, then perhaps it's best that you never see him again! ...or even everyone else here."

Outside the room, everyone else actually did not leave... they were listening onto the conversation going on inside the room! ...when the door opened and Lady ran out sobbing down the hallway. Liz then came out of the room and gave a contented sigh after letting her anger and frustration out.

"Much better." The young woman said to herself.

"Ouch, that really hurt me, you know! ...but truthfully, she was right; I was pretty negative during Percy's duel. What's more, I found out my duel in the finals would be against Marik himself."

Meanwhile, Lady was outside on the duel platform and waiting for Dark Marik to arrive.

"Marik..." The beautiful blonde-haired girl said to herself darkly. "He has put my friends through so much pain and trouble." Then Lady had an idea. "Wait a minute... If I can defeat him, then perhaps that will help me make things right with my friends."

Just then, she felt a cold chill enter her body. Lady then noticed Dark Marik walking out of the staircase and onto the platform. The man was smiling sadistically upon seeing who he was dueling first.

"So, you're my opponent?" asked Dark Marik. "Very good. A young girl like you will be a...most interesting appetizer."

Lady just activated her Duel Disk in response...before getting into a dueling position.

"Once I'm done with you-" she said bravely. "-you will never hurt anybody ever again!"

Dark Marik chuckled and activated his own Duel Disk in response. "Prepare for an experience like none you've ever experienced in your life!"

"Oh please, you don't scare me." Lady scoffed.

Dark Marik glared fiendishly. "Then why do I sense the fear in your eyes?"

"Our duel started off rather well... but then he decided to turn it up a notch. How so? Well..."

With that, Dark Marik took out the Millennium Rod from his cape as the wind blew it about fiercely.

"Playtime is over! It's time to take things up a notch!"

Suddenly, a large purple fog began to cover the top of the blimp.

"Purple fog?" Zack blinked.

"Oh no..." whispered Discord. "It's happening again."

Thomas knew this, too. "The purple fog..."

Soon, the whole top of the blimp was covered in thick, purple fog.

"Welcome to the Shadow Realm!" cackled Dark Marik. "The darkness hungers for potential sacrifices!"

"W-What is this fog?" exclaimed Lady, looking around. "I know I've seen it somewhere before, but I-!"

"You're about to experience the world's most terrifying game." interrupted the evil man. "There is no going back now, Polly Stone!"

"Right now, I'm feeling really nervous about the duel. Okay, scratch nervous, I mean terrified out of my mind!"

Amazoness Swords Woman obeyed and slashed Makyura the Destructor in half, destroying it in an instant.

"Take that, you creep!" cheered Lady.

Suddenly, she heard some sinister laughter coming from Dark Marik, making her confused and such. Dark Marik continued to chuckle as...blood came splurging from his neck.

"Well done." The evil man said darkly (LP: 2050). "You took away more of my life points."

Suddenly, with little warning, Dark Marik's head...fell off his shoulders and onto the ground, leaving behind a very bloody mess coming from Dark Marik's neck (both body and head). Terrified out of her mind, Lady gave a shriek like no other.

"Y-Your head!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl stammered.

"That was a very nice hit, indeed." Dark Marik continued, sounding more creepy than normal while also using his headless body (the upper body was also covered in disgusting, oozing blood) to pick up his head and reattach it to his body, staining his right hand with more blood in the process. "It was also nice for me, too."

"Never have I felt so scared in my whole life. But with Marik being around, the duel—err...Shadow Game—is only going to get far worse from here on out."

* * *

 **Title: The Sun Dragon, Part 2**

* * *

The blimp was flying across the ocean... however, a thick purple fog had gathered around the top of the blimp. Inside the fog (Shadow Realm), the next duel of the Battle City Finals was going on. Lady was actually winning! ...but she was NOT enjoying it one little bit.

"Lady! Lady! Calm down!" called Percy. "Lady!"

Still, the beautiful blonde-haired girl would not reply, because it looked like she was stuck in a frightened trance of some sort.

"Why won't she answer?" The green-haired boy asked after giving up.

"What's the matter with her?" asked James. "She's winning the duel, and yet she's scared of something."

Back on the duel platform, Dark Marik gave a cruel laugh at how pathetic and scared his opponent looked right about now.

"What's the matter, my dear?" asked the evil man. "Is there something on my face?"

He laughed menacingly once more, causing Lady to become more and more frightened by the minute.

"Marik!" shouted the voice of Thomas. "Stop this madness at once!"

Dark Marik frowned and turned to look towards the blue-haired boy off of the duel platform.

"If there's one thing I can't stand-" he said unhappily. "-it's a goodie two shoes trying to spoil my fun."

"What fun?!" snapped Thomas. "Your Shadow Game is basically torturing someone!"

"Which IS my fun!" Dark Marik retorted, before grinning darkly. "Don't you worry, Thomas, you'll get your chance to experience it... once we face each other for real."

The blue-haired boy growled furiously. The evil man then proceeded turned back to Lady and continue with the duel.

"Now then, little girl, when you destroyed Makyura the Destructor, you've activated its special ability! I can now go and activate any number of Trap cards directly from my hand immediately."

"Any number?!" Lady gasped, speaking for the first time in minutes.

"That's right!" cackled Dark Marik, taking a card from his hand and showing what it was. "And I'll begin with the Trap card Rope of Life!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up before creating a bottomless hole with a long rope lowering into it.

"This Trap card lets me revive the monster you just destroyed!" explained Dark Marik, before sending every remaining card in his hand to the graveyard. "All in exchange by sending all of the cards in my hand to the graveyard!"

Within seconds, Makyura the Destructor was pulled up by the rope. The evil man wasn't quite finished yet...

"That's not all! The revived monster also gains an additional 800 attack points!"

Makyura the Destructor grew, as Dark Marik had just said, stronger (ATK: 1600 - 2400). Lady grimaced from seeing this, as now she was facing an even stronger monster.

"Marik's monster is now stronger than my own monster." The beautiful blonde-haired girl thought to herself, just before grimacing. "He's going to attack me back!"

"Attack with Judgement Blade!" commanded Dark Marik.

"Hold up, I thought Marik already attacked?" James questioned.

"He did... but he lost his monster and brought it back with a Trap card." explained Zack. "And since it's still his battle phase when he did that, he can use his revived monster to attack."

Makyura the Destructor, meanwhile, obeyed the command; slashing at Amazoness Swords Woman with its claws, leaving red claw marks on the monster before the wounds ended up destroying her.

"AUGH!" screamed Lady, dropping to her knees and clutching her chest in pain. "W-What's...?"

Bringing her free hand up, the beautiful blonde-haired girl saw...blood?!

"I'm...bleeding?!"

"Haven't you forgot the conditions of our little Shadow Game?" teased Dark Marik. "In this duel, our lives are on the line... and while it is all indeed a simple illusion, the pain is oh so real. The first duelist to reach zero life points...dies."

He laughed maniacally while Lady shivered like a leaf in terror.

"Lady!" cried Percy. "It's not real! You have to fight it and be strong!"

But again, the beautiful blonde-haired girl didn't respond back.

"She's too scared to listen." said Edward gravely.

Dark Marik chuckled darkly. "How pathetic. I was expecting someone with a much braver streak than this!"

Lady continued to shiver in fear. Suddenly, Dark Marik looked at his Duel Disk's life point gauge and, growing shocked, noticed something.

"Hold on!" The evil man exclaimed. "Why did MY life points go down after that attack?"

It's true; Dark Marik's life point meter now read 1150. Everyone else down below was surprised by the action, too.

"How did that happen?" asked Henry. "Shouldn't Lady have lost those life points?"

"When Amazoness Swords Woman does battle-" explained Edward. "-any battle damage Lady takes is inflicted to her opponent instead."

"Then Lady should consider herself lucky." Emily remarked.

"Too bad she is still terrified." Gordon added unhappily.

Regardless of that setback, Dark Marik wasn't looking worried in the slightest.

"It makes little difference to me." he said dismissively. "I end my turn."

Trying to shake the fear from her mind, Lady drew her card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (4): De-Spell, Dunames Dark Witch, Fairy's Hand Mirror, and Pot of Greed

* * *

All of a sudden, a Spell card (Pot of Greed) materialized face-up.

"Using Pot of Greed, I draw two more cards from my deck."

Lady, still shivering from fear, struggled to draw her two cards, but then accidentally dropped them both onto the ground.

"Oh!" she cried out, kneeling down to pick them back up.

"She can't even think straight." said Discord in concern.

Regardless, Lady recovered a little bit and placed a card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

"I set one card facedown and summon Amazoness Chain Master in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was another Amazoness with skimpy blue clothing and a long golden chain (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"My turn is over."

Dark Marik chuckled. "Then let's continue the torture session!"

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Dark Marik (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (1): Holding Arms

* * *

The drawn card was a monster card called Holding Arms.

"Well, well, this little creature should do good enough!" The evil man held his drawn card out. "I summon Holding Arms in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was a pair of shackles with the Millennium Eye symbol between each cuff (Level: 4/ATK: 500).

"And-" Dark Marik continued, wagging his tongue around. "-it prevents your monster from attacking for at least three of your turns!"

"How so?" Lady asked, but soon wished she hadn't.

Suddenly, the shackles attached to Lady's monster and suspended her in the air.

"What?! No!"

"Now watch what else will happen, dearie!" cackled Dark Marik.

Suddenly, Holding Arms shocked Lady's monster with electricity, causing her to yell in pain. Unfortunately, Lady also began screaming in intense pain as she started getting shocked as well.

"Lady, no!" cried out the beautiful blonde-haired girls' friends.

"Stop this now, Marik!" demanded Thomas. "You're going too far!"

"Not far enough, boy!" Dark Marik insisted, looking delighted with all of the torture he was conducting. "So long as we're dueling under my rein, I make the rules!"

Once the shock torture ended, Lady again fell to her knees! ...but this time, she was so scared that she wanted to surrender.

"I can't go on." The beautiful blonde-haired girl said to herself in fear. "I'm too scared. And the pain is too unbearable."

"Thomas, Lady is about to crack!" Percy exclaimed, grabbing his best friend by his shirt collar. "You have to do something to help her!"

"But what can I do?" questioned Thomas. "I'm not the one dueling her."

"But you've got a Millennium Item of your own." argued the green-haired boy. "Can't that do anything to help her?"

"I don't even know how it works!"

Before anything more could be said, the Millennium Puzzle started glowing all gold.

"Huh?!" came from the two friends.

Up on the duel platform, Dark Marik looked surprised.

"What is this?!" The evil man cried out.

A beam shot out of the puzzle and struck Lady, but did not actually hurt her.

(new location...)

Inside Lady's mind, the beautiful blonde-hair girl was still cowering on her knees and shivering.

"I'm so afraid." whimpered Lady. "I can't fight anymore... it hurts too much..."

"Lady Stone... Lady Stone..." echoed a new voice.

Lady looked up. "Who's there?" Suddenly, she suddenly saw a light up ahead. "A light?"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl slowly got up and moved towards the light, gasping at what she saw at the end of her little walk.

"Thomas is that you?" Lady quizzed.

"Yes." confirmed Thomas softly, with a Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead. "My Millennium Puzzle must have allowed me to enter your mind to talk with you."

"But why?"

The blue-haired boy smiled kindly. "Because I want to tell you...you're not alone."

"You mean... the others still care for me?" asked Lady. "Even though I was a doubtful pessimist?"

"We care very much for you." Thomas assured. "Even Liz does, too."

"But she yelled at me!" Lady sniffled sadly. "...even though I deserved it."

"Liz was just being a good older sister to Percy. And even then, she didn't mean what she said to you. She even told us that before we came out to watch the duel."

Lady felt unsure. "Really?"

"I mean every word." Thomas answered. "Now get out there and show Marik how great of a duelist you really are!"

Lady felt better. "Alright, Thomas." she said, sounding more and more confident. "I will."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp, Lady was back on her feet.

"How can this be?!" Dark Marik asked in shock. "You should be cowering before me!"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." said Lady bravely. "Thanks to my friends, I will be able to defeat you!"

"What?!" Dark Marik demanded, before gazing down at Thomas with an enraged glare. "You!"

"Looks like you've lost your touch, Marik." grinned Thomas, while his Millennium Puzzle continue to glow.

"How dare you interrupt my Shadow Game, Billinton!" roared Dark Marik, taking out and holding his Millennium Rod out at the blue-haired boy. "Looks like I'll have to teach you a little lesson when you interfere!"

Thomas, clutching his neck with both hands, choking, while finding himself being lifted off the ground.

"Thomas!" cried out the blue-haired boy's friends.

After a few seconds, Dark Marik lowered his Millennium Rod as it ceased glowing.

"That's enough punishment... for now."

Emily gripped onto Thomas's shoulders as he coughed and spluttered while trying regain his breath.

"Are you okay?" The dark green-haired girl asked with a look of worry on her face.

"I...think so." Thomas coughed a bit.

"You're going to pay for that, Marik!" shouted Gordon.

"Relax, Gordon." assured Lady, finally drawing a card. "I'll take care of this."

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Lady Stone (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (4): De-Spell, Dunames Dark Witch, Fairy's Hand Mirror, and Blood Exchange(!)

* * *

It was a Spell card called Blood Exchange.

"Just what I need." thought the beautiful blonde-haired girl with a smile. "Get ready, Marik!"

"Hmm?" Dark Marik raised an eyebrow.

"Behold the Spell card Blood Exchange!" Lady continued, just as a Spell card materialized face-up on her side of the field. "By paying 800 life points, I shuffle my whole hand into my deck and draw three cards from it."

"Go ahead." Dark Marik insisted.

Lady took a life point hit (LP: 3200) as she shuffled her hand into her deck, shuffled the deck, and drew three cards. They were shown to be Amazoness Spellcaster (Spell card), Dramatic Rescue (Trap card), and Amazoness Fighter (Monster card).

"Now I must end my turn here." she concluded.

"And here I was hoping for a big play." sighed Dark Marik, drawing a card and beginning his turn. "Not that it matters to me... It's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Dark Marik (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (1): Card of Last Will

* * *

His drawn card was a Trap card called Card of Last Will.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." he stated, slotting his drawn card into an empty monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"He didn't attack..." Mavis remarked. "But why?"

"Oh, I want the torture to draw out for as long as possible." Dark Marik answered, his face stretching out like bad animation. "Like so!"

Holding Arms began to glow and surge electricity onto Amazoness Chain Master, but Lady was ready for it this time...

"Don't even think about it, Marik!" she called. "Reveal Quick-Play Spell card; Grave Arm!"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This card allows me to send one monster on the field to the graveyard." explained Lady.

"Too bad it won't work on my Holding Arms." smirked Dark Marik.

"But whoever said I would use it on your monster?" Lady asked teasingly. "I'm using it on my own monster!"

"You're what?!"

A large arm reached out from the ground and grabbed Amazoness Chain Master.

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" asked Dark Marik.

"To prevent you monster from torturing me." Lady answered. "And because my own monster has a special effect."

Before being dragged under, Amazoness Chain Master twirled her chain around before throwing it.

"She allows me to take a card from your deck and add it to my hand. Besides, there is one card I want from you!"

The chain pierced Dark Marik's deck and dragged a card out of it. Lady caught it and held it out for all to see.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra!" announced Lady, smirking with triumph.

"She took what?!" James R.'s eyes nearly bugged out.

Carlie was just as surprised. "She took Ra from Marik!"

"That was a clever move." smiled Discord.

"Sure this move cost me 1000 life points, but it was worth it." Lady commented (LP: 2200).

Normally, the opponent would be outraged that his/her best card was taken from him/her, but Dark Marik was actually smiling over his best card being taken just like that... just before erupting into loud laughter.

"Congratulations..." The evil man said sarcastically and sinisterly. "You got my best card. Let's see if you'll last long enough to use it! As you now have no monster to protect you, I am free to attack you directly!"

"Not quite. Since you've ended your turn, I'm spared of a direct attack."

Dark Marik gave a small huff. "Hmph! Good point... Then make your move then."

"Don't mind if I do!" nodded Lady, drawing her card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Lady Stone (LP: 2200)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (5): Amazoness Spellcaster, Dramatic Rescue, Amazoness Fighter, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Cyber Harpie Lady

* * *

Her drawn card was the Cyber Harpie Lady monster card.

"The good news is that I got Ra into my hand." Lady thought to herself. "The problem is that I have no other monsters to sacrifice to summon it."

Off the duel platform...

"This is interesting." Spencer commented aloud.

"What is?" asked Skiff.

"Lady was able to take Marik's Egyptian God card." answered the silver-haired boy. "Now it's only a matter of time until she summons it."

Back atop the duel stage, Lady finally made a play...

"I set two cards facedown." she began, slotting two cards into her Duel Disk. "Then I summon Amazoness Fighter in attack mode!"

Another Amazoness in skimpy green clothing appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500). Unlike the others, she had no weapon.

"Too easy..." Dark Marik stated, drawing his card. "But that also means more fun for me!"

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (1): Holding Legs

* * *

"Go, Makyura! Attack and destroyed Amazoness Fighter!"

Upon hearing those words...

"Sorry, dear!" called Lady, poking a button on her Duel Disk. "Reveal Quick-Play Spell card; Amazoness Spellcaster!"

The first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This card, which requires me to control a monster with ' _Amazon_ ' or ' _Amazoness_ ' in its name, swaps the attack points of our monsters with one another!"

Makyura the Destructor grew weaker (ATK: 2400 - 1500), while Amazoness Fighter grew stronger (ATK: 1500 - 2400).

"Counterattack!" commanded Lady.

Amazoness Fighter obeyed, kicking Makyura the Destructor in the stomach, destroying him in an instant.

"Ah ha ha ha ha..." laughed Dark Marik (LP: 250), just as a gory wound being punched into his stomach and spewing out blood. "How wonderfully painful..."

Lady looked frightened and a little sick to her stomach from seeing that, but she managed to keep herself calm from seeing the illusion. Just then, a facedown card on Dark Marik's side of the field flipped face-up.

"And because you've changed my monster's attack points, I'll activate Card of Last Will." The evil man stated. "This Trap card lets me draw until I hold five cards in my hand."

Dark Marik drew four more cards from his deck. Lady, meanwhile, grew worried over what she did; the beautiful blonde-haired girl had assumed by waiting until her opponent had zero cards in her hand, Makyura the Destructor's effect would not activate when it got destroyed.

"And now to activate Makyura the Destructor's special ability!" continued Dark Marik, taking and readying one of his new cards. "Thanks to you refreshing my hand, I'll activate this terrible Trap card..." He turned the card over and showed the opponent. "Suffer more pain... from **Nightmare Wheel**!"

Suddenly, Amazoness Fighter found herself trapped on a huge torture wheel of a sort.

"My monster!" cried Lady.

"Not only can your monster not attack-" said Dark Marik, smiling widely as more torture was about to happen to his opponent. "-but you'll lose 500 life points during each of my standby phases!"

"This is bad!" exclaimed Ryan in worry. "Lady will be tortured more if she doesn't do something!"

Dark Marik laughed in agreement. "Exactly! Oh, how I will enjoy those screams of agony!"

"Which is why I won't let that happen." Lady spoke up.

"Huh?!"

"I activate my other facedown card!" declared Lady, poking a button on her Duel Disk. "Trap card, open - Dramatic Rescue!"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl's final set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"This allows me to return my Amazoness monster back to my hand and special summon a new monster, also from my hand, in its place."

"Does this mean-?" Thomas started to say.

"So, does this mean you're gonna summon my Egyptian God monster now?" asked Dark Marik teasingly.

"I'm no fool, Marik." said Lady serious. "I know if I summon Ra now, it would have 0 attack and defense points because I never tributed any monsters to summon it."

Spencer frowned in disappointment.

"However! You'll see it soon enough... before the end of my next turn, that is!"

Amazoness Fighter turned back into a card and returned to Lady's hand and she took a new card.

"And now, I choose my Cyber Harpie Lady!"

The familiar winged humanoid wearing purple clothing and Cyber Shield-like armor took Amazoness Fighter's place (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1300).

"And since the original target for your Nightmare Wheel left the field, the Trap card is also destroyed!" Lady reminded, pointing forth at her opponent.

Dark Marik growled, watching as his Trap card (and Nightmare Wheel itself) shattered into pieces of glass.

"That's better." smiled Lady, preparing to draw her next card. "Now to focus on summoning that God monster."

Despite the setback, Dark Marik merely smirked to himself.

"Will you control Ra? he thought to himself. ...or will Ra control you?"

"All Lady has to do is attack next turn-" said Percy happily. "-and she's won!"

"Here's where it ends!" Lady announced, drawing her card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Lady Stone (LP: 2200)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (3): Amazoness Fighter, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Graceful Charity

* * *

It was the Graceful Charity Spell card.

"Not exactly what I need." she thought to herself. "But it might help me get what I need to win the duel still."

"Guys, how will Lady summon Ra if she only has one monster?" Molly asked curiously.

"She may have a surprise in store." said Emily. "But she could just attack without summoning Ra. Either way, she wins."

"I activate Graceful Charity!" Lady held her drawn card out. "This Spell lets me draw three cards from my deck while I discard two from my hand afterward!"

Dark Marik gave an uninterested grunt. Lady proceeded to draw her three cards from her deck. Looking to her hand, she then took two cards afterward.

"First I'll get rid of these two." Lady thought, discarding Amazoness Fighter and her drawn Harpies' Hunting Ground (Spell card). "Now, did I...?"

She had added Gravity Bind (Trap card) and Elegant Egotist (Spell card) to her hand and gave a satisfied smile.

"Oh, I am so good." Lady muttered quietly, just before speaking up. "Well, you've asked for it, Marik, and now I'm gonna give it to you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" asked Skiff.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Spencer answered, with his eyes wide as dinner plates.

"I activate the Spell card Elegant Egotist!" announced Lady, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card then materialized face-up.

"This card multiplies my single Cyber Harpie into three; summoning two Harpie Lady tokens to join with my real one!"

On cue, Harpie Lady #2 and Harpie Lady #3 both materialized and joined Harpie Lady #1 in posing for battle.

"Let's give a big Battle City welcome to the Harpie Lady Sisters!" announced Lady pleasantly.

"She's got three monsters now." exclaimed Skiff.

"Here it comes..." thought Spencer.

"And now-" continued Lady "-I sacrifice my three monsters in order to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

The three Harpie Ladies were absorbed into a huge, forming tornado. Everyone was bracing themselves from the surge of power coming from the tornado.

"She's a fool." thought Dark Marik. "She'll never control the power of an Egyptian God!"

Unfortunately for him, to his surprise, the Millennium Eye symbol was shown on the beautiful blonde-haired girl's forehead.

"What's this!? She has some power infused into her soul? But who-?!"

Look down off the platform, Dark Marik saw Thomas's Millennium Puzzle glowing and a Millennium Eye symbol on the blue-haired boy's forehead.

"Dammit! Thomas is giving this girl the power to control the Egyptian God monster!" Dark Marik thought furiously.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra is now under my control!" shouted Lady, while holding her card up high before slamming it down onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

A large light shined from the clouds as an object slowly descended. Everyone (except for Dark Marik and Lady) gazed in amazement.

"So pretty..." whispered Molly.

"I'll say." agreed Mavis.

Suddenly, the crowd (as well as Lady, but except Dark Marik) gasped. When the light faded away, floating in the sky...was just a giant gold sphere of a sort.

"What is that thing?" asked Lady in surprise.

"That's The Winged Dragon of Ra!" cackled Dark Marik. "It is currently locked within its Sphere Form waiting to be relased."

"Sphere Form?!" exclaimed Spencer.

"That isn't possible!" came from Thomas.

"But...how do I even use it?" asked Lady, looking up in complete shock.

Dark Marik never answered the question. He only laughed savagely at his opponent's predicament. Can Lady successfully tame The Winged Dragon of Ra? ...or did she make the final mistake of her dueling career?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	50. The Sun Dragon (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Dark Marik began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"That fool, Polly Stone, thought she could hope to defeat me in a Shadow Game? If she did believe that, she was sorely mistaken."

With that, Dark Marik took out the Millennium Rod from his cape as the wind blew it about fiercely.

"Playtime is over! It's time to take things up a notch!"

Suddenly, a large purple fog began to cover the top of the blimp.

"Purple fog?" Zack blinked.

"Oh no..." whispered Discord. "It's happening again."

Thomas knew this, too. "The purple fog..."

Soon, the whole top of the blimp was covered in thick, purple fog.

"Welcome to the Shadow Realm!" cackled Dark Marik. "The darkness hungers for potential sacrifices!"

"W-What is this fog?" exclaimed Lady, looking around. "I know I've seen it somewhere before, but I-!"

"You're about to experience the world's most terrifying game." interrupted the evil man. "There is no going back now, Polly Stone!"

"It's not the altitude that's making it hard to breathe." said Michael, still shocked by the purple fog.

"This is just like Thomas's duel against Sailor John." whispered Emily.

Thomas scowled. "A Shadow Game!" he thought to himself.

"My illusions of pain have weakened her will to the point she was about to forfeit the duel to me! ...but then ' ** _he_** ' had to interfere, damn him...!"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." said Lady bravely. "Thanks to my friends, I will be able to defeat you!"

"What?!" Dark Marik demanded, before gazing down at Thomas with an enraged glare. "You!"

"Looks like you've lost your touch, Marik." grinned Thomas, while his Millennium Puzzle continue to glow.

"How dare you interrupt my Shadow Game, Billinton!" roared Dark Marik.

"I will make sure that Thomas Billinton's death is as slow and painful as possible for this trick... Although the girl started to show so much more promise around here, which will make her impending death all the more sweeter than ever before."

"Don't even think about it, Marik!" she called. "Reveal Quick-Play Spell card; Grave Arm!"

Lady's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"This card allows me to send one monster on the field to the graveyard." explained Lady. "I'm using it on my own monster!"

"You're what?!"

A large arm reached out from the ground and grabbed Amazoness Chain Master.

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" asked Dark Marik.

"To prevent you monster from torturing me." Lady answered. "And because my own monster has a special effect."

Before being dragged under, Amazoness Chain Master twirled her chain around before throwing it.

"She allows me to take a card from your deck and add it to my hand. Besides, there is one card I want from you!"

The chain pierced Dark Marik's deck and dragged a card out of it. Lady caught it and held it out for all to see.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra!" announced Lady, smirking with triumph.

"So she believes she can control my own God monster? Too bad she'll regret playing it!"

"The Winged Dragon of Ra is now under my control!" shouted Lady, while holding her card up high before slamming it down onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

A large light shined from the clouds as an object slowly descended. Everyone (except for Dark Marik and Lady) gazed in amazement.

"So pretty..." whispered Molly.

"I'll say." agreed Mavis.

Suddenly, the crowd (as well as Lady, but except Dark Marik) gasped. When the light faded away, floating in the sky...was just a giant gold sphere of a sort.

"What is that thing?" asked Lady in surprise.

"That's The Winged Dragon of Ra!" cackled Dark Marik. "It is currently locked within its Sphere Form waiting to be relased."

"Sphere Form?!" exclaimed Spencer.

"That isn't possible!" came from Thomas.

"But...how do I even use it?" asked Lady, looking up in complete shock.

"Now the fun part comes about... for when I regain control of my dragon and burn her with the fiery flames of the underworld! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **Title: The Sun Dragon, Part 3**

* * *

Inside the Shadow Realm atop the blimp, the golden sphere was still floating high up on Lady's side of the field...and she still had no idea what the heck it was.

"How can The Winged Dragon of Ra just become some giant sphere?" she asked.

"As I have said; the God is trapped inside that sphere." Dark Marik answered. "And the only way to use it is to release it from its prison."

Off the platform, everyone (except Discord, who was looking silent) was staring at the giant sphere.

"I don't remember Ra being trapped inside that thing." Percy remarked.

"Me neither." agreed James.

"Once I learn how to release it and control its amazing power, I'll be unstoppable." thought Spencer.

"How can I release it?" asked Lady.

"Heh heh heh...only those who know how to recite the ancient text on the card is able to control this powerful monster." Dark Marik chuckled. "And unfortunately for you, I'm the only one capable of doing so!"

"You're just jealous that I took and summoned your best monster!" Lady protested, trying to deny the predicament she was in.

"Oh? Then why not take a little look at the card if you don't trust my words."

Lady looked down at the card and gasped. There was something written on the card in some different language.

"W-What is...?" The beautiful blonde-haired girl couldn't make heads or tails of the text.

"So?" teased Dark Marik. "Can you read the text and use Ra's power?"

Lady stared at the card's text in shock. The text was in a strange language, and she couldn't read it at all.

"It looks to be in an ancient Egyptian lore, but I can't seem to make heads or tails of it..." The beautiful blonde-haired girl thought to herself. "Augh! I knew I should have paid better attention in my History Classes!"

"Well, if you can't recite the card's text, then I shall do so on my turn!" cackled Dark Marik.

"If Marik successfully recites the lore on the card, he'll control the God and Lady would be put into great danger!" Thomas thought to himself.

Lady continued to silently glance at The Winged Dragon of Ra card on her Duel Disk.

"Stare at it all you want." Dark Marik continued to taunt. "You'll have to make a move sooner or later, and when you do... I will be ready! But here's a small, ' _helpful_ ' little tip; the hieroglyphs on the God card can only be recited by those with an Ancient Egyptian counterpart hailing from 3000 years ago, or those who are part of the Ishtar family! You, as a normal person, could never be able to control the God unless you do have a connection to 3000 years ago!"

Lady gasped.

"The ancient writing is also known as hieratic text."—

"It's what?!" exclaimed Percy.

"Hieratic text?!" came from Thomas.

"Ancient writing?!" finished Spencer.

"It was used in Ancient Egypt for law, literature, an religion." explained Dark Marik. "And as I said earlier; only those with an Ancient Egyptian counterpart hailing from 3000 years ago, or those who are part of the Ishtar family, can read it."

While Dark Marik spoke on, Discord only watched on grimly... Well, just before Dark Marik spoke up about him (Discord)...

"I should really thank Discord for putting that ' _little_ ' catch on the card." joked the evil man.

The creator of Duel Monsters's eyes widened, while everyone else gazed at him in aghast.

"You were the one who put that hieratic text on the card, Dad?" Carlie asked in shock.

"But why?" demanded Michael.

"Because Ra was easily the most powerful of all the Egyptian God monsters, he felt that only someone very special would be able to control it." Dark Marik explained, smirking wickedly. "In fact... I know two certain other people here who are able to recite the text and—well, control it."

Looking around in his P.O.V., Dark Marik was clearly gazing at Thomas and Spencer respectively. The silver-haired boy at first didn't get this and looked over to Skiff.

"Skiff, head for the lab and use the computers to get the satellites to scan the card." ordered Spencer. "After that, use the computer to translate the text."

"Right." said Skiff, heading off.

"Oh? But you need not do that, Spencer-boy." teased Dark Marik.

"What!?" demanded Spencer.

"The two people I'm talking about are Thomas Billinton...and you!"

"What?" gasped Thomas.

"Me?!" added Spencer.

"Like I've mention before; several people on this vessel can trace their lineage back to Ancient Egypt 3000 years ago." said Dark Marik. "They include both of you...and a few others present, too. For everyone else...it would just be plain old gibberish!"

As the man laughed maniacally, Thomas immediately knew that this had been Dark Marik's plan all along.

"Marik planned this from the start of the duel!" he thought. "He WANTED Lady to take his card, because he knew she wouldn't be able to recite the text."

Over with Spencer...

"The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack and defense points are determined by the monsters used in the tribute summon." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "Lady tributed three Cyber Harpie Ladies for the summon. That means Ra's attack would be 5400, and its defense would be 3900." He then scowled. "But the God is doing nothing. It can't attack nor defend while it is locked inside its sphere mode. Until I can figure out the hieratic text, I'll have to wait a little bit longer before I can learn how to defeat it."

Back on the platform...

"I... I can't control a God monster..." Lady thought to herself.

"You only have a disobeying God on your field." taunted Dark Marik. "If I were to attack on my turn, it would not protect your life points..."

Lady growled at the evil man, but said nothing in response.

"If you can't get Ra to transform into its battle mode, you'll experience more pain and torture next turn... C'mon already, pray to the Egyptian Gods!"

Dark Marik laughed psychotically. Giving up on The Winged Dragon of Ra, Lady could only took her last card and slotted it into her Duel Disk.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn." she sighed, just as a facedown card appeared before her and the girl fell into her thoughts... "My Trap card, Gravity Bind, will stop any level four or higher monsters from attacking, so I should be safe and sound for the time being."

"Then it's my turn now." smiled Dark Marik, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 250)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (6): Holding Legs, Coffin Seller, Spell of Pain, Class System, Ancient Relic of the Past(!), and Byser Shock

* * *

Adding his drawn card to his hand, the evil man immediately took another card and held it out.

"I summon Holding Legs in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was a pair of shackles similar to Holding Arms (Level: 4/ATK: 800).

"I pity you." Dark Marik said, sounding surprisingly calm. "This monster, like Holding Arms, has a special effect..."

Suddenly, Lady's facedown card fizzled out and immediately returned to her hand.

"My card!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl cried out in surprise. "It returned to my hand?!"

"Holding Legs allows me to return all of your Spells and Traps to your hand." explained Dark Marik, before holding another Spell card out. "Now behold the Spell card Ancient Relic of the Past!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized facedown—before flipping face-up and revealing itself.

"Since I control both Holding Arms and Holding Legs, I can special summon something from my deck that will be...quite powerful."

From behind Lady, a huge stone tablet emerged from the ground.

"Huh?!" The beautiful blonde-haired girl turned around in shock. "A wall?!"

"This is the Sacred Stone of Ojhat." explained Dark Marik sadistically. "And it will be the key element to prevent you from leaving here alive... GO HOLDING ARMS AND HOLDING LEGS!"

The two shackles attached themselves to Lady.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Let me go!"

The two monsters then sealed themselves into the wall, completely preventing the beautiful blonde-haired girl from escaping.

"This is a Shadow Game, little girl." cackled Dark Marik. "Meaning that everything you experience here is real. Soon, you shall be nothing more than little scraps... NOW FACE THE DARKNESS, POLLY STONE! DIRECT ATTACK NOW!"

The monsters obeyed, shocking Lady and causing her to scream in agony from the very real electric shock (LP: 900).

"Lady!" cried Percy. "We gotta save her!"

Lady was nearly unconscious around here, and Dark Marik could only laugh sadistically at the very sight.

"Give yourself in to the pain!" The evil man yelled excitedly.

"Enough, Marik!" thundered Thomas's voice in anger.

"Huh?"

Dark Marik stopped laughing turned and saw the blue-haired boy gazing at him with the Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead and a look of absolute hatred and rage on his face.

"Hmm... This is quite the entertaining show, isn't it, Thomas?" asked Dark Marik slowly, frowning unhappily at being interrupted by his greatest enemy a third time. "Walking on the edge of death with nothing else to live for in life... As you can see by now; for this poor girl, pain and suffering is her only proof that she still lives..." He then gave the crowd a very cold smile. "Either way, I shall now begin the preparations for the ' _Sacrifice of Darkness_ '."

" _Sacrifice of Darkness_?" Thomas thought bitterly. He knew exactly what Dark Marik was planning to do next.

"What's that suppose to mean, you psychopath?!" demanded Liz aloud. "What you're about to do is kill an innocent teenage girl!"

"How right you are." smirked Dark Marik. "And innocence makes a very appealing sacrifice."

No one else said a word, and the evil man then continued with his explaination...

"Now listen to me very closely... The Winged Dragon of Ra has three special effects... For this duel, I'll reveal just one of them..."

Now Thomas was shocked. "Three special effects?!"

Dark Marik laughed. "But, of course! ...unfortunately; I must first regain control of my Egyptian God monster."

"Regain control?" repeated Ryan.

"He's about to recite the text!" Emily exclaimed in worry, knowing what the evil man was going to do.

She was right; Dark Marik crossed his arms together and began to recite the text on the card.

" **Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.** "

At first nothing seemed to be happening! ...but then the orb started to glow all gold-like once more, and Percy was the first to noticed.

"Thomas, look up there!" The green-haired boy announced, pointing up at the object. "That sphere is glowing all gold!"

He was right; the giant sphere was releasing rays of light while beginning to transform itself into the body of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Ra is starting to coming out of the sphere." Thomas gasped in surprise. "The God belongs to Marik once more!"

Spencer was looking upward in surprise as the sphere continued to transform (wings were beginning to form on the sphere).

"That must be-!" The silver-haired boy thought, though he didn't get a chance to finish.

" **Envelope the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe.** " continued Dark Marik. " **Unlock your powers deep within, so that together we may win.** "

Lady, meanwhile, could only watch helplessly as the evil man finished reciting the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra card.

" **Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name...** " Dark Marik spread his arms out in welcome. " **Winged Dragon of Ra!** "

By now, the sphere had transformed into the full battle mode of The Winged Dragon of Ra, who let out a loud roar. The roar was so powerful that it unleashed a powerful wind blast across the top of the blimp. Spencer managed to keep his balance and look up in shock at the glowing dragon.

"BEHOLD THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" shouted Dark Marik, while his ace monster lowered itself a bit.

"So that's..." Thomas began.

"...The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Spencer finished.

The Winged Dragon of Ra soon reached the ground and leered at the helpless Lady Stone.

"With just one attack, you will burn into ashes." proclaimed Dark Marik. "The underworld will be very pleased to have someone like you there, my dear."

He erupted into more psychotic laughter, while Ra just growled in agreement (Level: 10/ATK: 5400/DEF: 3900).

"Lady!" screamed Percy.

"Lady doesn't have the life points to survive." Thomas thought to himself. "And this is a Shadow Game! If the attack manages to hit her, she'll..."

Lady, still chained to the giant tablet, was barely conscious as can be while Dark Marik snickered quietly to himself.

"You'll be a perfect sacrifice, Polly Stone." The evil man remarked. "Restrained, you're unable to move any limbs of your body, meaning you'll not be able to escape the fury of Ra. You can't even surrender!" Dark Marik's smile grew eviler. "I'll make this real quick. Just one little attack from Ra."

The beautiful blonde-haired girl still didn't say anything back, and could only weakly glare at her deadly opponent.

"Burn into ash by the holy flames of Ra!" cried Dark Marik, the veins on his face becoming more and more noticable.

"As one of the heads of Boxford Corp-" spoke up Mr. Gresley (Boxford) in an official tone. "-I hereby declare this duel be called off before somebody gets hurt!"

"Oh, I think not!" Dark Marik retorted, turning to look towards the one of Boxford Corp's two co-Presidents. "Try to call the match off, and I will use Ra to destroy the blimp and everyone aboard! The only one who can officially call it off...is your eldest son."

Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both immediately looked over to Spencer pleadingly.

"Spencer you must call off this duel!" begged Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "That poor girl could be killed!"

Spencer didn't say a word about it, and only kept his arms folded while gazing at the middle of the duel field... This caused Dark Marik to give another laugh when it became clear he would get to end the duel...his way...

"It would seem he doesn't want the duel to end." he said in a teasing tone, turning to look back at his opponent. "That's good... for me!"

"Lady won't survive!" Percy protested.

"Isn't there _anything_ we can do?!" came from Ryan.

"Stop it, Marik!" called Thomas. "This duel is over! You've won! There isn't any need to continue!"

"Yes, there is!" insisted Dark Marik, not losing his sadistic smile. "I want your friend to suffer in the dark abyss, while drawing out all of the hatred in your heart in the process!"

"Marik!" snarled Thomas.

Dark Marik turned around. "On my back are the carvings of the Ishtar clan." He frowned as an image of him shirtless and his back turned was then shown. "It holds the secrets and answers that you might be seeking on the questions you have on the past 3,000 years ago, the Millennium Items, and potentially on who or what you really are. ' _Are you but a mere boy? ...or are you actually the descendant of the great Pharaoh_?'"

Thomas's furious look softened. "Answers to what I truly am?"

"Yes, indeed..." said Dark Marik, still frowning. He soon closed his eyes while speaking on... "This was my family's mission passed on through generations... Our own birthright was to guard a worthless secret..."

The evil man then placed a hand on his face looking like he was feeling sad or something.

"We were bestowed darkness, scars, despair, and agony for our troubles..."

Silence filled the duel stage for what seemed like forever... Just then, quiet snickers came from Dark Marik before he faced Thomas and the others again with another evil laugh.

"Like it?" The evil man asked teasingly. "That is the trauma that dominates my weaker self! Darkness robbed him of his freedom, and even more darkness was born within his self-pitying heart! And the pain and hatred that exists within his dark heart... those belong to me!"

Thomas growled. "I knew it... he's Marik's dark personality!" he thought in realization.

"The day of my birth was when Marik turned 10-years old..." continued Dark Marik.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Young Marik was lying on his stomach and chained to the table (his back was all burnt and bloody from the carvings being...well, carved).

"On the day the Tomb-Keeper's Initiation was performed on him." Dark Marik narrated.

Mr. Ishtar held the heated knife up in one hand, and a nearly burnt out candle in the other hand. There was no trace of any signs of regret/remorse on his face after having successfully carved the markings onto his own son's back.

"His father filled him with such pain and sadness... until his weakened heart was so enshrouded with agony and suffering that all he wanted to do was die."

Young Marik finally stood up, feeling all of the pain that he had endured from the initiation, his eyes welled with tears as he began to cry. Unfortunately, he had no idea that something dark and sinister had spawned within him...

"So in order to survive, in order to keep living, he had to create another self." The evil man continued. "Namely...me..."

Beside the crying young boy, an image of the younger Dark Marik emerged and looked at the weaker soul with a sinister chuckle.

"From the moment I was born, I always KNEW I would take over his personality at one point in life!"

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"But Marik was the one trying to kill Thomas here!" protested Henry. "He was also the one who commited all of those crimes of attempted murder on all of us."

"Speaking of Marik-" demanded Gordon. "-what does he even have to do with you?"

"What does he have to do with me, indeed." agreed Dark Marik, shrugging uncaringly. "But all of those greater crimes... Clearly he would never have felt so terrible in commiting any of them if he didn't have someone on-hand to take away the guilt."

"Say what?!" exclaimed Percy. "Are you trying to tell us-?!"

"Oops! I guess the cat is out of the bag now... Yes, I outright admit it! I was the one who influenced Marik to commit all of those horrible crimes!" confessed Dark Marik, smirking evilly. "Including the crimes against you and your friends, Thomas Billinton!"

Hearing that REALLY made Thomas angry.

"You..." he seethed quietly, before his eyes flared up in intense rage at the one person who was TRULY responsible for everything evil/dangerous that has happened to him and his friends throughout Battle City. "YOU!"

The blue-haired boy's Millennium Puzzle started glowing all gold while the Millennium Eye symbol reappeared on his forehead. What was worse than that? Oh, a burning aura of darkness also surrounding him. Clearly, they were all responding to his inner hate and anger towards Dark Marik.

"Thomas!" cried out Emily, frightened of what was happening to her friend.

"Oh, but I didn't even get to the best part!" laughed Dark Marik, looking sickly amused with Thomas's fury. "There was only one thing standing in the way of my plans to take over... I could only switch personalities whenever Marik is filled with hatred and rage."

A vision/flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

In this vision, Odion was shown standing and awake.

"Odion..." Dark Marik narrated. "Without originally knowing of what he was doing, that foolish man engraved his own face with those hideous carvings just to comfort my weaker half... By doing so, all of the anger and hate inside Marik was sealed away."

(new scene...)

Inside Odion's room, the Rare Hunter second-in-command was shown lying in bed and still in his coma.

"I was confined deep inside Marik's heart with no way to emerge..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Dark Marik smirked some more and raised his Millennium Rod.

"But since he had fallen into a coma from foolishly playing that fake God card-" The evil man cackled triumphantly. "-I am finally in control of the body! Ha ha ha ha, I guess you could also say that I'm the **REAL** Marik Ishtar!"

"You're nothing but a madman!" shouted James.

"A pure sadist!" came from Toby.

"A heartless monster!" finished Liz.

"What do you want?!" demanded Thomas in his rage. "Is it the Egyptian God cards?! Or is it something else?"

"What do I even want?" teased Dark Marik in a highly sadistic tone. "I _have_ no needs whatsoever. But if you really want an answer..." His face began to slowly stretch out like bad animation of sort, while his voice began growing more and more disoriented. "All light and order... All life besides my own, I want to destroy... DESTROY! Destruction is my only pleasure! That is what gives birth to my world!" The evil man's face and voice then returned to normal. "A world in the DARKNESS OF DEATH!"

Dark Marik then laughed more savagely than ever before, actually frightening a few members of the group from what they just heard and witnessed.

"Marik...!" thought Thomas in cold fury.

Soon, Dark Marik stopped with his insane laughter and held his Millennium Rod up triumphantly at the defenseless Lady Stone.

"And it shall all begin with this weak girl! She shall perish alone in the darkness..."

Down below the platform, everyone watching gazed at Dark Marik with anger, but knew that they couldn't do anything to stop him from winning the Shadow Game. Eventually, however, Percy couldn't take it any longer and ran towards the platform.

"Huh? Percy, wait!" called Thomas.

But Percy didn't listen. "I hope it isn't too late...!" he thought to himself. Finally, the green-haired boy arrived at the platform and looked up to the referee in desperation. "Hey, you! Stop this duel at once!"

"I can't!" protested the referee. "The duel can't end until one duelist's life points reaches zero."

"But Lady's going to die if it continues any longer!" argued Percy. "Can't you guys see that?"

"No matter what... the duel WILL continue!" snapped Spencer, standing nearby.

Cursing loudly in frustration, Percy ignored the referee's further orders to not go and interrupt the duel and jumped up onto the platform. Once there, he ran towards his chained up girlfriend. Lady was too busy thinking about her impending fate, as well as all of her previous actions to pay any attention to Percy approaching.

"I deserve this." she muttered. "I've been a terrible friend to everyone I have ever met. Thomas - I tried to defeat him in San Francisco so he wouldn't have to face Sailor John and potentially end up like Spencer did after he lost. Emily - I defeated her in a duel and made it seem like Thomas would never enter the finals. And Percy, my love - I had been very unsupporting to him. He doesn't deserve someone like me..."

"Lady!" Percy's voice echoed in the beautiful blonde-haired girl's head.

Dark Marik smiled some more. "It's all over for you now... Winged Dragon of Ra, get ready to attack!"

Ra obeyed, beginning to charge a mighty blast of fire.

"Lady, hang on!" Percy cried, trying to break the chains on his girlfriend's wrists, but was having no luck in doing so. "Argh! What are these things made out of?"

The green-haired boy's voice and words slowly started to slowly bring Lady back to her senses.

"Percy?"

"Yes." said Percy gently. "It's me. I've come to save you."

"Why bother?" Lady asked sadly. "I deserve to die..."

The green-haired boy wasn't gonna accept that. "No! You don't deserve this at all!"

"He's right." agreed a voice.

To Lady and Percy's surprise, James was here to help out.

"James?" Percy blinked. "What are you doing up here?"

"I couldn't let my two friends down!" smiled the red-haired boy. He then narrowed his eyes and looked over to nearby. "...that and the referee was ticking me off something fierce."

Gesturing to nearby, the referee was shown lying off the platform facedown with a large lump on his head and stars circling around his head. Percy and Lady both couldn't help but sweatdrop from seeing what James had done.

"You knocked him out?" Lady asked in surprise.

"Hey, he gave me no other choice! It served him right for standing like an idiot when lives are in danger."

With that said, both duelists tried to free their friend from the ancient tablet, but it was no use.

"Dang it!" cried James. "These things are locked in tight."

At this point, The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack was all charged up.

"And now, Ra, attack and kill all three of them!" cackled Dark Marik. "God Blaze Cannon!"

Ra obeyed, firing the blast of fire at the three duelists. Seeing what was coming, Lady tried reasoning with her two friends...

"Forget about me!" she cried. "Run away while you both still can!"

"Not a chance." James refused bravely. "I'm sticking by your side."

"Me too!" added Percy. "I won't let anything happen to you! ...because I love you."

Lady, with tears in her eyes, felt thankful.

"Thank you... my love."

Just as it was all over for the three friends, Thomas suddenly hoped onto the arena and, with his Millennium Puzzle still glowing all gold, he went and...intercepted the Blaze Cannon attack.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Thomas, blocking the attack with his back.

"Thomas!" cried out James, Percy, and Lady at once.

"How delicious!" commented Dark Marik excitedly. "I get to actually kill Thomas Billinton, too!"

"Never!" Thomas declared, grimacing and feeling the fiery rage of Ra. "You can attack me all you want... but when you try to hurt my friends like this...I will...repel it and...ugh...send you back into the darkness...for it!"

"We shall see!" cackled the evil man. "Go, my Winged Dragon of Ra! Destroy Thomas Billinton as well!"

Ra obeyed and continued its attack (increasing its power to the limit), but Thomas wouldn't stand down from it. Eventually, to Dark Marik's great surprise, the attack began to weaken itself.

"What?!" The evil man cried out in surprise. "No! You're supposed to destroy him!"

Soon, the attack had ended. James, Percy, and Lady each fell to their knees as the cards all faded away (along with the Shadow Realm fog), but Thomas immediately collapsed from exhaustion and pain.

"Thomas!" came from Toby, Edward, and Mavis.

"THOMAS!" came from Liz, Molly, and Emily, with the final one nearly in tears.

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Dark Marik wins!**

* * *

Dark Marik smirked. "This match...is over." He then cast a glance over to the referee. "Kind sir, I've won. So announce me as the victor... And do it nice and loudly."

The referee didn't want to do so, but felt nervous when he saw the evil man was holding up his Millennium Rod.

"M-Marik Ishtar is the winner!" The referee announced nervously.

The arena lowered back down, and Dark Marik slowly approached the unconscious Thomas with the Millennium Rod, pulled off the handle with a rather short chuckle, and exposed the dagger.

"Well now, boy, should I tear you limb from limb now?" he asked sinisterly, pointing the weapon at the boy. "After all, you did nearly ruin my fun."

"Keep away from him!" growled James, approaching the evil man.

"Relax, I merely jest." sighed Dark Marik, putting the handle back on the Rod with an evil grin. "I'd much rather truly destroy Thomas in the Ultimate Shadow Game."

Suddenly, with the Millennium Eye symbol on the evil man's forehead glowing all gold, James found himself glowing all gold and motionless.

"H-Hey! I can't...m-move!" The red-haired boy winced.

Dark Marik then approached Lady, but Percy immediately stood up and got in the way.

"You stay away from her, Marik!" The green-haired boy snapped.

"You, on the other hand, need to be taught a lesson on interfering." sneered Dark Marik, whacking the green-haired boy with the Millennium Rod.

Percy shouted in pain as he flew off the arena and onto the ground near his friends.

"Percy!" came from Ryan, Liz, Carlie, and Ben.

"Know that I can kill you at anytime I choose." The evil man softly said, before turning his attention to Lady. "Now, I will be wanting my God card back from you."

Lady didn't say a word. Dark Marik proceeded to approach the beautiful blonde-haired girl menacingly.

"You're very lucky, little girl." The evil man began in almost a ' _purring_ ' like tone, kneeling down to Lady's level. "You actually got away with your life. Unfortunately, you will come to regret it for the rest of your soon-to-be short life, as you'll wish you chose death instead of living. The loser of a Shadow Game needs to be punished for it. Tell me something... do you know what kind of punishment I'm talking about?"

Lady merely shook her head fearfully, but soon came to regret it greatly...

"The kind of punishment is what I call..." continued Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing. "...A PENALTY GAME!"

Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors.

(new location...)

When the poor girl opened her eyes, she was somewhere in the darkness and inside an hourglass of a sort.

"W-Where am I?"

"You're in the world of darkness." spoke a familiar voice. Appearing beside the hourglass was Dark Marik. "...or rather your soul room."

"Soul room?" repeated Lady, growing more and more frightened. "Let me out of here...! Please!"

"Sadly, I must decline your request to release you. And let me fill you in on a little something important; the moment I remove my Egyptian God card from the little hatch in the middle of this hourglass, it will release from the top half a swarm of flesh-eating insects into your section that will devour your body slowly—but surely. In 24-hours or so... you'll never awaken from your deep slumber, Polly Stone!"

Lady could only bang on the hourglass repeatedly while screaming and pleading for help. Dark Marik could only laugh sadistically at the sight.

"Have fun!" The evil man cackled, finally removing the card from the hatch and fading away into the dark.

Lady could only continue to scream in pure terror as the flesh eating insects started pouring down on her.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the duel arena, Lady had collapsed into a coma. Percy had managed to get up on his feet and run back onto the stage.

"Lady! LADY!" he screamed. "Wake up!"

"Don't bother." hissed Dark Marik. "She's trapped in a world of endless darkness with insects eating away at her. Unless you can defeat me in a Shadow Game within the next 24-hours or so...she will never wake up."

Percy held Lady's body close to him and cried. Dark Marik merely laughed and walked past the rest of the gang and off the platform towards the elevator.

"The power inside of me has been released." The evil man thought to himself. "The more innocent souls I sacrifice to the darkness, the more it fuels my great power. But my desired number of sacrifices is not yet satisfied...yet."

(elsewhere...)

Dark Marik's psychotic laughter echoed thoughout the blimp as it flew high in the sky and across the ocean.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the duel platform, James managed to recover when everyone else got onto the platform.

"Are you okay?" asked Molly worriedly.

"I'm fine." replied James, before looking over to Edward and Emily. "How's Thomas?"

His answer came as the blue-haired boy groaned a bit and regained consciousness.

"Thomas!" Emily sobbed, hugging the boy. "Oh, Thomas! Thank heaven you're alive!"

"I'll...be okay." Thomas groaned a bit, before getting up and hearing the sobs coming from his best friend. "Percy?"

Everyone could see Percy holding Lady close to him and crying for her in anguish.

"Is Lady...okay?" asked Liz, dreading the answer.

Percy sadly shook his head. "She's in a coma." he mumbled with tears falling from his eyes. "And unless Marik is defeated within 24-hours, she'll never wake up!"

Everyone else was absolutely devastated by the news! ...although not everyone was feeling very bad about it. Spencer was watching the scene when a beeping sound came from his coat collar.

"Yes, Skiff?" The silver-haired boy asked almost immediately.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the computer lab, Skiff was tying away on a keyboard while the monitor showed a large image of The Winged Dragon of Ra card (with the text).

"I've got a picture of Ra on the computer." he said. "I'll begin translating the text immediately.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp, Spencer looked pleased with what he heard.

"Good. Let me know when the process is finished."

Once the communication turned off, Spencer turned his attention to everyone in the area.

"Alright, everyone, clear out so I can ready myself for the next duel!" The silver-haired boy announced.

Everyone glared at Spencer...but Percy only got angry, and I mean REALLY angry.

"SPENCER!" The green-haired boy managed to scream out. "This is all your fault! Why didn't you do anything to save her?!"

"Save it, Avonside!" snapped Spencer, slotting his deck into his Duel Disk. "It's my turn to duel now, and nothing will stop me from becoming the best once more! So let the ' ** _torment_** ' begin!"

As he said the last part of his sentence, a large image of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared with a roar. So yes, Spencer will be facing the tenth finalist. Who is she? We'll have to wait and see, won't we?


	51. Spencer vs the Future (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Lady had done it; she managed to summon the third Egyptian God monster... but it failed to even help her win in the end."

"The Winged Dragon of Ra is now under my control!" shouted Lady, while holding her card up high before slamming it down onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

A large light shined from the clouds as an object slowly descended. Everyone (except for Dark Marik and Lady) gazed in amazement.

"So pretty..." whispered Molly.

"I'll say." agreed Mavis.

Suddenly, the crowd (as well as Lady, but except Dark Marik) gasped. When the light faded away, floating in the sky...was just a giant gold sphere of a sort.

"What is that thing?" asked Lady in surprise.

"That's The Winged Dragon of Ra!" cackled Dark Marik. "It is currently locked within its Sphere Form waiting to be released."

"Sphere Form?!" exclaimed Spencer.

"That isn't possible!" came from Thomas.

"How can The Winged Dragon of Ra just become some giant sphere?" she asked.

"As I have said; the God is trapped inside that sphere." Dark Marik answered. "And the only way to use it is to release it from its prison."

"How can I release it?" asked Lady.

"Heh heh heh...only those who know how to recite the ancient text on the card is able to control this powerful monster." Dark Marik chuckled. "And unfortunately for you, I'm the only one capable of doing so!"

"You're just jealous that I took and summoned your best monster!" Lady protested, trying to deny the predicament she was in.

"Oh? Then why not take a little look at the card if you don't trust my words."

Lady looked down at the card and gasped. There was something written on the card in some different language.

"W-What is...?" The beautiful blonde-haired girl could make heads or tails of the text.

"Thanks to a mysterious text on the card, Lady was unable to truly call upon the great beast or control it. And thanks to a few other cards Marik played on his turn, she became trapped with no way out."

Holding Arms and Holding Legs both attached themselves to Lady.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Let me go!"

The two monsters then sealed themselves into the wall, completely preventing the beautiful blonde-haired girl from escaping.

"This is a Shadow Game, little girl." cackled Dark Marik. "Meaning that everything you experience here is real. Soon, you shall be nothing more than little scraps... NOW FACE THE DARKNESS, POLLY STONE! DIRECT ATTACK NOW!"

The monsters obeyed, shocking Lady and causing her to scream in agony from the very real electric shock (LP: 900).

"Then Marik recited the text on the card and successfully called upon The Winged Dragon of Ra from the sphere!"

Dark Marik crossed his arms together and began to recite the text on the card.

" **Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.** "

At first nothing seemed to be happening! ...but then the orb started to glow all gold-like once more, and Percy was the first to noticed.

"Thomas, look up there!" The green-haired boy announced, pointing up at the object. "That sphere is glowing all gold!"

He was right; the giant sphere was releasing rays of light while beginning to transform itself into the body of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Ra is starting to coming out of the sphere." Thomas gasped in surprise. "The God belongs to Marik once more!"

Spencer was looking upward in surprise as the sphere continued to transform (wings were beginning to form on the sphere).

"That must be-!" The silver-haired boy thought, though he didn't get a chance to finish.

" **Envelope the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe.** " continued Dark Marik. " **Unlock your powers deep within, so that together we may win.** "

Lady, meanwhile, could only watch helplessly as the evil man finished reciting the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra card.

" **Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name...** " Dark Marik spread his arms out in welcome. " **Winged Dragon of Ra!** "

By now, the sphere had transformed into the full battle mode of The Winged Dragon of Ra, who let out a loud roar. The roar was so powerful that it unleashed a powerful wind blast across the top of the blimp. Spencer managed to keep his balance and look up in shock at the glowing dragon.

"BEHOLD THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" shouted Dark Marik, while his ace monster lowered itself a bit.

"So that's..." Thomas began.

"...The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Spencer finished.

The Winged Dragon of Ra soon reached the ground and leered at the helpless Lady Stone.

"With 5400 attack points, it was more than powerful enough to finish Lady of several times over - but this was also a Shadow Game, so Lady would also be killed be that dangerous beast. This got to the point where both Percy and James attempted to mount a rescue before it was too late."

At this point, The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack was all charged up.

"And now, Ra, attack and kill all three of them!" cackled Dark Marik. "God Blaze Cannon!"

Ra obeyed, firing the blast of fire at the three duelists. Seeing what was coming, Lady tried reasoning with her two friends...

"Forget about me!" she cried. "Run away while you both still can!"

"Not a chance." James refused bravely. "I'm sticking by your side."

"Me too!" added Percy. "I won't let anything happen to you! ...because I love you."

Lady, with tears in her eyes, felt thankful.

"Thank you... my love."

Just as it was all over for the three friends, Thomas suddenly hoped onto the arena and, with his Millennium Puzzle still glowing all gold, he went and...intercepted the Blaze Cannon attack.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Thomas, blocking the attack with his back.

"Thomas!" cried out James, Percy, and Lady at once.

"How delicious!" commented Dark Marik excitedly. "I get to actually kill Thomas Billinton, too!"

"Never!" Thomas declared, grimacing and feeling the fiery rage of Ra. "You can attack me all you want... but when you try to hurt my friends like this...I will...repel it and...ugh...send you back into the darkness...for it!"

"We shall see!" cackled the evil man. "Go, my Winged Dragon of Ra! Destroy Thomas Billinton as well!"

"Fortunately, with the power of my Millennium Puzzle, I was able to prevent my friends from being killed by Ra... Unfortunately, it was not enough to stop Lady from losing the duel and being subjected to a Penalty Game."

Once everything had calmed down (well, sorta), Dark Marik proceeded to approach the beautiful blonde-haired girl menacingly.

"You're very lucky, little girl." The evil man began in almost a ' _purring_ ' like tone, kneeling down to Lady's level. "You actually got away with your life. Unfortunately, you will come to regret it for the rest of your soon-to-be short life, as you'll wish you chose death instead of living. The loser of a Shadow Game needs to be punished for it. Tell me something... do you know what kind of punishment I'm talking about?"

Lady merely shook her head fearfully, but soon came to regret it greatly...

"The kind of punishment is what I call..." continued Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing. "...A PENALTY GAME!"

Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors. Seconds later, Lady collapsed into a coma. Percy had managed to get up on his feet and run back onto the stage.

"Lady! LADY!" he screamed. "Wake up!"

"Don't bother." hissed Dark Marik. "She's trapped in a world of endless darkness with insects eating away at her. Unless you can defeat me in a Shadow Duel within the next 24-hours or so...she will never wake up."

Percy held Lady's body close to him and cried. Dark Marik merely laughed and walked past the rest of the gang and off the platform towards the elevator.

"The power inside of me has been released." The evil man thought to himself. "The more innocent souls I sacrifice to the darkness, the more it fuels my great power. But my desired number of sacrifices is not yet satisfied...yet."

Dark Marik's psychotic laughter echoed thoughout the blimp as it flew high in the sky and across the ocean.

"Marik! Mark my words; you will pay for all of your actions one way or another! I swear it on my own life..."

* * *

 **Title: Spencer vs. The Future, Part 1**

* * *

Inside Lady's room fifteen minutes after Dark Marik won the duel, the poor coma-induced girl was put into bed to rest (she was currently wearing only her skirt and a sports bra) while everyone else gathered around to watch over her solemnly.

"Lady..." whispered Mavis.

"I can't believe this happened to her." added Molly, looking like she was about to cry.

Liz looked even worse. "This...is all my fault." she sobbed.

"Liz?" asked Ryan, looking at his wife.

"If I hadn't yelled at Lady-" said Liz through her tears. "-she would still be with us."

As the poor young blonde-haired woman fell to her knees and cried out of remorse, Thomas gave a sad look of his own before looking over to her (Liz).

"No, Liz." The blue-haired boy spoke up soft. "You're not to blame for this... it was all Marik's doing."

"Marik." Matt growled, clenching his fist.

"Spencer's just as guilty." added Gordon. "He chose to stand there while Lady was in danger."

"Why is he behaving like this?" Emily questioned in an upset tone.

"At this point, I have no idea." answered Thomas. "And this is something I _want_ to know about."

"All of us do, Thomas-boy." corrected Discord.

"So, where are Percy and James?" Toby suddenly asked.

"Likely outside on the duel arena chewing Spencer out for not stopping the duel." replied Ben. "...not that I blame them or anything."

"Especially Percy." agreed Carlie.

The gang began to leave, but Liz didn't follow behind.

"Dear?" Ryan questioned. "You're not coming with us?"

"I... I'm staying to look after Lady." she said, shaking her head. "I feel that I deserve some of the blame for what happened."

Everyone was silent... but then Ryan smiled and walked over.

"Then I'll stay, too. Is that okay with you?"

Liz smiled for the first time in a while and accepted the offer.

(elsewhere...)

Outside on the duel stage, James and Percy were both indeed chewing Spencer out for what happened to Lady.

"I can't believe you didn't do anything to stop Marik from hurting Lady!" shouted Percy in anger.

"There was no reason to stop it." dismissed Spencer. "I had to see The Winged Dragon of Ra with my own eyes!"

"Even if it meant letting an innocent girl burn to death?!" snapped James.

Upon hearing the red-haired boy's voice, Spencer immediately looked over to him.

"As for you, James Hughes-" The silver-haired boy said firmly. "-you've punched out the referee and tried to interrupt the duel. Therefore you are out of the finals for misconduct."

"You know what? I don't care about this crummy tournament anymore!" James growled. "He got what he deserved for just standing there while Lady was about to be killed by Marik and The Winged Dragon of Ra! Percy and I were at least willing to risk our lives to try and save her! Now she's in a coma, and it's all your fault for not attempting to stop it from happening!"

Standing nearby, Dark Marik was listening in on the argument and chuckled darkly.

"Good friends, and now it's finger pointing and name-calling." The evil man said to himself in sick amusement. "I just love stuff like that!"

Spencer, meanwhile, was about to talk back to James when a familiar voice spoke up.

"Hello, Spencer Gresley." said a calm, collected female voice. "We meet again."

Spencer turned around to the owner of the voice. "And who might you be?" he asked.

A woman (the tenth finalist) wearing white priest clothing walked over. A piece of clothing was covering much of her face.

"You know me." The woman pointed out wisely. "I vowed that we would meet again."

She then removed the clothing from her face and revealed herself to be...

"Ishizu!" Spencer exclaimed with bloodshot eyes.

Yes, the tenth finalist was none other than Ishizu Ishtar. At the sight of his older sister, an image of Light Marik appeared while trying to break free from Dark Marik's control.

"Sister!" The reformed Rare Hunter leader cried out. "Help me!"

Dark Marik grimaced in pain as he held onto his head.

"Stay away!" shouted the evil man mentally. "I'm in control now!"

The image of Light Marik faded away as Dark Marik scowled. Around this time, Thomas and the others arrived outside.

"Spencer, we need to-"

"Hello, Thomas." said the voice of Ishizu, cutting the blue-haired boy's sentence off before he could finish.

Sliding to a halt, Thomas was very surprised to see the familiar woman from the museum.

"Ishizu?"

"Yes." The Egyptian woman nodded. "We meet again...as I foreshadowed."

"You're the tenth finalist?" Mavis asked.

"Why didn't you join the crowds for the last four duels?" demanded Spencer.

"The time wasn't right to show myself to all of you." answered Ishizu. "But now we have to face each other! ...and you will lose to me."

The silver-haired boy folded his arms arrogantly. "Somehow I doubt that." he scoffed.

"I ' _ **know**_ ' you will lose." The Egyptian woman insisted, as her Millennium Necklace shined brightly.

"That's right." said Thomas. "Your Millennium Necklace allows you to see the future."

"Indeed." nodded Ishizu.

Spencer merely laughed. "Even with your little trinket, you can't ever hope to beat someone like me!"

Ishizu didn't say anything back, and instead cast a glance towards Dark Marik.

"Marik, my little brother, I will save you from yourself." she thought to herself. "I swear on my life to bring you back to the light!"

Over to Dark Marik, the image of Light Marik once again tried to break free from his dark persona.

"Help me!" he cried. "Ishizu!"

Sadly, Light Marik quickly faded away as Dark Marik growled in anger at his ' _weaker self_ ' interfering again. From there, he decided to do something about ' _him_ '.

(elsewhere...)

Light Marik, now trapped inside an hourglass, gave a scream as he was sealed in the darkness.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the duel platform, Ishizu finished looking at Dark Marik and cast a glance back over to Spencer.

"Prepare yourself, Spencer." The Egyptian woman declared. "I will defeat you and save my little brother from his dark side."

"Bring it on!" dared Spencer. He then cast a quick glance over to Dark Marik.

The evil man was looked rather interested in seeing such a duel between his ' _sister_ ' and the CEO of Boxford Corp.

"Let me see the skills of a prodigy." Dark Marik thought to himself.

Finally, the two duelists walked onto the middle of the dueling arena and activated their Duel Disks.

"The final duel of the first half of the Battle City Finals will now begin!" announced the referee. "Mr. Spencer Gresley vs. Ishizu Ishtar! You both may begin when ready!"

"Time to duel!" The two duelists said at the same time (LP: 4000).

Over with the group of friends...

"I wonder what Ishizu's playing style is like?" James wondered.

"Looks like we'll soon see." Edward answered.

"If you don't mind-" said Spencer. "-I'll go first."

"By all means." nodded Ishizu, just before entering her thoughts. "First you'll summon Vorse Raider in attack mode."

* * *

 **Turn One** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): Kaiser Glider, Vorse Raider, Shrink, Ring of Destruction, and Polymerization

* * *

On cue, Spencer took a card from his hand...

"I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!" announced the silver-haired boy, placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The vicious beast warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1900). Ishizu couldn't help but smirk a little bit at what was coming next...

"Now you'll set a card facedown." she thought only to herself.

A facedown card materialized behind Vorse Raider.

"Now I'll set one card facedown, and that's all for now." Spencer finished.

"It's my turn now." said Ishizu, closing her eyes and drawing from her deck.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (6): Agido, Spell Reproduction, Monster Reborn, Swords of Revealing Light, Keldo, Michizure of Doom

* * *

Without even looking at her drawn card, she immediately slotted it into her Duel Disk.

"Behold the Spell card Michizure of Doom!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. The audience gasped at what they saw.

"She didn't even look at it!" exclaimed Michael.

"It was like she knew what it was." added Zack.

On the platform, Ishizu explained her card's effect...

"You are to show me your hand and I must choose two cards from it. Both cards are sent to the graveyard."

"Fine." dismissed Spencer, despite feeling somewhat worried. "But don't forget I get to do the same to you."

The Egyptian woman nodded, and immediately spoke of the cards she wants Spencer to discard.

"Kaiser Glider and Polymerization." she said simply.

Spencer was shocked. He didn't even show Ishizu his hand, and yet she guessed the cards correctly without even looking.

"But how did she-?"

"Well?" asked Ishizu, acting like it was a lucky guess on her part. "Are you going to discard them?"

"Grr... Smart guess." Spencer grunted, discarding the selected cards to his graveyard.

"Now you may do the same with my hand." The Egyptian woman continued, holding up her current hand.

Her hand contained the following cards; Agido, Spell Reproduction, Monster Reborn, Swords of Revealing Light, Keldo. Looking carefully, Spencer had a good idea on what cards for Ishizu to discard.

"Spell Reproduction and Monster Reborn." he stated.

Ishizu discarded both of those Spell cards without a care in the world. Down below, Dark Marik chuckled in amusement.

"Ishizu's dueling skills haven't changed one bit." The evil man remarked.

A flashback ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A year before Marik formed the Rare Hunters group, Duel Monsters had taken off all across the world, and Ishizu and Marik were both playing a quick round.

"My sister once played a game with my weaker self, and easily won." Dark Marik narrated.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Too bad normal Marik is gone forever." Dark Marik continued mentally. "There's only me, the ' _true_ ' Marik, now!"

Ishizu cast a quick glance down at the evil man that was once her brother. It was very obvious she was using her Millennium Necklace to listen in on Dark Marik's thoughts.

"I will win this duel and save my brother from you, demon." The Egyptian woman thought to herself. "I know that his good heart is still in there waiting to overcome you!"

Dark Marik chuckled in his own thoughts. "Your precious little brother has been sealed deep within my heart."

Ishizu narrowed her eyes upon hearing that statement. Dark Marik, with a swing of his right arm, then made an image of the trapped Light Marik appear in a way that only Ishizu could see.

"SISTER!" screamed Light Marik in fright.

Suddenly snapping out of her little trance, Ishizu then looked back to Spencer before taking her hand and adding it back to her deck.

"Now we are to shuffle our hands back into our decks and draw the same number of cards we've had before."

"Whatever." grunted Spencer, adding his hand to his deck.

The silver-haired boy and the Egyptian woman both shuffled their hands back to their respective decks and drew a fresh hand. Ishizu then took another card from her hand and placed it on a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

"Come forth - Keldo!"

A fairy-like creature with shields on its hands appeared kneeling in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1600).

"An earth attribute fairy-type?" Emily blinked.

"It also looks Egyptian." added Edward.

"So weird." said Mavis.

Spencer snorted. "Not much of a surprise to me." He then drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (4): Crush Card Virus, Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, and Des Feral Imp

* * *

"Vorse Raider, destroy Ishizu's Keldo, now!"

Vorse Raider obeyed, slashing at Keldo and destroying it.

"When Keldo is destroyed in battle-" said Ishizu, looking like she wasn't concerned about losing her only monster. "-I can choose two cards from your graveyard and return them to your deck."

Spencer grunted and took his Polymerization and Kaiser Glider cards both back.

"Then you've wasted a perfectly good Spell card." The silver-haired boy criticized, before slotting one more card into his Duel Disk. "I'll place one more card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized.

"It's my turn." Ishizu calmly announced, drawing a card.

Spencer smirked to himself. "The minute she summons a strong monster and attacks me, I'll have a little something in store for her."

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (6): Cestus of Dagla, Agido, Swords of Revealing Light, Mudora, Zolga, and Exchange of the Spirit

* * *

Ishizu's drawn card was a Trap card called Exchange of the Spirit. She then took and placed another card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

"Meet Mudora; and I place it in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was a muscular fairy-like creature (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"For every fairy monster in the graveyard-" Ishizu added. "-Mudora gains an additional 200 attack points."

Mudora grew stronger (ATK: 1500 - 1700). Ishizu then cast a glance at another card in her hand.

"Would you hurry it up?!" snapped Spencer. "I have a duel to win!"

"Patience, Spencer."

"My patience has already worn out with you and your blasted family!" The silver-haired boy spat rather bitterly. "The sooner I eliminate you from my tournament, the sooner I can go and defeat your insane brother and become the very best once more!"

That insult infuriated Ishizu greatly as she actually lost her calm and stoic posture... If there was one thing she really hated was when someone insulted her brother and/or family!

"How dare you insult my family! You will regret saying those words to me!" The Egyptian woman snarled, immediately grabbing a card from her hand and holding it out. "I activate Cestus of Dagla!"

The mentioned Equip Spell card materialized face-up. Percy and Emily both remembered it from one time before...

"I remember that card...!" Percy exclaimed. "Emily used that one time against Lady!"

"I did!" agreed Emily.

"This card increases my monster's attack by 500 attack points." explained Ishizu. "And if that monster inflicts any battle damage to you, then I gain life points equal to the damage inflicted."

Mudora grew stronger (ATK: 1700 - 2200). The Egyptian woman narrowed her eyes once more out of anger and motioned her right hand forth.

"Attack now!"

"Is it just me... or does Ishizu sound upset?" asked James, sounding surprised at hearing how angry Ishizu seemed to be.

"Wouldn't you be if someone like Spencer insulted your loved ones?" Edward pointed out.

"Good point."

Meanwhile, Mudora obeyed and charged towards Vorse Raider. Spencer smirked, because this was what he had been waiting for.

"Why, thank you. You've activated both of my facedown cards." The silver-haired boy said smugly, poking two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Go!"

Both facedown cards flipped up and revealed themselves.

"First Shrink cuts my Vorse Raider's attack in half." explained Spencer.

Vorse Raider grew weaker (ATK: 1900 - 950).

"Guys, you remember this strategy, don't you?" James spoke up.

"The same one he tried on Sailor John." said Henry. "Back then, it failed!"

"And now for my second facedown!" announced Spencer. "Crush Card Virus!"

Mudora destroyed Vorse Raider in an instant. Spencer took a life point hit...but it didn't matter to him at the moment (LP: 2750).

"And now every monster of yours with 1500 or more attack points has been infected!" laughed Spencer proudly. "And by infected, it means rendered completely and utterly useless!"

Ishizu, with a seemingly surprised look on her face, watched as her deck and cards emitted purple smoke.

"Guys, if Ishizu's Millennium Necklace can tell the future, why didn't she foreshadow this?" asked Molly.

"Is it too late to trade that thing in for a crystal ball?" Percy joked.

"Did she plan on that happening?" asked Thomas to himself, growing suspicious.

Mudora instantly vanished from the virus smoke.

"Now send every monster you have that has 1500 attack points or greater to the graveyard!" ordered Spencer.

Ishizu did so; taking all the powerful monster cards out of her hand and deck.

"Now all you have is a deck full of pathetic weaklings. Weaklings that I can crush oh so easily!"

"According to my Millennium Necklace I don't need a powerful monster to defeat you." retorted Ishizu, slotting a card into her Duel Disk. "I play Swords of Revealing Light!"

A barrage of bright swords appeared before Spencer.

"Now you will not be able to attack for three turns." Ishizu went on, having calmed down and went back to her usual stoic posture. "And my Equip Spell's second effect will now increase my own life points by the damage you took." She glowed briefly as her life points increased by the amount of damage she dealt Spencer not long ago (LP: 5250). The Egyptian woman then slotted a card into her Duel Disk. "Finally, I place a card facedown and end my turn."

"Hold on... Why didn't we see that when Lady dueled you, Emily?" questioned Henry. "Didn't the Cestus of Dagla card also allow your monsters to perform a second attack if successful?"

"I guess the effect must've been changed a bit from then until now." The dark green-haired girl shrugged. "I got my new copy of the card from Discord not long ago."

"Regardless, Ishizu now has way more life points than Spencer does." Thomas pointed out.

On the platform, the silver-haired boy was not too worried.

"More life points won't protect you from my onslaught!" he declared, drawing a card and beginning his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)  
 **Deck** : 31  
 **Current Hand** (4): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Des Feral Imp, and Pot of Greed

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : Three turns!

* * *

The Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"With Pot of Greed activated I draw two more cards"

Spencer drew his two cards and then placed another card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"I summon Des Feral Imp in defense mode!" The silver-haired boy announced. "I'll also set one card facedown and end my turn!"

Appearing to the field was a tough looking green gremlin (Level: 4/DEF: 1800), and was immediately followed by a facedown card.

"I will crush Ishizu one way or another." The silver-haired boy thought. "Even if she has more life points than me, I will win."

Ishizu merely shook her head and drew her card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 5250)  
 **Deck** : 20  
 **Current Hand** (1): Muko

* * *

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." As she said this, a facedown card appeared before her.

"No action?" huffed Spencer, drawing his card. "Then watch me!"

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)  
 **Deck** : 30  
 **Current Hand** (4): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and The Flute of Summoning Dragon

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : Two turns!

* * *

His drawn card was The Flute of Summoning Dragon Spell card. That wasn't what Spencer was hoping to draw right now.

"I'll pass my turn."

Below the platform, Dark Marik was watching the duel and looked fairly amused.

"How enjoyable." The evil man thought to himself. "Ishizu must be having a great time toying with that fool Spencer."

"It would seem she doesn't have much to work with now, does she?" asked Matt.

"Doesn't look like it." agreed Zack. "That Crush Card Virus depleted much of her deck."

"I wouldn't count Ishizu out just yet." Discord suggested.

Back on the duel platform...

"It's my turn." said Ishizu, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 5250)  
 **Deck** : 19  
 **Current Hand** (1): Muko

* * *

"I'll now pass this turn - for the card I drew is of no use to me at this time."

"How sad." Spencer mocked. "You've played Swords of Revealing Light just to stall your impending defeat, and this shows it!"

"I'm waiting until you draw that one card." Ishizu rebuffed. "And when you use it, you will be defeated."

"We'll see about that."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the computer lab, Skiff, joined by both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), was hard at work getting The Winged Dragon of Ra translated.

"We're just about ready to translate the card." Skiff reported.

Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) were both looking rather distracted by something.

"Something the matter?" asked Skiff.

That snapped the two adults out of their little trance.

"Huh? What?"

"You both seemed to be distracted by something." said Skiff.

"Oh no, we're fine, Skiff dear." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) lied.

Skiff didn't look so sure... but nodded a little bit.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the duel area, Spencer had drawn his card and began his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)  
 **Deck** : 29  
 **Current Hand** (5): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, and Ring of Defense

 **Swords of Revealing Light** : One turn!

* * *

"I believe you'll pass this turn?" called Ishizu.

The silver-haired boy looked to his card briefly and gave a nod.

"Yes. You're right."

Ishizu nodded. "As I thought."

"What do you think he's planning to do?" asked Toby.

"Probably sic his God monster on her." answered Edward.

"With no monsters to protect her-" said Molly. "-Ishizu won't stand a chance."

Thomas, however, didn't look so sure.

"I don't know..." The blue-haired boy commented in his thoughts.

"It's my turn." announced Ishizu, drawing another card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 5250)  
 **Deck** : 18  
 **Current Hand** (2): Muko and Sacrifice's Blast(!)

* * *

"I shall now pass again." Ishizu stated.

Spencer looked almost angry at the lack of action. "For three whole turns, you've failed to summon a single monster. At this point, I'm not concerned with losing due to you not having very much... So do me a favor and spare me any of your potential threats."

Ishizu didn't say anything in response and only watched as the magical swords of Swords of Revealing Light started to fade away

"Three turns have gone by. You are free to attack me."

The remaining swords of light finally vanished from around Spencer's side of the field.

"That's good..." The silver-haired boy smirked a bit wickedly. "Now prepare yourself, Ishizu!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A white glow enveloped the three humans and returned them to the present. Spencer was looking very quiet.

"I..." he muttered. "...believe you now."

"Thank you." said Ishizu. "Now take a look at the carvings at the top of the stone."

The two boys (Spencer and Skiff) obeyed and did so, as the woman continued to explain.

"According to legends-" she began. "-there were three spirits that protected the people of Egypt. They are known as the Egyptian Gods."

One carving showed a huge, muscular creature.

"Obelisk the Tormentor."

The second showed a large serpent-like dragon with two mouths.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon."

And the third was a dragon too, but it looked like it had a more birdlike face.

"And The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Wow..." gasped Skiff.

"And now, I have something to give you." Ishizu continued, holding up a card. "One that I think you might like."

Spencer nodded and took the card. Once he saw what it was, he was shocked once again.

"This is Obelisk the Tormentor!" he cried. "How did this become a card?"

"Discord created the game Duel Monsters." said Ishizu. "While doing so, he also made the Egyptian Gods into cards."

"But why didn't he ever use them?" asked Spencer.

"Discord feared their power and worried he wouldn't be able to control them." explained Ishizu. "Whoever holds these cards can become the ultimate duelist."

"I've heard of them." said Skiff. "Whoever welds all three can use their power for either good or evil. Any mishap could lead to someone's death."

"Discord gave the Egyptian Gods to me." Ishizu went on. "I had them hidden away, but two were stolen by the Rare Hunters."

"Who are the Rare Hunters?" asked Spencer.

"A group of elite duelists lead by a ruthless young man." said Ishizu, though her eyes could tell she was lying on the 'young man' bit. "They steal cards and sell them on the black market, making millions in the process. However, they also keep the best ones for themselves, allowing them to build unbeatable decks. They are also very cruel, for they could also possibly kill people if they wanted."

"They sound like the pirates lead by Sailor John." Skiff commented.

"We must get the Egyptian Gods back from them before they come for Obelisk as well."

"How do you suggest we do so?" asked Spencer.

"The Rare Hunters seek the rarest cards around." said Ishizu. "Perhaps if you were to host a big Duel Monsters tournament..."

"...I see." nodded Spencer. "The Rare Hunters would accept the bait, bringing the other two God cards with them."

"You may borrow Obelisk for the tournament." said Ishizu. "But I will expect it back."

"How do you know I'll return a powerful card like this?" asked Spencer smugly.

"Because I have complete trust in you."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Ishizu should have known better than to give a card as rare and powerful like Obelisk to me." thought Spencer. "Now I'll show her what happens when she makes that one mistake!"

He then drew from his deck while slashing a colourful wave in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (6): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Ring of Defense, and Obelisk the Tormentor

* * *

And, as predicted, the silver-haired boy had successfully drawn Obelisk the Tormentor.

"The end has come!" Spencer announced gleefully, before bringing a hand to his monster card on his Duel Disk and switching it straight. "First I'll switch Des Feral Imp into attack mode and strike you directly!"

Des Feral Imp rose to an offensive stance and attacked Ishizu. The Egyptian woman grimaced a bit, but managed to keep her balance (LP: 3650).

"So tell me; did you predict that would happen to you?" Spencer teased. "Because right now, Des Feral Imp is the least of your problems. Real soon, I will defeat you with my Egyptian God monster!"

Ishizu kept her calm, stoic look. "Fate has other plans in store for you, Spencer Gresley." she thought. "Soon Obelisk will be the key to your defeat."

"Do you hear me?" Spencer continued. "You can't win against me! Nothing, and I mean nothing, can save you from Obelisk's wrath! So prepare yourself for defeat!"

With that said, Spencer started to laugh menacingly as an image of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared behind him. Can Ishizu defeat him? Or is the silver-haired boy correct, and that the Egyptian woman can't win? We'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	52. Spencer vs the Future (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Ishizu began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"My name is Ishizu, and I'm here in the Battle City tournament to save my brother."

Just before Spencer, Skiff, their parents, and the bodyguards could go inside the blimp, a voice spoke through the area.

"Am I late?"

The bodyguards looked out and saw someone approaching the blimp.

"State your name!" ordered one of them.

The person, who was female, wore a cream coloured sleeveless one-piece dress with the bottom similar to a sarong, a matching waist length veil which widens and spreads below her shoulders and gold sandals. Her jewelry consists of gold bracelets, ankle bracelets, armbands and brooch bearing the Eye of Wdjat on her veil. The female also wore a piece of white cloth over her face (minus eyes).

"My name is none of your concern." she said in a calm, collected tone. She also had her six Locator cards out. "But I do have my six Locator cards."

"Very well." nodded a bodyguard. "Welcome aboard.

The woman followed the guards aboard the blimp before the doors closed and the stairs retracted.

"Eventually, I revealed myself to Spencer and Thomas."

"Hello, Spencer Gresley." said a calm, collected female voice. "We meet again."

Spencer turned around to the owner of the voice. "And who might you be?" he asked.

A woman (the tenth finalist) wearing white priest clothing walked over. A piece of clothing was covering much of her face.

"You know me." The woman pointed out wisely. "I vowed that we would meet again."

She then removed the clothing from her face and revealed herself to be...

"Ishizu!" Spencer exclaimed with bloodshot eyes.

Yes, the tenth finalist was none other than Ishizu Ishtar. Sliding to a halt, Thomas was very surprised to see the familiar woman from the museum.

"Ishizu?"

"Yes." The Egyptian woman nodded. "We meet again...as I foreshadowed."

"You're the tenth finalist?" Mavis asked.

"Why didn't you join the crowds for the last four duels?" demanded Spencer.

"The time wasn't right to show myself to all of you." answered Ishizu. "But now we have to face each other! ...and you will lose to me."

The silver-haired boy folded his arms arrogantly. "Somehow I doubt that." he scoffed.

"I ' ** _know_** ' you will lose." The Egyptian woman insisted, as her Millennium Necklace shined brightly.

"That's right." said Thomas. "Your Millennium Necklace allows you to see the future."

"Indeed." nodded Ishizu.

Spencer merely laughed. "Even with your little trinket, you can't ever hope to beat someone like me!"

Ishizu didn't say anything back, and instead cast a glance towards Dark Marik.

"All of the plays that have occurred thus far by both of us are all that my Millennium Necklace have foretold me on. And Obelisk the Tormentor will be the key to Spencer's defeat."

"Real soon I will defeat you with my Egyptian God monster!" declared Spencer.

Ishizu kept her calm, stoic look. "Fate has other plans in store for you, Spencer Gresley." she thought. "Soon Obelisk will be the key to your defeat."

"Do you hear me?" Spencer continued. "You can't win against me! Nothing, and I mean nothing, can save you from Obelisk's wrath! So prepare yourself for defeat!"

With that said, Spencer started to laugh menacingly as an image of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared behind him. Can Ishizu defeat him? Or is the silver-haired boy correct, and that the Egyptian woman can't win? We'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

 **Title: Spencer vs. The Future, Part 2**

* * *

Outside at the duel stage atop the blimp, the duel between Spencer and Ishizu was still going on. Ishizu (LP: 3650) was ahead on life points, but had an empty field and a deck short on cards. Spencer (LP: 2750) was lower of life points, but had Des Feral Imp on his side of the field. No one knew what was about to happen in the coming turns... Well, at least not if your name was Ishizu Ishtar.

"Ishizu has far more life points so far-" said Henry to his friends. "-but she did lose a chunk of her deck."

"And if my hunch is correct-" added Gordon. "-Spencer has likely drawn his God card right around here."

"And once he plays it-" threw in Edward. "-Ishizu will probably be defeated."

"Spencer still needs three monsters to sacrifice." reminded James.

"Not to mention Ishizu still has many of her Spell and Trap cards left, too." added Carlie.

Back on the duel platform, Spencer continued to gloat...

"Look at the almighty Ishizu Ishtar... Thanks to my Crush Card Virus, you can't use any of your more powerful monsters!"

"Yes, I am quite aware of that." Ishizu said calmly. "But I won't need them to win."

Down below the platform, Dark Marik continued to watch the duel with a smirk on his face.

"Spencer won't win against Ishizu..." The evil man thought to himself. "The only way he will succeed is if he confronts his ancient past... The sad thing is that he's too foolish to even do so. He'll just continue to dig his already deep hole until it's too late to turn back..." His smile widened more evilly. "Oh, how I enjoy seeing people suffer like this!"

"And now, prepare to lose even more cards from your deck!" declared Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Behold the Spell card Virus Cannon!"

The mentioned Quick-Play Spell card flipped face-up and revealed itself, but Ishizu didn't look concerned at all with seeing it.

"This will infect ten random Spell cards in your deck and send them to the graveyard." explained the silver-haired boy. He then pointed forth towards the Egyptian woman. "Open fire!"

A large laser-like cannon appeared out of the card and fired... Soon, the beam struck Ishizu's Duel Disk and reducing her deck even more so.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Now you've lost pretty much the rest of your deck!" laughed Spencer. "You have no chance of beating me now! Admit it, Ishizu!"

Ishizu didn't say anything back; she just sent her remaining Spell cards to the graveyard without a care in the world. Finally, Ishizu did speak up—in an eerily calm tone.

"Thank you for that, Spencer..." The Egyptian woman said aloud. "Now you have sealed your own fate... by falling into the trap of the Tomb-Keepers."

"Nonsense!" Spencer scoffed. "I've wiped out pretty much your whole deck! You have nothing left to stop me from winning!"

Below the platform, Thomas finally came to a haunting realization over what Ishizu was planning to do...

"Oh no..." The blue-haired boy gasped in horror.

"What's up, Thomas?" Percy asked, looking to his shocked best friend.

"I think Ishizu plans to destroy Spencer's deck the same why he did to her own deck!"

"I don't see how." shrugged James. "Spencer's pretty much got the duel won!"

Back on the platform, Ishizu was going into a brief explanation on what she meant by how Spencer had sealed his own fate.

"It's true that you've destroyed my deck." she acknowledged. "But you have forgotten one important detail..."

"And what's that?" Spencer asked dismissively.

"I still have my Trap cards, and I also have a way to undo the damage you did." said Ishizu. "Now observe as I reveal my facedown card - Exchange of the Spirit!"

The Egyptian woman's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Exchange of the Spirit?" Toby blinked.

"That's an extremely rare card." Discord explained. "Only five copies were ever released worldwide."

"I can only activate this Trap card if I have thirty or more cards in my graveyard." explained Ishizu, taking a life point hit (LP: 2650). "By giving up 1000 life points, we must swap the cards in our decks with the cards in our graveyard. That leaves me with all the cards I need; and you are left with only five cards."

Spencer, his eyes going bloodshot, got a look of pure horror on his face from hearing this little tidbit.

"Five cards?!" The silver-haired boy thought furiously, watching helplessly as his life point counter began bleeping an alarm of a sort. "How could I let this get so out of hand?! Has Ishizu really been toying with me this whole time?"

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, in the control room, Skiff was still working out the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra card.

"Hmm... this section looks somewhat more complicated than other parts of the card." The young boy remarked.

Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both watched a little bit before noticing something on a nearby computer monitor.

"What's that?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Skiff looked away from his work to the nearby monitor...and gasped. In the monitor, Spencer was shown being forced to send almost all of the cards in his deck to the graveyard while adding the only five cards in his graveyard to his deck.

"It's my big brother!" cried Skiff. "He's in trouble!"

Without a second thought, he jumped from his chair and raced out of the room to the rescue.

"Skiff, wait!" called Mr. Gresley (Boxford), but was too late.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp, Spencer looked like he was in a trance thanks to Ishizu's unexpected use of Exchange of the Spirit.

"I was right!" thought Thomas. "This was what Ishizu was aiming for! She knew Spencer would try to destroy her deck, and had a special card waiting in the wings to turn things around once it was time to activate it."

Images of Ishizu's Duel Disk and various cards would shown in the blue-haired boy's mind.

"For this purpose, Ishizu sent her cards to the graveyard one after another."

Outside Thomas's mind, and with a smirking Dark Marik...

"Boy, oh boy... That WAS scary." The evil man said to himself. "Now you know, Spencer... It was YOUR deck that got wiped out!"

Meanwhile, Thomas and the others were talking about the sudden turn of events that Ishizu unveiled with Exchange of the Spirit.

"Um... I'm sorta confused." Henry admitted. "What exactly happened?"

"Ishizu had just wiped out Spencer's deck." said Emily.

"Basically, when Ishizu played Exchange of the Spirit - all of the cards she had previously lost to both Crush Card Virus and Virus Cannon returned to her deck." Thomas added, following up with... "...but Spencer wasn't so lucky; he only had five cards in his graveyard when that Trap card was played. That means if he doesn't win before he runs out of cards in his deck, Spencer will lose by default."

Ishizu took all of her remaining cards from her deck and sent them to the graveyard, while also getting back all of her previous cards. Spencer had to send his main deck to the graveyard, and take the five remaining cards that he had used earlier and place them in his deck holder.

"Sweet!" smiled Percy. "That loss means it will knock that ego of his down a huge notch."

"What about his God card?" asked Molly. "Won't Spencer still win if he plays it?"

Percy folded his arms. "Look at you with all the answers."

Back on the duel platform...

"I have you in my trap, Spencer. There is no escape from your future." thought Ishizu. She then took the time to make a light-hearted jab... "I believe it's my turn, yes?"

"Grrr... Then go!" growled Spencer, not in the mood for small talk.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (3): Sacrifice's Blast, Muko, and Kelbek

* * *

On cue, a new monster called 'Kelbek' materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"I summon Kelbek in attack mode." announced Ishizu. From there, she slotted another card into her Duel Disk. "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized behind Kelbek. Spencer, meanwhile, was still stunned by this sudden turnaround. He couldn't lose now... he just couldn't!

"This is my tournament! If I lose, I'll be humiliated across the island!" The silver-haired boy thought to himself.

"Man, I love seeing Spencer squirm like this!" James remarked, just before bursting into laughter.

Just then, Skiff, along with both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), came running into the area.

"Big brother!" called the younger boy.

Thomas and the others turned and saw Skiff and his adopted parents approaching.

"What are you three doing here?" he asked.

"Skiff saw Spencer was in danger." explained Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Never mind about me." insisted Spencer. "How's the translating process on The Winged Dragon of Ra coming along?"

"It's coming along well so far." replied Skiff. "But we're having a problem translating the last few lines of the card."

Spencer gave a small huff of irritation... just before Ishizu spoke up to him.

"It's your turn, Spencer." The Egyptian woman stated.

"When I'm ready!" barked Spencer.

The silver-haired boy was now in a bind. Thanks to Ishizu's Exchange of the Spirit Trap card, he now had only five cards left in his deck. That meant his options were very few, if actually any. At last, Spencer drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2750)  
 **Deck** : 4  
 **Current Hand** (7): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Ring of Defense, Obelisk the Tormentor and Virus Cannon

* * *

"You've drawn Virus Cannon, yes?" Ishizu spoke up, while her Millennium Necklace was glowing all gold.

Spencer scowled in frustration. "Yes." he said unhappily. "And now I shall use it right away and wipe out those Spell cards of yours again!"

With that said, the silver-haired boy immediately slid the card into an empty Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. Unfortunately...

"Behold the Trap card Muko!" Ishizu announced, poking a button on her Duel Disk. "Now you must send your activated card to the graveyard."

Her facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Damn!" cursed Spencer, discarding his card.

Dark Marik chuckled to himself. "So, it would seem Ishizu hasn't lost her touch at all... That Spencer has no chance of winning against her!"

"I end my turn!" The silver-haired boy grimaced a bit.

"He could've attacked." Gordon commented. "Why not?"

"Maybe he doesn't want to risk falling for another potential trap." suggested Toby.

"Maybe..." Emily whispered.

"Spencer wants to summon his Egyptian God monster." explained Thomas. "And right now, he's trying to get a strategy together to summon it before he runs out of cards in his deck."

"It is my turn." said Ishizu, calmly drawing her card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sacrifice's Blast and Zolga

* * *

The Egyptian woman placed her drawn card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

"I summon Zolga in attack mode!"

Appearing to the field was a caped creature (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

"Destroy Spencer's Des Feral Imp!" Ishizu commanded.

Zolga obeyed, swiping and destroying the fiend-type monster with a sweep of his cape. Spencer scowled from watching this (LP: 2650).

"You're wide open for a direct attack." continued the Egyptian woman, motioning her right hand forth. "Kelbek, attack now!"

Kelbek obeyed, blasting Spencer with lightning and causing him to yell in pain from the damage he took (LP: 1150).

"Are you done yet?" asked Spencer, upon recovering.

"Quite so." nodded Ishizu. "But I advise that you give up before it's too late."

"Never!"

At this point, Thomas spoke up. "Spencer, listen to me! You're in over your head!"

"Keep out of this, Billinton!" snapped Spencer.

"This tournament of yours is more than a game." The blue-haired boy continued regardless. "Have you not seen the damage that Marik has caused so far? He's hurt far too many innocent people like Lady, and you could be next to get hurt or worse!"

"He's right, Spencer!" called Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "You must end this before it is too late!"

Spencer listened on... but instead drew his card rather than surrender to Ishizu.

"My move!" The silver-haired boy announced.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : 3  
 **Current Hand** (7): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Ring of Defense, Obelisk the Tormentor, and Crush Card Virus

* * *

On cue from Ishizu... "Reveal Trap card - Muko!"

Another facedown Muko card flipped up and revealed itself. Angrily, Spencer was immediately forced to discard his drawn card.

"Spencer's done for; he only has two more cards in his deck." James said bluntly.

"If he wants to win, he needs to summon Obelisk fast." added Henry.

"Come on, Spencer!" called Skiff pleadingly. "You can't lose! Just use your secret weapon!"

"He's right." Spencer thought, while looking at his current hand. "I must summon Obelisk soon... but I have no monsters to tribute!"

His hand contained Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Ring of Defense, and Obelisk the Tormentor. Angrily, the silver-haired boy took a card from his hand and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I'll set this card facedown and end my turn." he stated hotly, just as a facedown card materialized before him.

Unfortunately, in her personal thoughts, Ishizu knew exactly what the silver-haired boy was up to.

"You are planning to wait until I summon a third monster." The Egyptian woman thought. "Then, once I do that, you will activate your facedown card, Soul Exchange, to tribute them in order to summon Obelisk the Tormentor. But the moment you do so, victory will be mine."

From there, Ishizu drew her card.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Ishizu Ishtar (LP: 2650)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sacrifice's Blast and Agido

* * *

"First I will play one card facedown." The Egyptian woman began, slotting a card into her Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized. The Egyptian woman fell into her thoughts over the set card, and what it was.

"The card is Sacrifice's Blast; which when set facedown, it will create an explosive inside one of my monsters. When sacrificed, the bomb will automatically be transferred to the monster summoned by a tribute summon."

"Play a monster..." thought Spencer anxiously.

"All she has to do is attack him directly and she's won." said Mavis.

Suddenly, Ishizu took her final card and placed it onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk.

"I summon Agido in attack mode!" she announced knowingly.

Appearing to the field was what looked like a large, red egg with robotic arms and a millennium eye symbol.

"She's done it!" thought Spencer with a small smile. "It's time to play my facedown card..." Suddenly, he hesitated a bit. "W-Wait... What if she is expecting me to use Soul Exchange and offer them as a tribute? I could be walking into another trap, and one that could finish me off... No! I have to use this opportunity to summon Obelisk the Tormentor! ...otherwise I'll lose the duel!"

Ishizu stood firm and in preparation. "I'm waiting..."

At last, Spencer had made up his mind on what to do next...

"It's time to defeat you with the very card you gave me!" he announced, pointing to his facedown card. "First I reveal my facedown Soul Exchange!"

The silver-haired boy's set Quick-Play Spell card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"This grants me control of as many monsters you currently control!"

All three of Ishizu's monsters went over to Spencer's side of the field. Ishizu merely nodded slowly and awaited the summon of Obelisk the Tormentor.

"And now I sacrifice all three of these monsters to summon the greatest monster in all of Duel Monsters!" Spencer's voice became rather booming-like. "Prepare to feel the wrath of the Egyptian Gods themselves!"

He slammed his monster card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. The card materialized facedown before flipping up and revealing itself.

"Come forth - OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!"

The three monsters disappeared into a tornado as the huge blue Egyptian God soon appeared with a booming roar while Spencer cackled with evil glee. Everyone down below the platform gazed upward in silence as the Egyptian God gave a low growl (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"Ah, things are starting to get interesting." Dark Marik remarked.

"Alright! You go, big brother!" cheered Skiff.

"He...did it." stuttered Percy. "He actually did it."

"Ishizu is in trouble now." said Molly, gazing up in fright at the sight of Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Heh heh heh... still think I'm going to lose?" asked Spencer gleefully. "Let's see which is stronger... Your necklace, or my Egyptian God monster!"

Ishizu just kept her calm, stoic expression. It was like she knew that right then and there...she had won.

"I'm afraid it is all over for you." The Egyptian woman thought to herself. "Now that you've tributed the monster equipped with my Sacrifice's Blast Trap card, the blast is now infused within Obelisk. The moment it attacks, it will be destroyed and you will take damage equal to its attack."

Ishizu began to have a vision of a sort.

* * *

 **VISION**

Obelisk the Tormentor stood behind Spencer all motionless, while the silver-haired boy gestured forth towards Ishizu.

"Obelisk, attack and grant me victory!" he ordered with evil triumph.

Obelisk the Tormentor prepared to attack... But, suddenly, it stopped as if something was wrong.

"W-What?!" gasped Spencer, turning around just to get something that horrified him. "Obelisk?!"

His mighty Egyptian God suddenly began to fall to pieces as an internal explosion destroyed him from the inside. A shockwave slammed into Spencer and send him flying while screaming in defeat.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended as Spencer immediately took his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1150)  
 **Deck** : 2  
 **Current Hand** (6): Silent Doom, Soul Exchange, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, The Flute of Summoning Dragon, Ring of Defense, and Vorse Raider

* * *

"Prepare to make peace with yourself, Ishizu." he sneered, adding his drawn card to his hand. "Nothing will save you from my Egyptian God monster's wrath!"

"Attack me then, Spencer." said Ishizu calmly. "If you think it will help you win."

Down off the platform, Dark Marik decided he was bored and turned around to leave.

"Spencer is finished." The evil man remarked, unaware of his glowing Millennium Rod. "I would stay to see him lose it all... but I have more important matters to attend to."

With that said, Dark Marik began to walk away... while his glowing Millennium Rod shined very brightly and catching the attention of Thomas and everyone else nearby.

"The Millennium Rod!" Thomas exclaimed.

Finally, Dark Marik noticed it, too. "W-What?! What is going on?!"

Back on the platform...

"Obelisk!" commanded Spencer, just as some yellow light entered his eyes. "Atta-"

Suddenly, he froze mid-sentence. Feeling like time had frozen all around him, and Thomas was the first to notice this...

"Spencer has stopped his attack."

"Snap out of it, Spencer!" called Percy.

"Big brother!" added Skiff.

Ishizu gave a genuine gasp. "What's...?"

Spencer began to have a vision of his own.

* * *

 **VISION**

The dueling field had been enveloped in a bright light. When it faded, the silver-haired boy found himself looking at what looked like a huge stone slab. On the slab was a carving of his favorite card.

"What is this...?" he thought.

Suddenly, the scene flashed to another area. In this scene, a young Egyptian man was kneeling towards a giant stone carving of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon while carrying a dead girl, who had pale white skin and long white hair, in his arms.

"Kisara..." The man wept, his tears rolling down his cheeks.

High up in the sky, Spencer watched what was happening.

"This vision...!" he thought. "What is this sadness pounding in my chest?"

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended, and Spencer found himself back atop the duel arena. Ishizu was confused as to why the silver-haired boy stopped his attack. Dark Marik was staring at his glowing Millennium Rod.

"Is it possible that his hidden memory is sealed within the Millennium Rod?" he asked aloud.

Spencer, meanwhile, watched as the vision he saw with the mysterious young man and the dead young woman flashed before his very eyes...before clutching his head in pain.

"Spencer..." whispered Thomas.

"It looked like..." thought Spencer. "...the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was on that palette! Why... why did I have this vision?"

Looking through his hand, the silver-haired boy spotted his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. Suddenly, he heard a roar in his head... Almost like his own spirit monster was trying to call out to him.

"Blue-Eyes... What are you trying to tell me?"

In front of Spencer was what looked like a spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It growled softly.

"You wish to fight?" asked Spencer. "Is that it?"

The dragon gave a nod in affirmation. Realizing that this vision was too important to ignore, Spencer finally nodded softly.

"Very well... we will win, together!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon monster spirit roared in approval and faded away. Having recovered from his shock, the silver-haired boy began his turn anew.

"Observe as I activate a Spell card." Spencer announced, taking a card from his hand and holding it out. "It's called Silent Doom! It allows me to revive a monster from my graveyard in defense mode. In exchange, it can not attack at all!"

"My necklace didn't foresee this!" thought Ishizu, sweating a little bit from surprise.

A warrior-like machine monster called Gadget Soldier materialized (Level: 6/DEF: 2000).

"And now, in order to summon my ace monster... I must make a sacrifice of two monsters." said Spencer, holding up two fingers of his right hand. He then braced his fingers onto the Obelisk the Tormentor monster card on his Duel Disk. "First this one-!"

"Oh no!" cried Ishizu in horror.

"Yes! My own Egyptian God monster!" admitted Spencer.

"What did he say...?!" Dark Marik looked genuinely shocked himself. "He'll sacrifice his own God monster?!"

"Say what!?" came from James R..

"Is he serious?!" demanded Carlie.

"Sacrifice Obelisk?!" exclaimed Ben.

"I've never seen anyone do something like that, mate!" Michael threw in.

"Hear me now! I won't be controlled!" boomed Spencer in a dramatic tone. "' ** _I_** ' decide my future! So now, I sacrifice my monsters! Obelisk and Gadget Solider, I send you both to the card graveyard!"

He removed Obelisk the Tormentor and Gadget Soldier from his Duel Disk. The two monsters faded away from the field, much to Ishizu's greater shock.

"Ishizu! I'll show you... The embodiment of both my pride and my soul, my loyal servant!" Spencer declared, readying a card in between his fingers. "Now observe as I summon my Blue-Eyes!"

In an instant, he placed his card onto the middle monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

The card materialized facedown before flipping up and revealing itself...before the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged from the card with an almighty roar. The dragon landed near its master and glared at Ishizu fiercely (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"He...changed the future..." whispered Ishizu. "He defied my predictions...by summoning his Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"What did he see?!" growled Dark Marik, noticing that his Millennium Rod was no longer glowing.

"He sacrificed Obelisk the Tormentor so that he could summon his Blue-Eyes." said Skiff in amazement.

"I think I have a theory on what happened." thought Thomas. "Marik's Millennium Rod must've shown Spencer a vision of a sort. His destiny was connected to the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and it called out to him. It must have saved him from a horrible fate."

On the duel platform, Spencer immediately addressed Ishizu—almost in a disappointed tone rather than taunting.

"If you really did prophesize my loss-" he began. "-then it looks like it won't be coming true... I had been wanting to use Obelisk to defeat you, Ishizu, but my Blue-Eyes wanted me to use its power to win the game..."

Ishizu closed her eyes, gave a small smile, and accepted her incoming defeat.

"Now, Blue-Eyes, attack!" ordered Spencer. "Wipe out Ishizu's life points with White Lightning attack!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed, charging and firing a blast of whitish lightning straight at Ishizu. The attack overwhelmed her, but she didn't even blink or scream from the damage she took (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Spencer Gresley wins!**

* * *

The holograms all faded away.

"I win." Spencer muttered.

"The winner is Spencer Gresley!" announced the referee. "With that done, we are left with four finalists."

"Way to go Spencer!" cheered Skiff.

Ishizu kept her eyes closed. "Congratulations, Spencer Gresley." she said. "You've won."

"Do you see now that you can't rely on some trinket to win your battles?" asked Spencer scoldingly. "Several times, you had a clear cut chance to finish me off... Yet, you insisted on following your own predictions. That was what lead to your defeat."

"I expect you'll be wanting my rarest card now." said Ishizu.

Surprisingly, Spencer shook his head. "No." he denied. "I have more important matters to attend to right now."

With that said, the silver-haired boy walked towards the arena exit, joined by Skiff and their parents. Ishizu watched as Spencer leave while in her personal thoughts.

"I must trust the unseen future." she thought to herself. "For the sake of the world and my brother... I just know he can be saved from the darkness! If not by me, then perhaps by someone else."

Nearby, Dark Marik was gazing at his Millennium Rod while still in shock over what had just happened.

"Did my Rod somehow work for Spencer?" he asked himself. "That just can't be right! Only I and I alone can wield this Millennium Item! ...I know my weaker self wanted to find out the connection between the Millennium Rod, the tablet, and Spencer at one point, but I...!"

Finally deciding to just forget about what had happened, Dark Marik decided to leave the arena and go back into the blimp. As the evil man left the area, Thomas, who was standing nearby, glared at him suspiciously.

"Why did the Millennium Rod decide to save Spencer?" thought Thomas. "I guess that's an answer I'll need to find soon enough..."

And soon enough shall be, as the blue-haired boy had just said; very soon. Right?


	53. The Ishtar Family Secret

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Ishizu began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Spencer Gresley is truly intriguing... I had the duel all planned out from the start to finish. He would have been defeated by his own Egyptian God monster..."

"Fate has other plans in store for you, Spencer Gresley." thought Ishizu. "Soon Obelisk will be the key to your defeat."

"He wore down my deck with cards like Crush Card Virus and Virus Cannon... but Spencer didn't expect me to switch everything around with the use of one single card."

"Now observe as I reveal my facedown card!" Ishizu announced. "Exchange of the Spirit!"

The Egyptian woman's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Exchange of the Spirit?" Toby blinked.

"That's an extremely rare card." Discord explained. "Only five copies were ever released worldwide."

"I can only activate this Trap card if I have thirty or more cards in my graveyard." explained Ishizu, taking a life point hit (LP: 2650). "By giving up 1000 life points, we must swap the cards in our decks with the cards in our graveyard. That leaves me with all the cards I need; and you are left with only five cards."

Spencer, his eyes going bloodshot, got a look of pure horror on his face from hearing this little tidbit.

"Five cards?!" The silver-haired boy thought furiously, watching helplessly as his life point counter began bleeping an alarm of a sort. "How could I let this get so out of hand?! Has Ishizu really been toying with me this whole time?"

"When the time was right, I set my Sacrifice's Blast Trap card—which would infect and destroy Obelisk the Tormentor and deal damage equal to its total attack points once Spencer declared an attack with it! ...but then something happened..."

Down off the platform, Dark Marik decided he was bored and turned around to leave.

"Spencer is finished." The evil man remarked, unaware of his glowing Millennium Rod. "I would stay to see him lose it all... but I have more important matters to attend to."

With that said, Dark Marik began to walk away... while his glowing Millennium Rod shined very brightly and catching the attention of Thomas and everyone else nearby.

"The Millennium Rod!" Thomas exclaimed.

Finally, Dark Marik noticed it, too. "W-What?! What is going on?!"

Back on the platform...

"Obelisk!" commanded Spencer, just as some yellow light entered his eyes. "Atta-"

Suddenly, he froze mid-sentence. Feeling like time had frozen all around him, and Thomas was the first to notice this...

"Spencer has stopped his attack."

"Snap out of it, Spencer!" called Percy.

"Big brother!" added Skiff.

Ishizu gave a genuine gasp. "What's...?"

"He had a vision of a sort... In addition, his own ancestor with his lost love were both present - as was the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Upon seeing what he saw, Spencer went and changed his strategy."

"And now, in order to summon my ace monster... I must make a sacrifice of two monsters." said Spencer, holding up two fingers of his right hand. He then braced his fingers onto the Obelisk card on his Duel Disk. "First this one-!"

"Oh no!" cried Ishizu in horror.

"Yes! My own Egyptian God monster!" admitted Spencer, just before readying a card in-between his fingers. "Now observe as I summon my Blue-Eyes!"

In an instant, he placed his card onto the middle monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

The card materialized facedown before flipping up and revealing itself...before the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged from the card with an almighty roar. The dragon landed near its master and glared at Ishizu fiercely.

"He managed to change the future, rendering my Trap card completely worthless. And I lost in the very end..."

"Do you see now that you can't rely on some trinket to win your battles?" asked Spencer scoldingly. "Several times, you had a clear cut chance to finish me off... Yet, you insisted on following your own predictions. That was what lead to your defeat."

"I expect you'll be wanting my rarest card now." said Ishizu.

Surprisingly, Spencer shook his head. "No." he denied. "I have more important matters to attend to right now."

With that said, the silver-haired boy walked towards the arena exit, joined by Skiff and their parents.

"While I couldn't save my brother, I still hope that someone else might..."

* * *

 **Title: The Ishtar Family Secret**

* * *

Inside Lady's room, everyone had just arrived to check on the poor girl as well as both Liz and Ryan.

"How is she?" Percy asked almost immediately.

"She hasn't moved yet." said Liz sadly. "I still wish I hadn't yelled at her like that."

"Easy, honey." hushed Ryan, embracing his wife.

Everyone watched on solemnly.

(elsewhere...)

Inside one of the computer labs, Spencer had joined Skiff and his parents in trying to get The Winged Dragon of Ra card translated.

"So which part hasn't been translated yet?" The silver-haired boy asked immediately.

"This part right here." said Skiff, pointing to part of the text on the computer monitor.

Spencer took one look at the text...and his eyes widened in shock.

"W-what?!" he thought. "This can't be! I can actually understand the text says! And it tells me about Ra's effects..."

Spencer then started to have a flashback to Dark Marik's duel against Lady.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

While Dark Marik spoke on, Discord only watched on grimly... Well, just before Dark Marik spoke up about him (Discord)...

"I should really thank Discord for putting that ' _little_ ' catch on the card." joked the evil man.

The creator of Duel Monsters's eyes widened, while everyone else gazed at him in aghast.

"You were the one who put that hieratic text on the card, Dad?" Carlie asked in shock.

"But why?" demanded Michael.

"Because Ra was easily the most powerful of all the Egyptian God monsters, he felt that only someone very special would be able to control it." Dark Marik explained, smirking wickedly. "In fact... I know two certain other people here who are able to recite the text and—well, control it."

Looking around in his P.O.V., Dark Marik was clearly gazing at Thomas and Spencer respectively. The silver-haired boy at first didn't get this and looked over to Skiff.

"Skiff, head for the lab and use the computers to get the satellites to scan the card." ordered Spencer. "After that, use the computer to translate the text."

"Right." said Skiff, heading off.

"Oh? But you need not do that, Spencer-boy." teased Dark Marik.

"What!?" demanded Spencer.

"The two people I'm talking about are Thomas Billinton...and you!"

"What?" gasped Thomas.

"Me?!" added Spencer.

"Like I've mention before; several people on this vessel can trace their lineage back to Ancient Egypt 3000 years ago." said Dark Marik. "They include both of you...and a few others present, too. For everyone else...it would just be plain old gibberish!"

(new scene...)

The scene then flashed to his first meeting with Ishizu at the museum...

"Take a look at the second carving." continued Ishizu, gesturing to the second carving.

"This is the reason I've called you here. This carving depicts the Pharaoh and his greatest opponent. Perhaps this might give you inspiration, as it did Discord."

Spencer looked at the second carving and gasped when he saw that the Pharaoh looked incredibly familiar.

"Great balls of fire!" he cried. "That's Thomas Billinton!"

"What?!" Skiff gawked, also taking a closer look. "It is Thomas! -but, who's that above him?"

"The Dark Magician." answered Ishizu.

"This is unbelievable." said Spencer. "Thomas being related to a Pharaoh?"

"The Pharaoh's opponent in this carving was a priest." said Ishizu, gesturing to the other side of the carving. "That priest was you, Spencer Gresley."

Another look of shock appeared on Spencer's face. Sure enough, the other person in the carving was someone who looked exactly like him.

"Again, if you don't trust my words, take a look at the monster the priest used." Ishizu continued. "It's the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"This is incredible!" cried Skiff.

(new scene...)

It then switched to the vision he had in his duel with Ishizu; which was the one with that Egyptian man and dead woman.

"That vision I saw before... was it a memory?" narrated Spencer.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Spencer weakly collapsed to his knees.

"Spencer!" cried Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), gripping the silver-haired boy's shoulders with both hands in worry.

"What's wrong?!" came from Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Big brother!" added Skiff, also looking shocked.

Spencer pressed a hand onto his forehead while looking rather tired.

"What's happening to me?" he thought. "Why am I...?"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room, everyone was still silent just as an announcement from one of the bodyguards aboard the blimp came onto the PA...

"The first round of the Battle City Finals has ended." The bodyguard spoke up. "The following duelists that remain are Thomas Billinton, Percy Avonside, Marik Ishtar, and Spencer Gresley."

Percy and Thomas both raised their heads from hearing their names being mentioned.

"The final duels will commence tomorrow morning when we arrive at the next dueling site." The bodyguard continued. "Lights out in the next hour."

"Next duel site?" quizzed James.

"It would seem we're leaving England altogether." Henry remarked.

"Good thing we're not dueling on the blimp anymore." said Percy jokingly. "I was starting to get a bit airsick."

Just then, a gentle knock came on the door.

"Come in!" called Emily.

The door slid open...

"Ishizu?" came from Thomas.

Yes, standing in the doorway was the very same Egyptian woman that Spencer faced.

"I came to see how your friend was doing." said Ishizu calmly.

"She's still in her coma, I'm afraid." sighed Ryan gloomily. "And with only 24-hours or so to live before she'll never wake up."

"And it's all Spencer's fault." scowled Percy. "If it weren't for him, she would still be alright! Why didn't he allow us to save her?"

"Stop it, Percy!" snapped the voice of Liz.

Percy immediately hushed up. The green-haired boy's older sister stood up and looked at her brother square in the eye.

"It wasn't Spencer's fault, alright?! It was mine! I was the one who hurt her! I was the one who turned her away from us! Maybe if I never did that, she... she...!"

Liz didn't get any further - she instead collapsed onto her knees and once again cried out of shame and remorse. Everyone felt nothing but sorrow and guilt for the poor blonde-haired young woman.

"Liz..." whispered Emily.

"I'm so sorry, my beloved big sister." added Percy, looking guilty.

"No matter what happens-" Ishizu spoke up. "-we mustn't turn away from anything."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Liz, looking up with a hiccup.

"Even in a world full of sadness-" said the Egyptian woman wisely. "-there's someone stretching out his or her hands to see the world. Where there is evil, there is also good. Marik was good once."

"Once good?" Thomas quizzed. "How is that possible?"

Ishizu began to share a little story on the Tomb-Keepers and the Ishtar clan...

"It was dating all the way back to Ancient Egyptian times; us Tomb-Keepers have had countless losses in order to protect our mission."

"The Tomb-Keepers..." thought Emily, who was standing near Thomas.

"To protect the great power okept within the Millennium Items!" Ishizu continued.

"Ishizu, that's great and all..." Thomas spoke up. "But you're Marik's older sister, am I right? The reason I'm asking is right now, you need to tell us...why does he want to kill me? Why does Marik's dark side want to take everyone's lives?"

Ishizu slightly raised her head in silence...but not in her personal thoughts.

"Thomas is the descendant of Pharaoh Atem." she thought. "He truly is the chosen one."

"Ishizu!" pleaded Thomas.

The Egyptian woman gazed out the blimp window for a moment before sighing heavily and deciding to confess everything.

"Very well, I will tell you everything...about ' _ **The Ishtar Family Tragedy**_ '."

"' _ **The Ishtar Family Tragedy**_ '?" blinked Matt.

"Hey! That sounds like a great title for a adventure/drama movie." joked James.

"For three thousand years-" Ishizu began. "-an Ishtar has guarded the Pharaoh's tomb, waiting for the arrival of his chosen descendant. As the first-born son, Marik was required to bear the Pharaoh's secret on his back, and forbidden ever to leave the tomb. Our Father felt that Marik would become resentful of this task, so he asked Odion and I to keep his spirits up and remind him of how important his task was. The tragedy happened a few years ago, one year after Marik's initiation."

A flashback began...

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was a few years ago in the sands of Egypt.

"We, the Ishtar clan, are descendants of the Tomb-Keepers who protected two Millennium Items and the location of the Pharaoh's memories." Present Day-Ishizu narrated. "We lived deep underground, away from the rest of the world."

Inside the underground home of the Ishtar clan, there were lots of stone carvings and other Ancient Egyptian stuff passed down from the ancestors of the Ishtars.

"The eldest sons of the clans had to undergo the ritual of the Tomb-Keepers, and have the Glyphs of the Pharaoh's memory carved onto their backs. That was the life imposed on my brother Marik. At this point, I had turned 15, while Odion and Marik were both 20 and 11 respectively."

Down a hallway, the voice of Young Marik (now 11-years old) could be heard coming from one of the rooms...

"I said I'm going!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the room, Young Marik was talking to the 15-year old (teenaged) Ishizu.

"Sister!" The boy whined.

"Shh!" Young Ishizu hushed. "Lower your voice, or Father might hear you."

"Sorry." apologized Young Marik. "But you promised that one day we'd see the outside world. Besides, Father should be asleep by now. And haven't we been planning this day for a while now? If I pretend like I'm sleeping, Father will never know that I ever left the tunnels!"

"I know, but if Father did find out, then we'd be in big trouble." protested Young Ishizu. "That would mean you broke the law of the clan... and he would never let us forget about it."

"Don't worry." replied Young Marik cheerfully. "If anything happens, Odion here will take care of it."

Odion (now 20-years old) nodded. "I assure you that everything will be alright." he reassured.

"Sister... I..." continued Young Marik, looking back to Young Ishizu. "I really want to see what it's like out there... no matter what."

Young Ishizu remained quiet over this little dilemma...until her brother placed a hand onto hers.

"Just this once!"

Again, Young Ishizu was silent over the matter. It was then Odion approached his younger sister and spoke up.

"Lady Ishizu-" he said formally. "-I will cover for him while you two are away. Please try and make Master Marik's wish come true."

"Sister..." Young Marik begged, giving his sister the ' _puppy dog_ ' eyes.

Finally, a small smile appeared on Young Ishizu's face, and she pressed her right hand atop her younger brother's hand.

"Alright." The Egyptian girl said at last. "We'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Oh, thank you!" cried Young Marik, embracing his older sister in a hug.

"But listen to me for a moment-" continued Young Ishizu, now sounding stern-yet returned the hug. "-after one hour, we return immediately. Okay?"

"Right!"

(new scene...)

The next day, it was time. Odion had made sure that his adopted brother would be safe from being found out by their Father, and Young Marik and Young Ishizu were both walking up the stone steps to the exit of the tomb. Finally, Young Ishizu opened the door...and she and her brother were both in broad daylight. Young Marik at first winced from the bright sunlight, but quickly embraced it.

"For the first time in his life, Marik felt the light of the sun wrap around his body." narrated Present Day-Ishizu.

(elsewhere...)

Later on, Young Marik and Young Ishizu were both roaming around a village. Young Marik was pretty surprised to see so many people and stands.

"This is so amazing!" he cried excitedly. "This is what a town looks like?!"

"Marik, try not to touch anything belonging to this world." Young Ishizu warned.

"I know!" Young Marik replied, happily running forth.

Suddenly, he stopped and spotted something lying on the ground. It looked like a book, but it clearly wasn't. Curiously, Young Marik picked it up and brushed the dust off.

"Books shouldn't be left lying on the ground." The boy commented rather innocently, opening it up. On one page, he saw a colorful picture of a dog and bunny rabbit. "Oh, wow! These pictures look so real!"

Upon flipping to another page, Young Marik saw something that really caught his interest. It was a...weird contraption of a sort (a motorcycle).

"Huh? What's that...thing?"

As Young Marik looked at the magazine, he soon heard something coming from nearby in one of the stands' tents. Curiously, he approached the weird box atop a stand. The box was showing...a man riding the contraption, and a woman standing beside the man. The man put something (helmet) over his head and started the machine up.

"Oh, wow..." whispered Young Marik.

In the box, the man drove the contraption away, while the woman waved goodbye. Just then, Young Ishizu walked over to her little brother.

"Marik?" she questioned.

Young Marik didn't pay any attention - he was far too busy looking at the box in amazement. The owner of the stand noticed what the young boy was seeing and gave a small smile.

"Kid, is seeing a television that rare for you?" The man asked curiously.

"Tele...vision?" quizzed Young Marik, trying to sound the word out.

Young Ishizu scowled a bit, and gently took her younger brother by his arm.

"Come along, Marik!" The Egyptian girl insisted.

Young Marik didn't seem bothered. "That was so cool! There were people walking and talking inside that box."

"It's called a TV." sighed Young Ishizu. "Just like that man had said to you."

"Oh, I see." smiled Young Marik some more. "Anyway, that man in the TV was riding some machine. It looked so cool!"

"It is called a motorcycle." groaned Young Ishizu, growing more and more unhappy.

"A motorcycle!" Young Marik repeated, growing more excited by the minute. Suddenly, he became a bit sad at the notion of returning underground. "Even if I go on living, there's no way I can ever get a chance to ride a motorcycle."

Young Ishizu suddenly stopped walking and was silent for a moment. Young Marik looked a bit worried that he said something to upset her. Soon, the 15-year old Ishizu turned around and gazed at the young boy.

"Marik, it's time. Let's go back."

"What?" asked Young Marik. He looked disappointed.

"We can't stay here any longer." Young Ishizu reminded. "That was our agreement."

"I know..." sighed the young boy. "But could I at least keep this picture of the motorcycle?"

"No way!" Young Ishizu snapped, trying to take the picture from Young Marik. "Do you know what our Father would do if he ever found out about it?!"

"Please?" Young Marik begged, while his eyes started to water a bit.

Giving in, Young Ishizu gave another sigh. "Alright... Just don't let our Father find it, okay?"

Young Marik smiled and nodded in agreement. The two siblings were then making their way through the crowds when they suddenly bumped into a familiar turban wearing man.

"The Pharaoh's descendant will soon become of the age." said the man sternly.

Young Ishizu gasped. "The Pharaoh?!" She immediately recovered and glared. "Just who do you think you are?!"

"Tomb-Keepers, a terrible fate awaits you very soon." The mysterious man continued. "And this fate is the Pharaoh's will. Seek out the Pharaoh's descendant."

"Just who..." Young Ishizu started once more, but stopped when the turban wearing man turned and walked away. "Wait!"

Young Marik watched in surprise at what just occurred. "Terrible fate...? The Pharaoh's will?" he thought.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended for a moment. Thomas had a strong feeling about that man in Ishizu's story.

"It has to have been Shadi." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "I just know it."

"I had broken the laws of my clan that day." Ishizu pointed out, while her eyes narrowed a bit. "By exposing Marik to the outside world, our family was fated to walk on a road of destruction."

"Hey, you did nothing wrong." protested James. "It was your Father's fault for being so crazy and obessed with family tradition. If he hadn't forced you guys to stay underground forever, as well as put Marik through that painful ritual, maybe your brother would have been fine."

"That was the Ishtar family's destiny." The Egyptian woman insisted gravely. "And there was nothing we could do to change it..."

The flashback resumed.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

In the town, Young Ishizu and Young Marik were both trying to search for that man... but they had no such luck.

"He's gone..." sighed Young Ishizu.

"That guy had an Ankh around his neck." said Young Marik. "It looked a lot like the Rod and Necklace our family keeps secret..."

"Marik!" Young Ishizu suddenly snapped, turning around and looking into her brother's eyes. "Never speak of what you saw here."

"S-Sorry..." Young Marik apologized.

"Just forget that today ever happened. Everything you saw in this world... and that man just now as well!"

"I will." The young boy nodded, looking sad and disappointed.

From there, it as time for both siblings to return home before their Father discovered what had happened.

(elsewhere...)

Back at the tomb, Young Ishizu and Young Marik both arrived back home. The doors were opened by the elder Ishtar sibling.

"So, we really have to go back down?" asked Young Marik sadly.

"I'm afraid so." said Young Ishizu seriously. "Now follow close behind me."

Young Marik hesitated for a second, and then looked to his left. Young Ishizu's eyes widened a little bit at what her younger brother was about to do.

"Sister, wait a moment!" Young Marik insisted.

The younger Ishtar sibling walked over to a rock formation that seemed to resemble the motorcycle that he saw in the picture, sat down at one end, and closed his eyes. There, he started to imagine himself as a teenager and riding an actual motorcycle.

"VROOM, VROOM, VROOM!" Young Marik made roaring sounds like a motorcycle.

"Marik!" called Young Ishizu. "Come on! Get inside this instant."

Young Marik gave a sad moan. "Okay, I'm coming."

The two siblings entered the tomb. Suddenly, the younger boy looked up and saw something.

"Sister, what is that thing up there? It looks like a contraption of a sort on the back of the doors."

Young Ishizu turned, looked up, and her eyes widened from what she saw. Up on the ceiling near the two doors was something that looked like an alarm system! What could that... oh no...!

"That's an alarm system our Father set up!" The Egyptian girl thought to herself. "It was dark when we left, so I didn't see it...!"

"What's the matter?" asked Young Marik innocently.

"We have to hurry, Odion could be in greave danger!" panicked Young Ishizu, grabbing her brother's arm and rushing down the steps. "Forgive us, Father..."

(elsewhere...)

The two Ishtar siblings soon raced into Marik's room, but found the place a complete mess.

"Odion!" exclaimed Young Ishizu, looking worried. "We're too late!"

"Odion!" called Young Marik, dashing away from the room.

(elsewhere...)

The young boy ran down the hallway trying to find his adopted brother. Soon, he heard whipping sounds and screams of pain.

"Odion?"

Young Marik soon enter a nearby room, and immediately wished he hadn't done so. Inside the room, Mr. Ishtar was armed with a whip and furiously cracked it onto Odion's shirtless back, making him scream in pain. It was a clear sign Mr. Ishtar was torturing the young man until he died of blood loss.

"ODION!" screamed Young Marik in horror.

"M-Master Marik... stay b-!" Odion weakly tried to speak, but collapsed onto his front. His back was laced with bloody marks from being whipped.

"Odion..." said Mr. Ishtar, once he had regained his breath. "You were supposed to protect Marik with your life! By allowing him to venture into the outside world, you've risked putting both him and Ishizu in danger of being killed! I am fed up with you constantly letting me down... Now you will pay for it with YOUR LIFE!"

Young Marik couldn't believe this had happened. Soon, Young Ishizu finally caught up and, upon seeing what had happened, brought both hands to her mouth and gasped in pure horror at the sight of poor Odion.

"DIE!" Mr. Ishtar screamed in rage, cracking his whip onto the blood-laced back of the Egyptian young man once more.

Odion, despite lying on his front, gave another scream of agony before his eyes finally closed (dead or merely unconcious? That was unknown).

"Marik! Ishizu!" Mr. Ishtar finally turned to address his children. He was looking very cross with them in addition to Odion. "How dare you! You both know FULL WELL that you are forbidden to walk among the outsiders! Now look at the pain Odion has had to endured because of your disobedience. For this is the punishment of ALL those who break the rules of our tribe. No exceptions!"

Young Marik tried to walk over to Odion in shock, but he suddenly gripped his head in pain as his face stretched out like bad animation. This was a bad sign...

"You have not only disrespected every Ishtar that came before you-" continued Mr. Ishtar furiously. "-but you've also disrespected the name of the Pharaoh! Never let it happen again!"

He then lashed the whip towards Marik in an attempt to frighten and/or hurt him! ...when he (Marik) grabbed hold of the whip before it could touch him.

"Kehehehehe..." 'Marik' laughed quietly and cruelly. "I thank you, 'Father', for killing Odion."

Young Marik's hair became all wild-like and the Millennium Eye symbol appeared on his forehead, and a sinister smile was laced on his face.

"Marik!" roared Mr. Ishtar, trying to pull the whip free. "Accept your punishment!"

But 'Marik', with great strength, managed to pull the whip out of his Father's hands and toss it aside.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, 'Father'." said 'Marik'. "You've ordered me about for far too long."

"Marik?" asked Young Ishizu, watching as her brother began to walk towards the table containing the Millennium Items.

"Marik?!" Mr. Ishtar shouted, not only angrily but also in a surprised tone at how his son was acting. "What on Earth has gotten into you?!"

'Marik' then took hold of the Millennium Rod on the tray to the left.

"From now on, we're going by my rules." he remarked.

Mr. Ishtar was even more furious. "Marik! I order you to put down that Millennium Item! You are not ready to use them!"

The Millennium Rod glowed all gold and 'Marik' laughed quietly to himself.

"Well now, this item seems to accept me." The possessed boy said snidely.

"Put it down!" command Mr. Ishtar. "I command you!"

'Marik' turned and glared at his Father in anger.

"Shut up!"

"Marik, you-!" snarled Mr. Ishtar.

'Marik' responded by turning and aiming the Millennium Rod at his Father. Suddenly, Mr. Ishtar was thrown by the Rod's power into a wall.

"My son..." he groaned weakly.

"Marik!" objected Young Ishizu. "What are you doing?"

Suddenly, 'Marik' turned to his own sister and used the Millennium Rod's power to slam her against the wall, too.

"Stay out of this, sister!" 'Marik' snapped. "You'll have your turn to get a blood bath shortly."

"N-No... You're not...Marik!" winced Young Ishizu, now stuck against the wall.

'Marik' snickered before turning his attention back to Mr. Ishtar. "And now, 'Father', it's time for you to meet your fate."

Suddenly, he removed the handle of the Rod and revealed a terrible secret about the item... The Millennium Rod was actually half rod—half dagger. 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar and readied the weapon.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside, Mr. Ishtar was now lying in a pool of blood (some blood could also be seen on the walls).

"So much for him." 'Marik' chuckled sadistically, before looking to the immobile Ishizu on the wall. "Now for you, sister!"

"N-No... stop, my b-brother!" begged Young Ishizu.

'Marik' ignored the Egyptian girl's cries and began to approach with the dagger, intending to stab her to death like he ('Marik') did to his Father! ...well, at least until...

"M-Master..." came the weak voice of Odion.

'Marik' stopped approaching Ishizu and looked towards that wounded brother of his. Odion was actually still alive despite the severe loss of blood.

"Still alive are you?" 'Marik' sneered, turning his attention to Odion and raising the dagger up. "This time, I'll make sure you are sent to-"

Odion weakly raised is head, showing the markings on the left side of his face. Suddenly, 'Marik' dropped the Millennium Rod and fell to his knees in extreme pain.

"W-What's-?"

When 'Marik' brought his head back up, he had his normal look back.

"W-what happened?" The young boy asked weakly.

Looking around, he saw his big sister lying on the ground, injured—yet alive... But the moment Young Marik saw his Father... well, the look on his face said it all.

"FATHER!"

Odion put his arms around Young Marik to comfort the crying young boy. All of a sudden, a ghostly spirit rose from the dead body of Mr. Ishtar. It was shown to be Shadi! ...although Young Marik had no idea.

"Young one." The mysterious man said calmly. "You have take the first step in fading into darkness... the Pharaoh will return soon... seek out the Pharaoh..."

"W-What are you talking about?!" Young Marik demanded. "My Father is dead, and I want to know who did the deed!"

Shadi faded away with a stern look on his face. It was then Odion spoke up in trying to calm his younger brother down.

"It'll be alright, Master Marik." he said softly. "I will keep you safe no matter what."

"But who? Who was the one who killed our Father?" sobbed the young boy.

Suddenly, he remembered Shadi's words and scowled. All of Young Marik's pain and sadness had melted away into anger, mainly because there was at least a certain ' _someone_ ' he did blame for all of this...

"The Pharaoh..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback finally finished. Everyone in the whole room was just shocked by the story.

"Whoa..." whispered Gordon.

"Good heavens..." Emily looked pale.

"Bubbling Sodas..." came from Henry.

Unfortunately, there was only one person in the room who was not feeling any sympathy for Marik at the moment... and that person was...

"Are we suppose to feel sorry for that little spoiled brat?" asked Percy, looking more and more miffed by the minute.

"Percy?" Liz looked over to her younger brother in shock. "What are you-?"

"What's that suppose to mean, kiddo?" added Ryan.

"Look at everything he's put us through!" protested Percy. "He almost killed Thomas, and sent Rare Hunters after us! NOW look what he did to Lady...!"

The beautiful blonde-haired girl was lying in bed and in a coma.

"If you ask me, he doesn't need saving, he needs his butt whipped." The green-haired boy continued. "And I will be the one to make him pay for everything!"

"Calm down, Percy!" snapped Edward.

Finally realizing he was letting his anger get the better of him, Percy closed his eyes and sighed apologetically. Ishizu didn't mind the anger, however, as she had a feeling that some people would be angry with her brother regardless.

"If I entrust the cleansing of Marik's dark personality to all of you... there may still be a chance to save Marik from a future shrouded by nothing but darkness." The Egyptian woman said wisely. Her eyes then lit with a pleading look. "Please, you must save him... Marik, along with Odion, is the only family I have left!"

"Is there a way to destroy the darkness in Marik without destroying Marik himself?" asked Henry.

Before anyone else could say anything, another announcement played on the PA...

"Lights out in two minutes." said the announcer.

"Guess it's time to hit the hay." said Mavis, stretching her arms out.

"Yeah." agreed Toby. "You going back to look after Duck?"

"I am." The blonde-haired girl confirmed, before she and her brown-haired boyfriend shared a quick kiss. "Good night."

Toby waved goodbye to his girlfriend, and Mavis left the room.

"We'll bunk in together." said James, gesturing to Henry and Gordon.

"Got that right." smiled Gordon.

With that, the three boys left as well.

"Thomas, do you mind if I stay with you in your room?" Emily asked, blushing a little bit. "I feel safer with you."

"Sure, Emily." nodded Thomas kindly.

Emily smiled to herself. It was then Percy spoke to his best friend...

"Hey, Thomas, I haven't forgotten our promise before the tournament." The green-haired boy said seriously. "When the time comes for us to have a duel for real, I'll go at you with everything I have!"

"I won't forget, Percy." Thomas promised.

"But, Percy-" Liz spoke up innocently. "-what if you and Thomas have to duel each other straight away?"

Percy became a bit flustered. "D-Don't jinx us, sis!" he stuttered.

"Can't you get miss Ishizu to see into the future and see if you two will duel?"

Ishizu sighed unhappily. "I no longer hold the power to see into the future."

"Huh?" Thomas and Percy to gazed at the Egyptian woman curiously.

"I have finished my mission." explained Ishizu, taking the Millennium Necklace off from around her neck. "Now it is Thomas's turn." She handed the Millennium Item to the blue-haired boy before bending forwards a bit so she was closer to eye level with him. "Please save my brother."

Then, to everyone else's surprise and such, the Egyptian woman then kissed him on the cheek. Thomas blushed a little bit from the kiss, while Emily's face formed an infuriated scowl and her eyes felt like fireballs.

"GRRRRR!" The dark green-haired girl growled in jealousy.

Hastily, Thomas recovered from being flustered and nodded in affirmation to Ishizu.

"I... I will..." The blue-haired boy said quickly. "That is a promise."

Minutes later, everyone else (minus Percy, Ryan, and Liz) left the room. While on the way to their rooms, Thomas was gazing down at his Millennium Puzzle and the obtained Millennium Necklace in his left hand.

"Two Millennium Items." thought Thomas. "Maybe the necklace will help me discovers some of those answers I seek."

"Sooooo, Thomas-boy." came from Discord, walking up and nudging the blue-haired boy with a small, playful smirk on his face. "I can tell that you are popular with the girls lately, eh?"

"It's not like it's intentional!" protested Thomas, once again blushing from embarrassment. "I-I don't even know what they even see in me."

"I don't know either, man." shrugged Michael. "But you sure know how to attract them."

Matt rolled his eyes a bit with a groan, while Carlie only giggled in response. Thomas sighed as he approached a door to a room.

"Here's my room. Have a good night, guys."

"Night." said the two adopted brothers.

"Sleep tight." came from Carlie.

"Don't let the toon bugs bite." added Discord, who then giggled at his little joke.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Duck's room, the lights were out. Mavis was shown to be under the covers of another bed, and was about to fall asleep when she suddenly started glowing all gold and a familiar voice spoke.

"It was him all along..." The voice of Marik spoke angrily, referring to his dark half. "HE was the one who had caused all of my troubles, and not Thomas Billinton! If I want to get my body back and make up for everything that I've done, I'm going to need some help."

Mavis's eyes opened and became dull as she sat up (she was only wearing a yellow tank top and pajama bottoms), got out of bed, approached the bed Duck was asleep in, and placed the Millennium Ring next to the unconscious boy... who suddenly snapped his eyes open.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, Thomas (still wearing his usual clothes but without the jacket) was in one bed, and Emily (in her night gown) was in another. Unfortunately, the dark green-haired girl couldn't seem to sleep.

"Thomas?" she whispered.

The blue-haired boy awoke, and looked around.

"Is something the matter, Emily?" he asked sleepily.

"I can't sleep." said Emily unhappily.

"Why not?" Thomas quizzed. "Is it because of the remaining duels tomorrow?"

"You could say that." admitted Emily. "I'm worried about what will happen if you go against Marik."

"If I have to, I will." Thomas stated seriously. "I promised Ishizu I would rescue her brother, and I will not break a promise I made to a friend in need."

"It isn't just a promise I'm scared for; I just don't want to lose you or anymore friends!" Emily laid back down and began to cry.

"Emily..." thought Thomas sadly.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Odion's room, Dark Marik walked to the unconscious man's bed and drew the dagger out of the Millennium Rod.

"Odion... the door of darkness has opened to you, my friend." he whispered creepily. "So long as you remain alive, it's an incontinence to me."

Before Dark Marik could deliver the killing blow, some sinister laughter filled the room.

"I'm afraid you will have to get through the likes of me first." retorted a dark voice.

Out from the shadows, with the Millennium Ring glowing around his neck, was none other than...Montague.

"Montague?" Dark Marik was a bit surprised to say the least.

"I've brought along a friend." Montague commented teasingly. "This is your other half - a piece of Marik Ishtar."

By friend, he meant the real Marik. Good Marik appeared as an image beside Montague, but Dark Marik could still see the image none-the-less.

"Tch! When he brainwashed Duck with the Millennium Rod, he implanted a part of his soul into him." A frowning Dark Marik thought to himself. "This is something I had forgotten to forsee."

"I won't let you kill Odion!" said Marik in defiance. "So I've brought Montague here to defeat you."

"Well, I do hope you will keep your end of the bargain when this is over." Montague reminded sternly. "I'll be taking that Millennium Rod."

Dark Marik chuckled in response. "Oh yes, you're a Millennium Item collector, right?"

"If you hand it over quietly, I won't make you a part of my soul collection." threatened Montague.

"Well now..." Dark Marik joked ruthlessly. "Shall I tear you apart like the puzzle you are?"

Montague only smirked in dark response. "Just try it."

With that said, Dark Marik snickered, raised the Millennium Rod up, and fired off a deadly blast. Montague and the image of Marik were both thrown against the wall.

"Why don't you stick around for a while?" taunted Dark Marik. "I'm going to kill Odion right now, and I'd ' ** _love_** ' an audience to make it official."

Suddenly, the Millennium Ring began to glow and fire a blast at Dark Marik, hitting and freezing him in place.

"M-My arm!" grimaced Dark Marik, before glaring back at Montague hatefully. "Why, you...!"

"Your power is nothing!" taunted Montague.

"It would seem our Millennium Items are equal." said Dark Marik, recovering to glare and grin darkly. "Perhaps we should resolve this in a better method... How about we play in a Shadow Game?"

"It would be my pleasure." Montague nodded, smirking evilly.

(elsewhere...)

Outside on the duel arena, the stage activated and rose up. Dark Marik and Montague bot faced each other.

"There is one rule; whoever loses...is swallowed into the Shadow Realm!" said Dark Marik.

"Bring it on!" dared Montague.

The two villains stared at each other... and then burst into evil laughter. Yes, this was gonna be good. Who are you gonna root for to win?


	54. Duel of Two Evils (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Marik began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"All along I was wrong; it had been my dark side who murdered my Father. It was spawned when I had forcefully underwent the ritual of the Tomb-Keeper."

"I feel so alone..." mumbled Young Marik bitterly. "Why should I have to devote my life just to serve some stupid Pharaoh?!"

As Young Marik said the last part of his sentence, his voice sounded like there was two people speaking at once... along with the image of a darker version of the boy briefly appearing while smirking evilly.

"Then, after a trip to the surface one year later, we returned to find Odion savagely beaten by our Father."

"ODION!" screamed Young Marik in horror.

"M-Master Marik... stay b-!" Odion weakly tried to speak, but collapsed onto his front. His back was laced with bloody marks from being whipped.

"Odion..." said Mr. Ishtar, once he had regained his breath. "You were supposed to protect Marik with your life! By allowing him to venture into the outside world, you've risked putting both him and Ishizu in danger of being killed! I am fed up with you constantly letting me down... Now you will pay for it with YOUR LIFE!"

Young Marik couldn't believe this had happened. Soon, Young Ishizu finally caught up and, upon seeing what had happened, brought both hands to her mouth and gasped in pure horror at the sight of poor Odion.

"DIE!" Mr. Ishtar screamed in rage, cracking his whip onto the blood-laced back of the Egyptian young man once more.

Odion, despite lying on his front, gave another scream of agony before his eyes finally closed (dead or merely unconcious? That was unknown).

"Marik! Ishizu!" Mr. Ishtar finally turned to address his children. He was looking very cross with them in addition to Odion. "How dare you! You both know FULL WELL that you are forbidden to walk among the outsiders! Now look at the pain Odion has had to endured because of your disobedience. For this is the punishment of ALL those who break the rules of our tribe. No exceptions!"

Young Marik tried to walk over to Odion in shock, but he suddenly gripped his head in pain as his face stretched out like bad animation. This was a bad sign...

"You have not only disrespected every Ishtar that came before you-" continued Mr. Ishtar furiously. "-but you've also disrespected the name of the Pharaoh! Never let it happen again!"

"But with Odion rendered unconscious, nothing would stop my dark half from awakening and taking over."

"Kehehehehe..." 'Marik' laughed quietly and cruelly. "I thank you, ' _Father_ ', for killing Odion."

Young Marik's hair became all wild-like and the Millennium Eye symbol appeared on his forehead, and a sinister smile was laced on his face.

"Marik!" roared Mr. Ishtar, trying to pull the whip free. "Accept your punishment!"

But 'Marik', with great strength, managed to pull the whip out of his Father's hands and toss it aside.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, 'Father'." said 'Marik'. "You've ordered me about for far too long."

"From there, I took hold of the Millennium Rod from the nearby table, and I... I... I STABBED MY FATHER DEAD!"

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter. Back inside, Mr. Ishtar was now lying in a pool of blood (some blood could also be seen on the walls).

"Once Odion managed to awaken, I had returned to normal... Unfortunately, the irreparable damage has since been done. However, this weird man then appeared to and said something about the Pharaoh returning, and I was convinced the descendant of the Pharaoh did this... And so began my absolute hatred of the Billinton bloodline."

"But what about me?" Thomas demanded. "Why are you and your Rare Hunters after me and my friends?!"

"Because you greatly resemble the Pharaoh. And it was his fault my family was forced to live underground!"

It was then Thomas recalled his meeting with Ishizu and seeing that the young Pharaoh did look much like him.

"And to avenge my family...you must die." Marik continued, giving a sneer.

"But once Ishizu told everyone what had happened, and because I still had a piece of myself inside that girl Mavis's body, I have finally learned the whole truth. Now I'm willing to make everything right again, and I'll start by destroying my dark half - even if I have to team up with Montague to do so."

Before Dark Marik could deliver the killing blow, some sinister laughter filled the room.

"I'm afraid you will have to get through the likes of me first." retorted a dark voice.

Out from the shadows, with the Millennium Ring glowing around his neck, was none other than...Montague.

"Montague?" Dark Marik was a bit surprised to say the least.

"I've brought along a friend." Montague commented teasingly. "This is your other half - a piece of Marik Ishtar."

By friend, he meant the real Marik. Good Marik appeared as an image beside Montague, but Dark Marik could still see the image none-the-less.

"Tch! When he brainwashed Duck with the Millennium Rod, he implanted a part of his soul into him." A frowning Dark Marik thought to himself. "This is something I had forgotten to forsee."

"I won't let you kill Odion!" said Marik in defiance. "So I've brought Montague here to defeat you."

"Well, I do hope you will keep your end of the bargain when this is over." Montague reminded sternly. "I'll be taking that Millennium Rod."

Dark Marik chuckled in response. "Oh yes, you're a Millennium Item collector, right?"

"If you hand it over quietly, I won't make you a part of my soul collection." threatened Montague.

"Well now..." Dark Marik joked ruthlessly. "Shall I tear you apart like the puzzle you are?"

"Your power is nothing!" taunted Montague.

"It would seem our Millennium Items are equal." said Dark Marik, recovering to glare and grin darkly. "Perhaps we should resolve this in a better method... How about we play in a Shadow Game?"

"It would be my pleasure." Montague nodded, smirking evilly.

(elsewhere...)

Outside on the duel arena, the stage activated and rose up. Dark Marik and Montague bot faced each other.

"There is one rule; whoever loses...is swallowed into the Shadow Realm!" said Dark Marik.

"Bring it on!" dared Montague.

The two villains stared at each other... and then burst into evil laughter. Yes, this was gonna be good. Who are you gonna root for to win?

"I only hope I've made the right choice in the matter..."

* * *

 **Title: Duel of Two Evils, Part 1**

* * *

Aboard the blimp, it was real quiet and pretty much everyone was sound asleep. Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy as well as Emily were sound asleep in their beds.

(elsewhere...)

Inside James's room, the red-haired boy was asleep in his bed, Henry was sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, and Gordon was sleeping soundly on the couch.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room, Ryan and Liz were both sharing a bed and were fast asleep. Percy was sleeping on the couch...but was tossing and turning in his sleep.

"L-Lady..."

He began to have a dream.

* * *

 **DREAM SEQUENCE**

Percy was in endless darkness. He was alone as well...well, at least he thought that until he heard something.

"Percy..." came a familiar voice.

"Who's there?" peeped Percy.

Out from the darkness came...Lady Stone.

"Lady!" cried Percy, running towards his girlfriend.

The two teenagers were seeing eye-to-eye.

"I'm so glad you're safe." Percy said in relief.

"As am I happy to see you." smiled Lady, before turning away. "And now I can say goodbye to you before I go."

This made Percy confused. "What are you ta-?"

Before the green-haired boy could say anything more, Lady was suddenly chained to the familiar large stone slab in front of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"LADY!"

 **END DREAM SEQUENCE**

* * *

The dream ended as Percy suddenly jerked himself awake while panting hard.

"Marik's gonna pay for what he did to Lady." The green-haired boy said to himself. "I have to save her or at least die trying."

He then tried to go back to sleep...which wasn't easy, mind you.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room, the Egyptian woman was sound sleep in her bed.

(elsewhere...)

Inside what was originally suppose to be Percy's room, Molly was shown to be asleep in the bed.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Duck's room, Mavis had collapsed onto the edge of Duck's bed. After Marik woke Montague up, he released control from the blonde-haired girl and left her to sleep.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Boxford family's room, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) were both asleep in one of the beds.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Spencer's room, Skiff was asleep in his own bed...but Spencer was still wide awake and typing away at his computer. He was still doing some research on The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Why am I able to read this text?" thought Spencer. "I've seen what Ra is like. Now I just need to win it from Marik! ...but I'm curious to see what else the third God is capable of doing."

(elsewhere...)

Atop the blimp and duel arena, Dark Marik and Montague were both facing each other and readying for a duel.

"A Shadow Duel..." said Dark Marik. "A game of death where the loser dies."

Montague smirked confidently in response. Shadow Duels were something he enjoyed very much—when he wins 'em, that is.

"Of course, you'll be the one who dies, Montague."

"Say what you want... before the darkness fills your mouth." retorted Montague.

Dark Marik grinned. "If I remember correctly, Montague lost against Thomas's Slifer the Sky Dragon in the first round."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Suddenly Duck groaned as his Millennium Ring glowed and Montague took control again.

"I'm back!" exclaimed the spirit grandly.

The crowd gasped at the sight.

"Duck's back on his feet!" Emily cried.

"That's not Duck." Edward replied grimly.

"Go ahead and attack me, Billinton!" said Montague sinisterly.

"What trick is this?" demanded Thomas.

"No trick!" Montague answered. "I realized that I still need my host unharmed, so I took back control. Now I'm ordering you to attack me, now!"

"Very well!" sneered Thomas. "Slifer, attack Montague directly with Thunder Force!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and charged up a Thunder Force attack. Montague merely smiled savagely at the sight.

"Well done, Thomas." The green-haired spirit said quietly. "You've won the duel!"

Finally, the attack was fired. It approached Montague... who kept his smile while chuckling before erupting into more intense psychotic laughter as the attack finally hit. When the attack faded, Montague (or rather Duck) had fallen unconscious (LP: 0).

(next scene...)

Then the scene switched to Dark Marik commanding Ra.

"And now, Ra, attack and kill all three of them!" cackled Dark Marik. "God Blaze Cannon!"

Ra obeyed, firing the blast of fire at the three duelists. Just as it was all over for the three friends, Thomas suddenly hoped onto the arena and, with his Millennium Puzzle still glowing, he went and...intercepted the Blaze Cannon attack.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Thomas, blocking the attack with his back.

"Thomas!" cried out James, Percy, and Lady at once.

"How delicious!" commented Dark Marik excitedly. "I get to actually kill Thomas Billinton, too!"

"Never!" Thomas declared, grimacing and feeling the fiery rage of Ra. "You can attack me all you want... but when you try to hurt my friends like this...I will...repel it and...ugh...send you back into the darkness...for it!"

Once the duel had finished, Dark Marik proceeded to approach the beautiful blonde-haired girl menacingly.

"You're very lucky, little girl." The evil man began in almost a ' _purring_ ' like tone, kneeling down to Lady's level. "You actually got away with your life. Unfortunately, you will come to regret it for the rest of your soon to be short life, as you'll wish you chose death instead of living. The loser of a Shadow Game needs to be punished for it. Tell me something... do you know what kind of punishment I'm talking about?"

Lady merely shook her head fearfully, but soon came to regret it greatly...

"The kind of punishment is what I call..." continued Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing. "...A PENALTY GAME!"

Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors.

"He wasn't even present during the fourth duel, where I crushed that Polly Stone so brutally." narrated Dark Marik.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Yes, that's right... Montague was sleeping in his bed during that duel." thought Dark Marik with a psychotic smile on his vein-filled face. "Therefore, he hasn't even seen what else my God card, The Winged Dragon of Ra, can even do! Meaning, he won't..." He then chuckled and spoke aloud. "Oh, I can see him..."

Standing beside the smiling Montague was the image of a scowling regular Marik.

"The soul of my weaker half is standing beside you, telling all of my secrets. He's still right over there, isn't he?"

"You saw that, eh?" snickered Montague. "Then yes, he's my soul partner! That means I know your whole deck inside out!"

"Boy, are those two in for a surprise." thought Dark Marik, giving off another menacing smile while looking over his Duel Disk. "I've already taken the precaution of making a few alterations to this deck. My weaker self's original deck was far too weak to be of any use when I took over his body..."

"And in addition..." continued Montague. "I'm well aware you're a user of the Egyptian God cards."

"That doesn't mean you'll be able to stop it. I do hope you enjoy coming up with a useless strategy to try and overcome it! And now, let us begin this Shadow Game, Montague!"

"Hold on a minute. I think your weaker self here wants to say a few words to you first." Montague pointed out, before looking to his right. "Don't you?"

"Yes." nodded Marik, just before turning to Dark Marik. "Are you the evil self that I created those years ago?"

"You're correct." confirmed Dark Marik. "I am that very darkness that had built a small nest deep within your heart using the following materials... Despair... Anger... Hatred... Jealousy... Pain... And out of that nest was me; the embodiment of your darkest desires!"

"But Odion sealed you away!"

"But even if I was sealed away, I still helped you by taking away the guilt deep in your heart." The evil man pointed out. "You should remember me telling everyone that during my duel with that harmless girl, Polly Stone. And, yes, I was aware that you had a peace of yourself still locked away inside the body of that other girl!"

"What'd you say?" asked Marik, his eyes growing more narrow.

"You heard me loud and clear." teased Dark Marik. "Now that I'm out, your heart must feel lighter! In fact... a ' _ **thank you**_ ' for releasing me would be most pleasant, right now!"

He then burst into loud, maniacal laughter. The reformed Rare Hunter leader, meanwhile, was not too happy to have finally learned the official truth over what had happened those years ago.

"Then it's true..." Marik muttered to himself. "From using the Millennium Rod's power and putting a piece of myself inside that girl, Mavis, I've learned much of what happened..."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Inside Lady's room, Ishizu was telling everyone the story of what happened those few years ago.

"My sister told everyone, including me, the truth of the Ishtars..." narrated Marik.

(new scene...)

In the story, while armed with the Millennium Rod's dagger, 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter. Back inside, Mr. Ishtar was now lying in a pool of blood (some blood could also be seen on the walls).

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Marik gazed at his dark half with anger blazing in his eyes.

"It was YOU who killed my Father!" he exclaimed. "And because of you, I believed that it was because of the Pharaoh's descendant that this happened."

"C'mon, now...!" protested Dark Marik in mock innocence. "You and I are two minds in one body! Don't go acting like you aren't responsible just because I had the upper hand." He pointed at his weaker self. "You're just as guilty as I am!"

"It's true that the idea came from my own heart." admitted Marik, before closing his eyes in shame for all that he had done. "Father... I'm so sorry for everything I've done..."

"I feel so bad for you." said Montague, not losing his evil smile.

"Years ago, at the very same moment... " Marik continued.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

All of a sudden, a ghostly spirit rose from the dead body of Mr. Ishtar. It was shown to be Shadi! ...although Young Marik had no idea.

"Young one." The mysterious man said calmly. "You have take the first step in fading into darkness... the Pharaoh will return soon... seek out the Pharaoh..."

"W-What are you talking about?!" Young Marik demanded. "My Father is dead, and I want to know who did the deed!"

Shadi faded away with a stern look on his face. It was then Odion spoke up in trying to calm his younger brother down.

"It'll be alright, Master Marik." he said softly. "I will keep you safe no matter what."

"But who? Who was the one who killed our Father?" sobbed the young boy.

Suddenly, he remembered Shadi's words and scowled. All of Young Marik's pain and sadness had melted away into anger, mainly because there was at least a certain ' _someone_ ' he did blame for all of this...

"The Pharaoh..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"The man who appeared before me that day, I thought he had done the deed..." continued Marik, soon coming to a big realization. "But I was wrong!"

"So what exactly are you trying to tell me, my weaker self?" asked Dark Marik teasingly.

"Both you and I are guilty for the death of my Father. And for that, we will both be destroyed!"

The evil man cackled loudly. "How amusing! Do your absolute worst!"

Meanwhile, Montague grew highly intrigued at the mention of a turban-wearing man. He had a very strong feeling on who it might be...

"That man must have been Shadi." The green-haired spirit thought to himself. "But those few years ago, he was already..."

"Enough talk!" shouted Dark Marik, cutting off his opponent's thoughts. "It's time to begin our Shadow Game, Montague!"

Montague got ready to activate his Duel Disk...when Marik suddenly spoke to him...

"I'll support you with a strategy."

"Keep out of it!" snapped Montague. "I know what I'm doing! All you have to do is come through with our agreement!"

"I know." nodded Marik calmly. "If you defeat him, you can have the Millennium Rod."

"That's not all I want." Montague suddenly continued speaking. "You'll also tell me the secret of the carvings on your back."

"Huh?" Marik's eyes widened a bit in surprise, and this caused Montague to continue explaining...

"It involves the power of the Pharaoh. I at first thought I need to put all seven of the Millennium Items in the stone slate would free me from my vessel and give me the full powers of darkness. But that's not the case. Unless I decode the hieroglyphs carved on your back, the door can't be opened at all."

Marik frowned, but still said nothing... This clearly allowed Montague to speak on some more...

"Don't think that I don't know." The green-haired spirit went on. "Unless I accomplish all of those tasks, I will never be able to leave my vessel and this time period."

After a moment of silence, Marik sighed. "Alright, I promise to tell you."

"And one more thing..." Montague continued...again. "As long as you win and get revenge, you don't mind if your body is burned to ashes, right?"

"I don't care!" declared Marik. "So long as I make my dark side pay for all that's he has done, I'll accept that punishment without question!"

Montage was very pleased. "I'm so glad to hear that..." he remarked. "I now don't have to worry about killing him!"

The green-haired spirit laughed psychotically and gleefully.

"All done with your little discussion over there?" asked Dark Marik, still not losing his evil smile. "No matter what you two talked about, you're wasting your time." His eyes narrowed more evilly than ever before. "Guys like you... I kill instantly!"

With a swirl of his cape, and a wave of his left arm, the familiar dark fog started damping and covering the whole duel stage... From there, he, Montague, and Marik were each taken to the Shadow Realm.

"Let the Shadow Game commence!"

Montague grimaced a bit, but recovered almost immediately.

"In this Shadow Duel, the loser's body and soul will be devoured and lost to the Shadow Realm." explained Dark Marik. "It's the Ultimate Death Game!"

"Body and soul being lost?" quizzed Montague.

"Ultimate Death Game?" came from Marik.

"You'll get it soon, my two poor, pathetic friends..."

Finally, Montague and Dark Marik both activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands.

"Let's duel!" They both said in unison (LP: 4000) x2.

It was rather quiet at first in the Shadow Realm, despite the duel having started... Finally...

"I'll go first, if you don't mind." offered Montague.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Montague (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): Goblin Zombie, Multiple Destruction, Exchange, Destiny Board, and Fearful Earthbound

* * *

Looking at one of the cards in his hand, Montague took it and held it up (without showing what it was) with a malicious smile on his face.

"I'll begin by placing this powerful Trap card facedown... and spring it when the time comes to."

DarK Marik had a cruel smile on his face. "I know all about your Occult deck." he thought to himself.

A facedown card materialized before Montague, followed by him placing another card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Next I'll summon my Goblin Zombie in attack mode." continued the green-haired spirit.

A weird goblin-like zombie materialized on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1100).

"My turn has ended!"

"Heh heh heh heh..." laughed Dark Marik, drawing his card. "It's my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 44  
 **Current Hand** (6): Drillago, Black Pendant, Melchid the Four-Face Beast, Jam Defender, The Mask of Remnants, and Harpie's Feather Duster

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, the evil man snickered quietly.

"Time to give my prize a test run..." he remarked.

"Huh?" Montague looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Behold the Spell card Harpie's Feather Duster!" exclaimed Dark Marik, slotting his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"What?!" cried Montague. "Harpie's Feather Duster?!"

"Where did he get that card?!" came from Marik.

"Heh heh heh heh... I took it from my first opponent, Polly Stone." chuckled Dark Marik. "And as you likely know; this Spell card destroys all of my opponent's Spell and Trap cards on the field!"

Before long, a large Harpie-like feather materialized out of the card.

"Go, now! Wipe out my opponent's Spell and Trap cards!"

The feather swooped over and destroyed Montague's facedown card, much to his anger and surprise from a card he never saw Marik ever use.

"My Fearful Earthbound!" The green-haired spirit yelled, before glaring at Dark Marik.

"That card deals 500 points of damage to the opponent whenever they declare an attack." Dark Marik explained in a mocking tone. "Helpful for you... but now is of no use!"

Montague cursed loudly in frustration. Suddenly, a large machine-like monster will loads of drills materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000).

"I summon Drillago in attack mode!" announced Dark Marik. "Destroy Goblin Zombie now!"

Drillago obeyed, drilling a huge hole into Goblin Zombie and destroying it. The destruction of his monster made Montague grunt as he took slight damage (LP: 3500).

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed Dark Marik. "A nice try on your part, but it was a completely futile attempt! Now, take a good look at yourself, Montague..."

Montague looked at his upper left arm and gasped as part of it began to vanish.

"What the-?!" The green-haired spirit cried out. "What is-?!"

Dark Marik laughed maniacally. "It looks like it was you that was bitten!"

"What on Earth is going on here?!" demanded Montague. "Why did a part of my arm fade away into nothing?"

"That's part of our Shadow Game." explained Dark Marik. "Every time we take damage, parts of our bodies get eaten by the darkness."

"The darkness...?!" repeated Montague, before going into his thoughts. "So hidden in the darkness is a beast that devours souls."

Several creatures of darkness were roaming around and preparing to eat whoever lost life points next... but Montague didn't seem scared at all by the game's nature. Instead, he began to laugh...

"I see now..."

"Hmph! You find this amusing?" asked Dark Marik with a slight huff.

"I find that this game will be very fun indeed!" said Montague coolly. "And those are the kind of Shadow Games I enjoy the best!"

The evil man then grinned. "And when you lose all your life points, you will be eaten by the void! Both body and soul! That is the nature of my Death Game!"

"Very interesting..." remarked Montague, getting a feel for the Shadow Game. "So when your life points hit 0, you become a part of the darkness, eh?"

"Who will eliminate who?" questioned Dark Marik. "Only the coming turns will decide upon it... Let's do this, Montague!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was still asleep in his bed...when his Millennium Puzzle started glowing brightly.

(new location...)

On cue, Thomas found himself awake and inside the puzzle.

"Whoa!" cried Thomas. "Did I end up inside the Millennium Puzzle? If so, then why?"

He started to walk around the place. It was almost like a maze of a sort.

"Better be careful." Thomas said to himself. "Who knows what I will run into in here."

Upon opening one door, he found himself in another room...and there was both his duel spirits.

"Dark Magician! Dark Magician Girl!" Thomas called.

"It would seem curiosity got the better of you." said Dark Magician.

"How did I end up here?" asked Thomas.

"We summoned you." Dark Magician Girl answered.

Thomas blinked. "Huh? What for?"

"Things have been getting out of hand lately." explained Dark Magician. "And it seems that the danger's growing."

"Marik's dark side." said Thomas quietly. "Not only that, I'm still seeking out answers to all of my questions about what my friends and I saw at the museum."

"Please be careful, Thomas." warned Dark Magician Girl, looking very upset. "The danger will grow the closer you come to the answers you seek and your destiny."

Thomas didn't know what to really say right now.

(elsewhere...)

Back within the Shadow Realm, Dark Marik and Montague were both in the middle of their duel.

"Who will be devoured by the Shadow Realm and end up destroyed?" questioned Montague with a sinister laugh. "How fun and amusing! Let's fight, Marik!"

He drew his card and began his next turn.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Montague (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (4): Multiple Destruction, Exchange, Destiny Board, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I play Pot of Greed!" Montague held his drawn card out. "I draw two cards from my deck."

He drew his two cards and added them to his hand.

"Choose your cards carefully, Montague!" called Dark Marik. "I know all about your pathetic Occult deck!"

Montague gave a snort and looked to his hand; which consisted of Multiple Destruction, Exchange, Destiny Board, Gernia, and Dark Sanctuary.

"If he knows my Occult deck that well, then I can't use my Destiny Board strategy." The green-haired spirit thought to himself. "I'll just have to create a new strategy that even Marik's dark half has never seen before."

"Bring it on!" thought Dark Marik. "The Winged Dragon of Ra is currently asleep deep in my deck... It will end your life no matter what you do!" Finally, he spoke up... "What's wrong?! Make a move already!"

"Keep your cool!" snapped Montague, before going back into his thoughts. "Marik only has one monster on his side of the field. Suppose he already has his Egyptian God card in his hand... If he gets three monsters out, he'll tribute them and summon Ra."

"Don't be afraid of the God card, Montague!" warned Marik.

"Keep quiet!" retorted Montague. "I don't need you telling-!"

"Just hear me out." The reformed Rare Hunter leader interrupted. "There is a way to make Ra powerless and easier to beat!"

"W-What?!"

"Hey, hey!" called Dark Marik. "Are you two having your strategy planning time again? Let me tell you something; it's futile. Just hurry up and do something!"

"I see... that can work!" smirked Montague. "Rejoice, Marik! I'll blast your body to pieces with the advice you gave me!"

"I don't care! Just do it!" Marik snapped.

Dark Marik growled. "Tch! What did my other personality tell him?"

Two facedown cards suddenly materialized on Montague's side of the field.

"I place two cards facedown!" said Montague, with two fingers pressed on a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. He then placed another card onto a monster field slot... "Next I summon Gernia in defense mode, thus finishing my turn!"

A weird looking fiend-type monster materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1200).

Dark Marik scowled. "What's he thinking?" he thought to himself. "No matter what they're planning, it is powerless against a God card like The Winged Dragon of Ra!" The evil man then looked back down to his hand; it contained Vengeful Bog Spirit, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, and Card of Last Will. "But I don't have Ra in my hand right now."

Finally, Dark Marik drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 43  
 **Current Hand** (5): Black Pendant, Melchid the Four-Face Beast, Jam Defender, The Mask of Remnants, and Card of Sanctity

* * *

Frowning, the evil man saw that didn't draw what he needed.

"Nothing..." said Dark Marik mentally, before smirking once more. "Nevertheless, I'll make Ra come to me with this Spell card."

He slotted the card into his Duel Disk... On cue, the Card of Sanctity Spell card materialized face-up.

"Behold Card of Sanctity!"

"Why would you play a card like that?!" demanded Montague.

"To add Ra to my hand quicker." answered Dark Marik. "Now we both draw from our respective decks until we both have six cards in our hands."

The life point counter on Dark Marik's Duel Disk flashed 'Draw' repeatedly until the evil man drew two cards, but only gave a small huff at what the two drawn cards actually were. Montague noticed the look as he drew his four cards and chuckled softly in response.

"Judging from the look on your face, you've failed to draw your God card." he remarked, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Then allow me give you a helping hand! ...with my Multiple Destruction Trap card!"

Montague's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. Just then, a swirl of darkness with Duel Monsters cards being absorbed was briefly shown.

"This Trap card forces both players to discard their entire hands while drawing five new cards." explained Montague, discarding his whole hand to the graveyard.

"Why do you want me to draw the God card so badly?" Dark Marik questioned, sending his whole hand to the graveyard. "There has to be a reason for it."

"No personal reason." replied Montague, smirking knowingly. "Although now I must give up 100 life points per card I've discarded from my hand."

Part of his body faded away as he lost life points (LP: 2900). Dark Marik merely drew his new hand - but gave a low growl at what he drew (Joyful Doom, Makyura the Destructor, Rope of Life, Card of Last Will, and Pot of Greed).

"Still nothing."

This made Montague very cross. "What?! You still didn't draw that one card?!" he exclaimed, spitting in disgust. "Pathetic! You're a lousy drawer, you know that?!"

"Who's the real fool?" asked Dark Marik angrily. "The guy who failed to draw Ra, or the guy who gave up more life points just to draw more cards?"

"Just finish your turn!" snapped Montague. "My patience is growing thin..."

Growling once more, Dark Marik took a card from his new hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk. This caused a facedown card to materialize before him.

"I'll place a card facedown and end my turn!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Millennium Puzzle, Thomas was still speaking to both his ace monsters over the events that had been occurring...

"Percy was really upset that Marik put Lady in a coma." The blue-haired boy said. "Now that we've learned more on Marik's dark half, it has become more important than ever that we defeat him. Otherwise the whole world could be doomed."

"Yes, it is important." agreed Dark Magician.

"But what about the answers you seek, Thomas?" asked Dark Magician Girl.

"I want to find those out as well." answered Thomas. "But stopping Marik's dark half comes first."

"Well, whatever you do about it...you can count on both of us to assist you." said Dark Magician.

"That's a solemn promise." added Dark Magician Girl, smiling and winking.

"Thank you both." smiled Thomas.

The blue-haired boy was grateful for having so many friends... Not only human, but even Duel Monster ones.

(elsewhere...)

Back within the Shadow Realm, Montague was about to draw and take his turn.

"Now watch as I take over Ra from you!" he said, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Montague (LP: 2900)  
 **Deck** : 29  
 **Current Hand** (6): Dark Necrofear, Monster Reborn, Dark Ruler Ha Des, Premature Burial, Dark Designator, and Puppet Master

* * *

Upon seeing what he drew, Montague slowly snickered before giving off a psychotic laugh.

"Just what I've been waiting for!" The green-haired spirit exclaimed in triumph. "Now behold as I sacrifice my lone monster to summon something that will grant me victory!"

With that said, Gernia vanished and it its place was a huge zombie dressed like a jester. (Level: 6/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).

"Meet my Puppet Master!"

"Puppet Master?" Dark Marik repeated.

"Yes, and I will now activate its effect!" Montague then took a large life point hit (LP: 1900), and a loss of some of his body. "By paying 1000 life points, I am able to special summon three monsters from my graveyard!"

Three monsters emerged from the ground; Headless Knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1450), The Earl of Demise (Level: 6/ATK: 2000), and Goblin Zombie (Level: 4/ATK: 1100).

"What was the point of that?" asked Dark Marik. "Your monsters can't attack the turn they were summoned by your Puppet Master's effect."

"Oh, I know that." retorted Montague, taking a card from his hand and slotting it into his Duel Disk. "I have a little present for you! ...in form of this Spell card."

The Spell card materialized face-up.

"Dark Designator!?" exclaimed Dark Marik.

"That's right." nodded Montague. "Now I can guess a card name. And if said card is in your deck, it goes right to your hand. And the name I choose is... The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Dark Marik took his deck out of his Duel Disk, searched through it, and took the card in question out.

"Tell me why!" he demanded, while placing his deck back into his Duel Disk. "Why give Ra to me now?"

"Because now that it's in your hand-" explained Montague, as he motioned a hand out. "-I can take it from you! And I'll do so with my final set card; Exchange!"

On cue, the green-haired spirit's final facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"Oh, so that's what you're up to." remarked Dark Marik. "That's why you went to such lengths to get the card added to my hand... although it did also cost you lots of life points to do so, and I never even did that much damage to you!"

"It was all worth it." retorted Montague, smiling wickedly. "Now give me the card!"

Reluctantly walking over, Dark Marik gave Montague his Winged Dragon of Ra card while he took a card from Montague's hand.

"This should do nicely." The evil man thought to himself.

The card Dark Marik took was the Monster Reborn Spell card. Montague chuckled to himself.

"You took my Monster Reborn card." he thought. "Too bad you'll never get a chance to even use it." The evil spirit spoke aloud now. "Next turn, I'll let you cower before me when I play The Winged Dragon of Ra! ...which you had been so eagerly wanting to draw!"

Montague gave a sadistic laugh, while Dark Marik reached the other end of the platform and turning around to look at his opponent.

"' **Cower before me** '?" he scoffed. "I'm not afraid, Montague. There's no way you could even use Ra! The only one who can call Ra forth is the one who masters it!"

It was right then Marik spoke up.

"As we are the same person-" The reformed Rare Hunter leader said seriously. "-I know the ancient text on the card."

"So you do." Dark Marik quipped. "To be blunt; you, Montague, are no match for me. You only got this far in the duel thanks to my weaker self's advise."

"What did you say?!" growled Montague, not looking or sounding too pleased.

"Forget it. Pretend I never said anything." shrugged Dark Marik innocently.

"Hmph! Talk it up while you still can, because I'll be the one laughing in the end!"

Dark Marik's look grew insane. "Then let's continued the Shadow Duel!"

"Next turn, we'll summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!" declared Marik. "And when we do... we will kill you!"

As Marik said that, an image of The Winged Dragon of Ra was shown towering above the three duelists. What will be the outcome of the match of two/three evils? Tune in next time to find out!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	55. Duel of Two Evils (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Montague began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"So, Marik is in need of my help to defeat his far more evil dark side, eh? Well, I suppose I could assist him despite we both tried to backstab each other earlier."

"Billinton wouldn't dare harm his friend." snickered Marik mentally. "Once he surrenders, he will be ours to kill!"

However...

"What did you say?" The image on Montague suddenly appeared beside 'Namu'. "What are you talking about?"

"Once this turn is up, Thomas will die by my hands."

"But I told you Billinton must be kept alive!" objected Montague.

"Who cares about that?!" snapped Marik. "I was gonna backstab you when I got Slifer the Sky Dragon back, anyway."

Oh boy, was Montague ever furious at this betrayal.

"You filthy, lying, DOUBLE-CROSSER!" he roared in fury, before becoming a bit worried. "Besides, what if Thomas attacks, anyway? My host could be killed!"

"So long as I get my revenge on the descendant of the Pharaoh, I care not for what happens to him." Marik retorted.

"I still need him!" protested Montague. "If Duck dies, then I'll never be able to leave this blasted time period! Well, two can play at the backstab game!"

Suddenly Duck groaned as his Millennium Ring glowed and Montague took control again.

"I'm back!" exclaimed the spirit grandly.

Later on...

"A Shadow Duel..." said Dark Marik. "A game of death where the loser dies."

Montague smirked confidently in response.

"Of course, you'll be the one who dies, Montague."

"Say what you want... before the darkness fills your mouth." retorted Montague. "And in addition... I'm well aware you're a user of the Egyptian God cards."

"That doesn't mean you'll be able to stop it." insisted Dark Marik. "I do hope you enjoy coming up with a useless strategy!"

"During our duel, I did come up with a strategy. It was to take his own Egyptian God card away from him! As so..."

"Judging from the look on your face, you've failed to draw your God card." he remarked, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Then allow me give you a helping hand! ...with my Multiple Destruction Trap card!"

Montague's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. Just then, a swirl of darkness with Duel Monsters cards being absorbed was briefly shown.

"This Trap card forces both players to discard their entire hands while drawing five new cards." explained Montague, discarding his whole hand to the graveyard.

"Why do you want me to draw the God card so badly?" Dark Marik questioned, sending his whole hand to the graveyard. "There has to be a reason for it."

Montague smirked knowingly. "No personal reason."

"If only he knew what I was up to... eventually, I got Ra added to his hand."

"I have a little present for you! ...in form of this Spell card." cackled Montague, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

The Spell card materialized face-up.

"Dark Designator!?" exclaimed Dark Marik.

"That's right." nodded Montague. "Now I can guess a card name. And if said card is in your deck, it goes right to your hand. And the name I choose is... The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Dark Marik took his deck out of his Duel Disk, searched through it, and took the card in question out.

"Tell me why!" he demanded, while placing his deck back into his Duel Disk. "Why give Ra to me now?"

"Because now that it's in your hand-" explained Montague, as he motioned a hand out. "-I can take it from you! And I'll do so with my final set card; Exchange!"

On cue, his final facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Although he took Monster Reborn from me, I'm not too concerned about that. Now that I have his ' _beloved_ ' Winged Dragon of Ra card in my hand, victory will be as good as mine!"

"Next turn, we'll summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!" declared Marik. "And when we do... we will kill you!"

As Marik said that, an image of The Winged Dragon of Ra was shown towering above the three duelists. What will be the outcome of the match of two/three evils? Tune in next time to find out!

* * *

 **Title: Duel of Two Evils, Part 2**

* * *

Somewhere above the ocean, the blimp was still flying over the waters and on the way to its final destination. Inside the Shadow Realm, Dark Marik and Montague were both still engaged in their Shadow Game:  
-Dark Marik (LP: 4000) only had Drillago (Level: 4/ATK: 1600) on his side of the field. The evil man, despite losing his main card now, was not looking worried at all; he just snickered quietly to himself.  
-Montague (LP: 1900) had Puppet Master (Level: 5/DEF: 0), The Earl of Demise (Level: 6/ATK: 2000), Goblin Zombie (Level: 4/ATK: 1100), and Headless Knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1450) on his side of the field. The green-haired spirit had just taken The Winged Dragon of Ra card from his opponent with the Exchange Spell card.

"Now it's your turn, Marik." said Montague after some time.

"Very well." acknowledged Dark Marik, drawing his card. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (6): Monster Reborn, Makyura the Destructor, Rope of Life, Card of Last Will, Pot of Greed, and Vengeful Bog Spirit

* * *

"The sooner you end your turn-" Montague again spoke up, with an all-too eager expression on his face. "-the sooner I can begin mine! The outcome of this match has already been decided, anyway!"

He then looked to his hand. It contained the following cards; Dark Necrofear, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Dark Ruler Ha Des, and Premature Burial. The green-haired spirit's evil smile grew eviler.

"On my next turn, you're gonna be killed by your own Egyptian God monster... That will bring this farce to an end!"

"You're not the only one who can read the Hieratic text on the card." The image of Marik added. He then narrowed his eyes fiercely. "I'll bury you back into darkness next turn with The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"Heh heh heh... that's quite bold of you to say, my weaker self." chuckled Dark Marik. "Actually, I don't even think I can call you ' _my weaker self_ ' anymore!"

Marik growled. "What?!"

"That old geezer from the Ishtar family-" continued the evil man, holding up the Millennium Rod. "-preciously guarded the Millennium Rod that was passed down, along with the other Millennium Items, for centuries. It now lies in my hands!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

'Marik' was by the table with the Millennium Items, and had taken hold of the Millennium Rod on the tray.

"From now on, we're going by my rules." he remarked.

Mr. Ishtar was even more furious. "Marik! I order you to put down that Millennium Item! You are not ready to use them!"

The Millennium Rod glowed all gold and 'Marik' laughed quietly to himself.

"Well now, this item seems to accept me." The possessed boy said snidely.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"The Rod accepted me-" Dark Marik spoke on. "-in order to allow me to help you with your revenge." His face then grew more demented. "I guess it must be me who is the better half, eh?"

"That's enough!" shouted Marik in defiance. "I'm the real Marik Ishtar!"

"Very well, ' _Marik_ ', forget I ever said anything." The evil man said in a very teasing tone. "If you want to summon Ra so badly... go ahead and do it. But you'll have to learn the consequences of playing it."

With that said, he took a card from his hand and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. A Continuous Spell card called Vengeful Bog Spirit materialized face-up.

"I activate the Continuous Spell card Vengeful Bog Spirit." Dark Marik went on. "Now thanks to this, the monsters we both control cannot attack on the same turn they are normal, special, or fusion summoned!"

Montague merely grinned. "Heh! Even if you delay Ra's attack for one turn, the result is the same!"

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Montague (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Necrofear, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Dark Ruler Ha Des, Premature Burial, and The Portrait's Secret

* * *

"Now, Montague!" exclaimed Marik. "Play The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"Don't order me around!" snapped Montague.

From there, he added his drawn card to his hand...and took another card (The Winged Dragon of Ra) out.

"Prepare yourself, ' _Marik_ '." The green-haired spirit sneered, addressing Dark Marik. "I'm gonna play your precious God card right now." He prepared to place the obtained Egyptian God card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I tribute all three of my newly summoned monsters!" Montague placed is card on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Suddenly, Dark Marik smirked. "You fell for it." he remarked, and held his hand out in triumph. "Behold the Trap card of your doom! ...or should I say...Joyful Doom!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Joyful Doom?!" gasped Montague.

"Where did THAT card come from?!" added Marik, looking just as shocked.

"Thanks to the effect of Joyful Doom, the attack points of the monsters you tributed are added to my life points!" Dark Marik explained, just as his smile thickened. "And the overall attack power of every monster you just sacrificed..."

Headless Knight grew weaker before vanishing (ATK: 1450 - 0), and Dark Marik's life points got higher (LP: 5450).

"...becomes zero!"

"No!" cried Montague.

Goblin Zombie grew weaker (ATK: 1100 - 0), and Dark Marik gained more life points (LP: 6550). The Earl of Demise grew weaker (ATK: 2000 - 0), and Dark Marik gained even more life points (LP: 8550). Montague could only watch helplessly as his three weak monsters faded away...while flames surrounded him as the familiar Egyptian God that Dark Marik used to defeat Lady rose behind him before stretching its wings and giving a mighty roar (Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 3450).

"Impossible!" Montague stated in great shock. "The Winged Dragon of Ra has zero attack points?!"

The image of Marik standing beside the green-haired spirit was also shocked by the outcome.

"I can't believe it!" The reformed Rare Hunter leader cried out. "Ra's attack is determined by the combined total of the monsters that are tributed! if the monsters tributed to summon it all have zero attack points, then Ra's own attack points...will also be zero!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra gave another mighty roar. Montague, meanwhile, cast a glance at his partner-in-crime angrily.

"What do you mean by that?!" The green-haired spirit demanded. "If Joyful Doom was in your deck, you should have told me about it sooner!"

"It wasn't there at the time!" protested Marik. "He must have made alterations to my deck when he took over my body!" He then cast a glance towards his dark side with a scowl of frustration. "Darn it! My dark side must have planned on having us steal his card from him all this time! He has been baiting us with the card..."

"Even more so, his life points have risen to 8550." Montague added. Saying a minor curse word quietly, the green-haired spirit gave a defeated sigh while bracing two fingers onto the card on one of the monster field slots on his Duel Disk. "Then it's a good thing I summoned it in defense mode... and that my Puppet Master is also in defense mode."

Puppet Master and The Winged Dragon of Ra both stood in a defensive stance before Drillago and Dark Marik.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the hallways of the blimp, all was still quiet...thankfully, because what was going on outside at the duel arena was something bad.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Duck's room, Mavis was still sleeping beside the empty bed, but started to open her eyes and wake up.

"Ugh." she muttered. "What happened?"

Looking around, the blonde-haired girl found she was asleep near the edge of Duck's bed, and not in her own bed. And then, to her shock, Duck was missing...

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was still asleep in bed when a knock came at his door, causing him to slowly wake up. Surprisingly, Emily was sound asleep in her own bed and didn't hear the knock.

"Who is it?" Thomas yawned.

"It's Mavis." came the answering voice.

"Mavis?" Thomas was puzzled over why his friend was up late.

Outside the room, Mavis, now dressed, patiently waited until the door opened and revealed a very sleepy looking Thomas.

"What's wrong?" The blue-haired boy asked, rubbing his eyes. "It's late at night."

"I just woke up and Duck wasn't in his bed." said Mavis urgently. "He's gone!"

Thomas gave a shocked gasp. He wasn't feeling so tired anymore.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the blimp and inside the Shadow Realm, Dark Marik began to take his turn...

"Now, it's my turn." he said snidely, drawing his card and looking at it.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Dark Marik (LP: 8550)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (6): Monster Reborn, Makyura the Destructor, Rope of Life, Card of Last Will, Pot of Greed, and Byser Shock

* * *

"Here I come, Montague! Drillago, attack the Puppet Master now!"

Drillago obeyed, drilling Puppet Master to pieces.

"Puppet Master has been beaten!" declared Dark Marik, watching joyously as Montague swore in frustration. "My turn is over!"

"My turn now!" The green-haired spirit grunted, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Montague (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 27  
 **Current Hand** (5): Dark Necrofear, Dark Ruler Ha Des, Premature Burial, The Portrait's Secret, and Dark Spirit of the Silent

* * *

"All you've got left is a monster with zero attack points... What do you plan on doing now, Montague? The God is of no help to you!"

"Then allow me to show you." said Montague, taking another card from his hand. "First I sacrifice The Winged Dragon of Ra in order to summon Dark Ruler Ha Des."

The Winged Dragon of Ra slowly vanished into nothingness...before a monster card materialized face-up and summoned a demonic-like fiend (Level: 6/ATK: 2450).

"Oh? I can't believe you'd personally cast an Egyptian God aside so easily." joked Dark Marik in what could be the most teasing tone ever heard. While looking at his hand, he eyed the Monster Reborn card with glee. "Doing something like that could easily come back to bite you."

"You clearly have the Monster Reborn card you took from me in your hand." remarked Montague. "But..."

"But what?" Dark Marik raised an eyebrow.

"It will be of no use to you. Most Spell cards that revive monsters can only work on Egyptian Gods for exactly one turn, and The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack would be at zero regardless since its stats all depend on the combined stats of the monsters used to tributed to summon it. That means I'm safe from Ra even if you summon it back from the graveyard!"

While Montague was pleased, Marik was a bit unsure—all because Dark Marik was not looking worried whatsoever.

"It's true that The Winged Dragon of Ra should now be sealed off entirely... but why do I feel that my dark side has something else up his sleeve?" thought Marik. "Why is he standing there looking calm and unfazed?"

"I may have failed to use Ra, but my turn is not even close to being over." Montague pointed out, taking yet another card from his hand and placing it on an empty monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I special summon Dark Necrofear by banishing three fiend-type monsters from my graveyard!"

Appearing to the field from a ghostly soul was the blue-skinned fiend holding onto her creepy chattering teeth baby (Level: 8/ATK: 2200).

"Finally, I'll play this Equip Spell card!" continued Montague, holding up another card. "Premature Burial!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"This allows me to bring back my The Earl of Demise in exchange for 800 life points." explained Montague (LP: 1100) as part of his leg faded away.

The fiend with the sword reappeared (Level: 5/ATK: 2000).

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA! My Occult deck gets stronger whenever when you send monsters to the graveyard! Now watch as you face three powerful monsters!"

But Marik was very unhappy that his partner was sacrificing their life points left and right.

"Stop it! Why are you being so reckless?!" The reformed Rare Hunter leader asked harshly. "You've only got 1100 life points left! Plus his Drillago has the ability to attack you directly if all you have on the field is monsters with 1600 or more attack points."

"Exactly." smirked Montague. "But it can only attack me directly if that's ALL I have on the field."

"You've been doing more damage to the both of us than my dark side has been doing through out the whole duel!"

"Keep quiet!" snapped the green-haired spirit crossly. "Didn't I say for you not to order me around?!"

"But-!" Marik tried to argue, but got cut off.

"If we want to reduce his life points of 8550, we need to take risks. That's how my deck works about..."

"Just calm down, Montague." said Marik. "My dark side is planning something big, I just know it."

"Oh, and how would you know?!" growled Montague. "You didn't tell me about that Joyful Doom card he used on my monsters before I tried to summon Ra!"

Marik glared at his ally again. "I told you it wasn't in my deck before! He added it when he took over! If it had been in there before, I would have warned you ahead of time!"

"I want you to get out of my body!" shouted Montague at last.

Dark Marik could only laugh harshly at the argument. "Good friends; now it's finger pointing and name calling. How amusing! I don't mind that at all... but I would suggest that we continue with the duel instead of just bickering pointlessly. Just remember that monsters summoned this turn cannot attack because of Vengeful Bog Spirit."

"I know that without you needing to tell me!" grunted Montague unhappily. "With my turn being over now, you can go ahead and take your own turn." He then smiled sinisterly while clenching his fist. "We must continue this Shadow Game until one of us falls!"

"Really?" asked Dark Marik with amusement. "Then allow me to get things going."

He drew his card.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the blimp, Thomas and Mavis (with the former now dressed) and searching for Duck in the hallways... but they were having no such luck.

"Where could he be?" asked Thomas.

"Maybe we should have woke Emily up so she could help with the search, too." suggested Mavis.

"No, I didn't want to worry her. Besides, maybe Marik did something to Duck again?"

The blonde-haired girl hoped that it wasn't the case (which it was).

(elsewhere...)

Inside Spencer's room, the silver-haired boy was busy typing on his computer.

"I'll create a simulation depicting the success rate of my virus strategies." he thought, typing away.

A few seconds later, a beeping sound was heard and Spencer gasped at what he saw on his monitor.

"What on Earth?"

The monitor showed the results; it was a measly 13%.

"13%?!" Spencer exclaimed, before easing up. "It would seem Ra is more than I first imagined."

(elsewhere...)

Back in the Shadow Realm, Dark Marik was finally beginning his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Dark Marik (LP: 8550)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (7): Monster Reborn, Makyura the Destructor, Rope of Life, Card of Last Will, Pot of Greed, Byser Shock, and Holding Arms

* * *

"Yesssssss..." The evil man laughed to himself.

Over with Marik and Montague...

"Hm?" quizzed Marik curiously.

"And what might you be laughing at?!" Montague, meanwhile, demanded, growing quite cross.

The only words Dark Marik said in response were the following...

"One Turn Kill...!"

Marik's eyes widened when he heard this, and Montague didn't look any better either.

"What?!" The green-haired spirit muttered.

"It means you're going to die in one turn, Montague." explained Dark Marik calmly.

"What are you-?!"

"Even my weaker self doesn't know about this." continued the evil man, the veins on his face were bulging with insanity. "I think I'll go ahead and show you another ability of Ra!"

"A special ability of Ra's that not even I know about?" Marik quizzed.

"One Turn Kill?" Montague repeated.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Spencer's room, the silver-haired boy was still typing away when he noticed something on the monitor.

"One Turn Kill." he gasped.

The monitor was showing some info on The Winged Dragon of Ra's effects... specifically the message ' _One Turn Kill_ '.

"This is another ability?" asked Spencer, and began to read the message. "When conditions are met for The Winged Dragon of Ra, it can crush all its enemies at once and reduce the opponent's life points to zero."

The monitor showed Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon as well.

"The three Egyptian God cards..." whispered Spencer. "I have Obelisk the Tormentor, Thomas Billinton has Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Marik has The Winged Dragon of Ra. One thing they have in common is that they require three sacrifices to summon, Spell and Trap cards that instantly destroy monsters have no effect on them, and most Spell card effects only last one turn against them. But there is one effect that Ra has that the other two do not; and that's the power of Instant Attack."

The silver-haired boy resumed his research.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Shadow Realm, Dark Marik was looking at both of his opponents while doing some big time thinking.

"This card will seal the fate of you both!" he thought, looking at his hand. "While most Spell cards that either destroy or take control of the monster only last one turn when used on a God monster, no matter who used the card in question. Monster Reborn will affect Ra for one turn, and then the God will return to the graveyard... And with Vengeful Big Spirit on the field, it would prevent monsters from attacking on the turn they're summoned. But... what nobody else, but me, knows is that Ra has the power of Instant Attack."

Montague just kept an impatient look on his face; he really wanted Dark Marik to make his move so that the green-haired spirit can end the duel already. Speaking of Dark Marik, the evil man suddenly motioned his right arm out as his cape blew about in the blowing wind.

"One turn is more than enough!" declared Dark Marik. "If I activate The Winged Dragon of Ra's special ability, you'll both be finished in an instant!"

Montague and Marik both merely gazed at their hated enemy without saying another word about their soon-to-be bad situation (not that they even knew about it).

(elsewhere...)

Back inside Spencer's room, the computer monitor was still showing images of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"If Ra is in the graveyard, and you have Monster Reborn in your hand..." thought Spencer. "The strategy is set; One Turn Kill can be used!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside an elevator, Thomas and Mavis were both inside and heading to the top of the blimp.

"There's only one place we haven't looked yet." said Thomas.

"The duel arena." agreed Mavis.

The elevator door opened...and the two teenagers found the all too purple familiar fog.

"Thomas, look!" exclaimed Mavis, pointing at the fog. "That fog! It's... it's..."

"It's a Shadow Game!" gasped Thomas.

Mavis looked horrified. "Then Duck must be in there!"

"Marik must have dragged Duck into something like this." Thomas stated seriously, while his Millennium Puzzle glowed. "Mavis, you might want to stay back and return to your room."

"No way!" The blonde-haired girl replied stubbornly.

"Mavis?"

"Every time there's an emergency-" said Mavis angrily. "-I get left out of the rescue! I mean, I was there when you learned about your ancestor, you know!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Various moments of the school field trip were shown, which included the trip to Egypt from 3000 years ago...

"I'm aware you want to find out the secrets and answers to your questions about how you are the descendant of a Pharaoh, but you can't forget about one thing..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Me, Emily, Percy, and the rest of the gang; we're your friends." Mavis continued. "And we will never let you do something like this on your own! So argue with me as you must, but you know I'm right about this..."

Thomas soon realized that Mavis had a point, and gave a defeated sigh when the blonde-haired girl finished speaking.

"Very... very well." he said at last.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the fog of the Shadow Realm, Montague continued to gaze at Dark Marik hatefully.

"Playtime has long since passed..." Dark Marik whispered, holding up a card. "I'm about to send both of you into the world of darkness! Now observe as I activate this Spell card..." He turned the card over, and revealed it to be... "Monster Reborn!"

Montague and Marik both grimaced from seeing the mentioned card. They then watched as the Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up on Dark Marik's side of the field.

"The one monster I choose to special summon, of course, is The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

A burst of flame started forming in Montague's graveyard, much to the green-haired spirit's suprise.

"Wha-?!" Montague began, but never finished.

"Come forth - Winged Dragon of Ra!" commanded Dark Marik.

A huge pillar of fire came erupting from Montague's graveyard as he gave a loud scream of panic. The fire formed the full body of The Winged Dragon of Ra, who then gave an almighty roar as it joined its master (Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Montague stared on in horror, while Marik gazed up with a more neutral expression.

"You've summoned Ra by revival and Spell card." protested the reformed Rare Hunter leader. "From doing that, Ra's attack and defense stats are both at zero, and it will return to the graveyard at the end of your turn!" He then turned to Montague with a look of reassurance. "If we can survive an attack this turn, the God monster will vanish. We'll get him by then!"

"Are you sure about that." grinned Dark Marik. "You don't understand the true power of The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"What'd you say?" quizzed Marik, scowling. He then remembered the face-up Vengeful Bog Spirit card on his dark half's side... "Further more, Vengeful Bog Spirit is still in play! Your monster cannot even attack the turn it was summoned."

The evil man merely chuckled. "Yes, I am well aware of that detail... but this is where Ra's Instant Attack ability comes in."

"Instant Attack?" came from Montague. "That's something I've never heard of before." He looked to Marik. "Did you know about it?"

"No, I didn't." answered the reformed Rare Hunter leader. "This is the first time I was told of it."

"It allows The Winged Dragon of Ra to by pass certain card effects and attack immediately." Dark Marik explained. His sinister look then grew more and more wicked. "And now...for the kill!"

From there, he crossed his arm together and began to chant something in an ancient language.

"What the-?!" gasped Montague nervously. "What's he doing?!"

"I don't know." answered Marik. "This is the first time I've heard this part of the text on the card."

As he continued to chant, Dark Marik spoke mentally about his other half.

"My weaker self never officially received the full revelation of the Millennium Rod." The evil man thought to himself, before his face grew more and more demented than ever before with each passing second. "Only I can decipher Ra's special ability!"

Slowly, but surely, Dark Marik's body began to vanish into the shadows, catching Montague by complete surprise.

"What?!" The green-haired spirit exclaimed in shock. "Your body is...fading away?!"

"I'll tell you... Ra's special ability!" Dark Marik said darkly, while more and more of his body faded away. "As written on the card... ' _ **He who chants the third litany...may keep one life point and transfer the remainder...onto Ra's attack points for one turn!**_ '"

"The player's life points change into Ra's attack and defense points?!" Montague repeated in shock.

"That's right." nodded Dark Marik, while most of his body faded away. "And it doesn't take any time at all to do... It has been a fun duel, Montague, but now the time has come to end it. Ha ha ha ha ha...! This will be the last time you will see me. Once you disappear into the shadows, my body will go back to normal for me."

"What?!" Montague nearly screamed.

The Winged Dragon of Ra, once it stopped glowing all white, gave an almighty roar as its stats started to go all the way up (ATK: 0 - 8549/DEF: 0 - 8549). Atop of Ra's head, a new, yet still familiar, voice was heard...

"Behold my true power!"

Montague and the image of Marik both looked up and saw that the whole body of Dark Marik was standing atop of Ra's head.

"Ra and I have become one!" declared Dark Marik. He was missing one of his eyes.

Down below, the remains of Dark Marik was holding his hand and could be seen and laughing psychotically (LP: 1).

"He...fused with Ra?" Montague was showing actual fear at the sight of this...One-Winged Angel...form of Dark Marik (LP: 1100). "That's not possible!"

"Oh, but it is possible!" cackled Dark Marik madly. "And now, Ra, it's time to end this duel! Attack with God Blaze Cannon!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra obeyed, opened its mouth, and fired a powerful blast of fire at the three monsters on Montague's side of the field. Montague and Marik both watched helplessly and awaited their impending fate. The blast finally struck the evil spirit's side of the field.

"Every single monster my opponent controls is destroyed!" declared Dark Marik.

Dark Necrofear, The Earl of Demise, and Dark Ruler Ha Des each shattered into pieces.

"And the player is killed!"

Montague screamed in agonizing pain from the fiery flames of Ra.

"And now, my weaker self, it's time for you to be gone!" Dark Marik laughed insanely.

The image of Marik gave a scream before disappearing.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the fog, Thomas was speaking to Mavis some more.

"I know you guys want to help me-" Thomas stated. "-but..."

"But what?" Mavis asked. "Aren't we friends?"

"We've already lost Lady to that homicidal maniac!" objected Thomas seriously. "I don't want to lose you or any of the others, too!"

Giving up, Mavis sighed. "I guess there's no use trying to convince you otherwise."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Shadow Realm, the whole area was smoking from the powerful flames of The Winged Dragon of Ra. Montague, meanwhile, was starting to fade away into death.

"Well done." The green-haired spirit said, looking up with a sinister smile on his fading face. "I suppose I'll admit defeat for now..."

"Prepare to be devoured by darkness." declared Dark Marik, smirking evilly. "The ' ** _World of Death_** ' will surely enjoy having you..."

Then, to his surprise, he heard Montague begin to chuckle darkly.

"But remember this, you fool..." The green-haired spirit proclaimed calmly. "I'll be revived in due time. Why, you might be asking? Because I AM the darkness, and so I cannot be killed so easily by a mere Shadow Game like this. You, along with everyone else aboard the blimp, haven't seen the last of me!"

With one last maniacal laugh, Montague finally vanished into the shadows completely (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Dark Marik wins!**

* * *

Once Montague was gone, the Millennium Ring fell until it hit the ground.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the fading fog, Thomas was prepared to enter, while Mavis sadly stayed behind...but she suddenly started glowing all gold and her eyes became dull as Marik's voice spoke to her.

"It's time to pay Ishizu a visit. I still left part of my soul in this girl's mind."

Back inside the fading fog, Dark Marik approached and picked up the Millennium Ring - which was his prize for winning the Shadow Game.

"The darkness, eh?" The evil man quizzed. "Heh, then I shall enjoy taming that darkness."

There was also a rare card for him. Picking up and looking at it, Dark Marik smirked widely.

"Surprise Attack from Beyond... How kind of you to leave another prize for me, Montague..."

"Marik!" called a new voice.

Dark Marik look off the platform and saw Thomas approaching.

"So, you came after all, Thomas." The evil man remarked.

"What did you do with Duck?" demanded Thomas.

"Duck? I see... Oh, who knows?" replied Dark Marik. "Nobody knows where those who lose a Shadow Game are sent. So how should I know?!"

Thomas's eyes widened. "Duck lost...!"

"Thomas, it will be your turn soon." said Dark Marik, turning to leave. "At that time, you can rejoin your friends in the next world!"

Laughing maniacally, the evil man left the arena to go back down into the blimp and leaving Thomas alone.

"Now we've lost Duck." he said quietly. "Who's next?

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room, the Egyptian woman was sleeping peacefully in her bed... pretty soon, however, she started sweating and struggling in her sleep.

"M-Marik..."

A dream sequence ensured.

* * *

 **DREAM SEQUENCE**

Ishizu was picturing Marik being burned alive by The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Ishizu!" screamed Marik in complete terror, just as the flames rose higher. "SISTER!"

 **END DREAM SEQUENCE**

* * *

The dream ended, and Ishizu woke up panting and gasping.

"Marik..." she said to herself. "I must save you."

Just then, the Egyptian woman heard a knock at her door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and there was Mavis.

"Mavis?" Ishizu was surprised to see the blonde-haired teenage girl.

"Sister..." said Mavis with dullness in her voice...until an image of Marik appeared. "Sister, it's me!"

Ishizu gasped. "Marik! It's you!"

"I don't have time to explain!" began Marik. "You have to get Odion to a safe place and away from my dark side!"

Ishizu didn't say anything and just gazed in shock at hearing that Odion was in great danger.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere inside the Millennium Puzzle, all was quiet...until a new voice could be heard from somewhere.

"Where am I?"

From the shadows came a rather confused Montague. Looking around, the confused look on the green-haired spirit's face turned into one of wicked glee.

"So, I'm inside the Millennium Puzzle." he remarked to himself. "I guess leaving a part of myself inside the Billinton boy would come in handy sooner or later."

Standing back up, Montague began to move to a nearby staircase.

"Now, there is work to be done. Where better to unlock the power of the Pharaoh than within the same item the Pharaoh used?"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the blimp, someone was approaching the door to Odion's room...and that someone was Dark Marik. Taking the handle off the Millennium Rod and exposing the dagger while giving off a sinister chuckle, the evil man walked inside.

"Now... where were we, Odion?" he asked deviously. Dark Marik walked towards Odion's bed, but when the covers were lifted all he found was the bed empty with an exception to a large body pillow. "What?! He's gone? But where did... Ishizu!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Spencer's room, the silver-haired boy was still busy doing his research on The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Hmm... an almost invincible monster that can decide the match in just one turn. Is there any way to stand up to Ra?"

Nearby in one of the beds, Skiff finally stirred and woke up.

"Oh..." he moaned sleepily, before seeing Spencer still awake. "Spencer? You're still up at this hour?"

"There's more to Ra than I thought." said Spencer. "I've just learned about one of its special abilities."

"Big brother..." whispered Skiff.

(elsewhere...)

Later on, Spencer and Skiff, joined by their parents, were in the main cockpit area of the blimp. While Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) each stared out into the open sea, Spencer was in deep thought before he spoke up.

"Currently, we're on course for the final destination for the Battle City tournament; Boxford Corp Island." he stated.

"Boxford Corp Island?" Skiff quizzed.

"It was built by our late adopted Father Gozaburo." explained Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "It's an artificial island, built for military industry."

"Until we got control of the company." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) added. "There, we ordered that all military production there be ceased and scrapped."

"When I was only sixteen years old and had taken up Duel Monsters while briefly living in America, I had a large tower built on that island." Spencer continued. "There, the finals will finish and the champion will be crowned." Smiling to himself, he fell into his thoughts. "If my hunch is right... there IS a way to defeat Ra. Wait for me, Boxford Corp Island... once I'm there, I will erase my Grandfather's legacy, become the Duel King...and become famous worldwide!"

And so, the blimp continued on its way across the wide open ocean. What will everyone aboard expect to see when they arrive? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.


	56. The Island Battle Royale (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Spencer began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"The time will come soon. So far the tournament has played into my hands; the Egyptian God cards have been gathered at the final stage."

"I have Obelisk the Tormentor, Thomas Billinton has Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Marik has The Winged Dragon of Ra." thought Spencer.

"Billinton defeated Duck in the first duel of the finals... James then won again Ryan, but got disqualified later on... Percy, as much as it pains me to admit, won against that fake Marik... The real Marik Ishtar then showed off The Winged Dragon of Ra and defeated Lady... Meanwhile, I defeated Ishizu Ishtar, the older sister of Marik... From there, I continued to do some research on the third Egyptian God card and find out what else it could do."

Inside Spencer's room, the silver-haired boy was busy typing on his computer.

"I'll create a simulation depicting the success rate of my virus strategies." he thought, typing away.

A few seconds later, a beeping sound was heard and Spencer gasped at what he saw on his monitor.

"What on Earth?"

The monitor showed the results; it was a measly 13%.

"13%?!" Spencer exclaimed, before easing up. "It would seem Ra is more than I first imagined."

"Regardless, I found out loads of secrets about the card, and now I just might have a way to overcome it! ...but first, we must reach our final destination."

Spencer and Skiff, joined by their parents, were in the main cockpit area of the blimp. While Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) each stared out into the open sea, Spencer was in deep thought before he spoke up.

"Currently, we're on course for the final destination for the Battle City tournament; Boxford Corp Island." The silver-haired boy stated.

"Boxford Corp Island?" Skiff quizzed.

"It was built by our late adopted Father Gozaburo." explained Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "It's an artificial island, built for military industry."

"Until we got control of the company." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) added. "There, we ordered that all military production there be ceased and scrapped."

"When I was only sixteen years old and had taken up Duel Monsters while briefly living in America, I had a large tower built on that island." Spencer continued. "There, the finals will finish and the champion will be crowned." Smiling to himself, he fell into his thoughts. "If my hunch is right... there IS a way to defeat Ra. Wait for me, Boxford Corp Island... once I'm there, I will erase my Grandfather's legacy, become the Duel King...and become famous worldwide!"

And so, the blimp continued on its way across the wide open ocean. What will everyone aboard expect to see when they arrive? Well, we'll just have to wait and see.

* * *

 **Title: The Island Battle Royale, Part 1**

* * *

The sun was slowly wising in the sky, and the blimp was still travelling over the ocean trying to reach its destination.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room, the Egyptian woman was gazing out the window. She had been awake for a while now.

"It won't be long now." Ishizu thought to herself. "The Pharaoh must save my brother from his dark side, or the whole world could be doomed."

Suddenly, a knock came at her door.

"Yes?"

No response of any kind came. Curiously, Ishizu walked over and opened the door... and was immediately met by Dark Marik roughly grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall.

"Where is Odion?" The evil man asked dangerously.

"M-Marik! What are you-?" coughed Ishizu, trying to fake innocence despite grimacing in pain due to being choked.

Dark Marik gave a small smirk. "You know, a funny thing happened on my way to Odion's room... I entered it, and he wasn't in his bed. You wouldn't happen to know where Odion is, would you?"

"Even if I did know-" said Ishizu defiantly, regaining some breath. "-I would never tell you."

"I'm warning you, Ishizu..." Dark Marik warned, while losing his smirk and his eyes narrowed angrily. "You don't want to mess with someone like me."

"But Odion is of no threat to you!"

"As long as he lives-" hissed Dark Marik, growing more and more impatient. "-there's a chance my weaker self may try to retake control of his body. And I want to stay in control of it, forever."

Ishizu scowled. "Regardless, I will never tell you!"

"You will tell me where Odion is this minute-" Using his free hand, Dark Marik reached inside his cape and pulled out the Millennium Rod—which had already became a dagger. He braced the tip of the weapon directly onto the left breast of Ishizu's chest (where the heart is). "-or else I could just kill you right here and now."

Despite looking frightened, the Egyptian woman narrowed her eyes and summoned all of her courage to try and defy the evil man.

"You wouldn't dare to murder your own flesh and blood."

Dark Marik smiled darkly. "Unlike my weaker self, I would for certain."

Retracting the dagger a distance, the evil man started to quickly stab it forth towards Ishizu's heart. The Egyptian woman closed her eyes for the impact and death... but nothing seemed to happen. Soon, she opened her eyes...

"Huh?"

It would seem Dark Marik stopped his attack at the last second. There was an evil, twisted smile appearing on his face as Ishizu started sweating more fearfully.

"Actually, I've got a far better idea..." Dark Marik stated, putting his Millennium Rod away and beginning to gently stroke the left side of the Egyptian woman's face with his free hand. "You're far too beautiful to just kill straight away... Yes, much too beautiful... Hmm, perhaps I should find some other way...to make you talk." Dark Marik wagged his tongue in a gross, almost repulsive, gesture. "Like possessing you, and making you my personal slave!"

Ishizu was practically shaking with terror now; there wasn't anyone else in the hallway who could save her. To make matters worse, she knew she no longer had the Millennium Necklace to protect her from Dark Marik's sudden sexual desire for her. Ishizu Ishtar was completely at the evil man's mercy! ...but suddenly, instead of having his way with her, the evil man instead dropped the Egyptian woman back onto the ground and turned to leave.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time for such acts of pleasure, right now..." said Dark Marik with a sinister smile. "First things first; I have the rest of the competition to tease and completely slaughter beforehand. Hey! Maybe if I'm lucky enough, I'll get to kill that Thomas Billinton, as well." He turned to look at Ishizu with his smile still on his face. "When I'm all done doing that, along with finding and killing Odion, I'll be back for you..."

And the evil man walked away with a loud and wicked laugh, leaving Ishizu all alone within the hallway while laying on the floor and shaking with fright over what she nearly experienced... The Egyptian woman was otherwise still very thankful she had been spared by that sick sadist and his personal desire for her...for now.

"Marik..." Ishizu thought only to herself, managing to sit up.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room, the blue-haired boy was in bed and thinking about what had happened last night.

"First we've lost Lady." thought Thomas bitterly. "And now Duck's gone, too. We have to stop Marik before he hurts anybody else."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Dark Marik look off the platform and saw Thomas approaching.

"So, you came after all, Thomas." The evil man remarked.

"What did you do with Duck?" demanded Thomas.

"Duck? I see... Oh, who knows?" replied Dark Marik. "Nobody knows where those who lose a Shadow Game are sent. So how should I know?!"

Thomas's eyes widened. "Duck lost...!"

"Thomas, it will be your turn soon." said Dark Marik, turning to leave. "At that time, you can rejoin your friends in the next world!"

Laughing maniacally, the evil man left the arena to go back down into the blimp and leaving Thomas alone.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Duck..." thought Thomas.

(elsewhere...)

Later on inside the dining chamber, everyone had gathered to get breakfast. The nearby tables had been loaded with various breakfast foods prepared by the cooks aboard the blimp.

"Food..." James drooled.

"Food..." Gordon also drooled.

"Food..." Percy finished, also drooling.

"FOOD!" The three teenage boys exclaimed, rushing towards the tables.

The three hungry boys piled their plates with food and started scarfing it down while everyone else watched.

"Ugh..." gagged Carlie.

Matt looked his friend/adopted sister and gave a shrug. Soon, everyone had gotten their food and began to eat and/or chat...

"So, where do you think the final stage for the finals will be at?" Thomas asked Discord.

"Hard to imagine." replied the jolly man. "This is something not even I was told about by Spencer-boy."

"Secretive much?" Emily remarked.

"I still can't believe Spencer disqualified James just because he was trying to save Lady." complained Molly. "It's not fair!"

"I know!" agreed Toby. "What's up with Spencer right now?"

"It's like he doesn't care what happens to anyone else and only cares about the tournament continuing." added Edward.

"I've got half a mind to break his nose for this." growled Gordon, cracking his fist.

Thomas cast a quick glance at his older friend. "No. Violence isn't the answer, and you know it."

Gordon merely grunted unhappily before resuming eating. Thomas only sighed before casting a quick glance over to where Dark Marik was; he was seated at one of the tables and enjoying some hot tea. The evil man soon caught Thomas's glare, but merely smirked and snickered a bit.

"I will stop you, Marik." Thomas thought to himself. "Mark my words!"

Just then, the announcer's voice was heard on the speakers...

"Attention duelists and passengers, we will be arriving at our destination within the hour."

Thomas perked up the moment he heard that.

"About time." sighed James R..

"Our destination...is Boxford Corp Island." continued the announcer.

"Boxford Corp Island?" asked Toby.

"Surprise, surprise..." came a familiar voice.

Everyone turned to the nearby doorway. It was Spencer, and he was smiling grandly.

"That's right, our destination is Boxford Corp Island. It's the location where my late Grandfather first began the company back in the late 1930s."

"Why there?" asked Henry.

"Because when I win this tournament and become the Duel King." answered Spencer. "I will finally break the curse my family has endured under Gozaburo Gresley for too long!"

Everyone (except Discord and Dark Marik) gawked at hearing this bit of info.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the cockpit, the pilots were busy driving the blimp. Skiff was looking out the window when he spotted something in the distance...

"There it is!" The young boy exclaimed. "That has to be Boxford Corp Island!"

In the distance was a small island with a large tower, and Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both overheard Skiff announcing it.

"Never thought we'd return to this place." thought Mr. Gresley (Boxford) to himself.

"This is Spencer's desire." thought Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) to herself. "We will have to go along with it."

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room, Ryan and Liz were both still looking after the coma-induced blonde-haired girl when a knock on the door came.

"Come in." called Liz.

The door opened and in came Percy.

"How is she?" he asked.

"No change." Ryan answered sadly.

Heartbroken, Percy knelt by the bedside and shook the girl under the covers.

"Please wake up, Lady." he begged.

Alas, Lady would still not awaken. After a few seconds of trying, the green-haired boy gave up and stood up with his eyes closed.

"That's it." Percy muttered. "Marik is going down!"

With that, he marched out the door.

"Percy..." whispered Liz.

(elsewhere...)

Minutes later, the blimp finally landed at its destination. Everyone had gathered outside the blimp.

"So this is the final place for the Battle City Finals." said Thomas.

"It sure is creepy." Molly shivered.

"Hmph! A tower... it stands among rubble." came a familiar voice (male).

Up on a nearby rock pile was Dark Marik, and he was gazing down at the poor fools who were against him.

"Marik!" exclaimed Thomas.

"A fitting ' **Tomb Marker** ' for your sort..." The evil man continued. "Soon, very soon, you will be buried here alive, Thomas!"

"The only one who's gonna be buried here is you, Marik!" snapped Percy. "You're going to pay for everything you've done!"

"Oh? And how, may I ask, are you planning on doing so, Percy?"

Before anything more could be said, another voice spoke up.

"This is Boxford Corp Island!" It was Spencer who was speaking. "This island used to be an arms manufacturer base, but my parents had the place torn down when they assumed control from my late Grandfather!"

Everyone followed Spencer and his parents inside the tower.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the blimp and a new room, Ishizu was seated in a comfy chair and looking after a coma-induced Odion, who was lying in bed.

"We can only hope now that Marik's dark half is stopped." she said, almost as if the Egyptian woman was speaking to her adopted brother. "Otherwise, you and I could possibly never see our brother again."

Odion, very obviously, could not answer because he was still completely out like a light.

(elsewhere...)

At the Duel Tower...

"So this is it?" came James's voice.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the building, everyone unfamiliar with the place was looking around in bewilderment.

"Doesn't look much to me." Gordon remarked.

"Me neither." agreed Toby.

Dark Marik, meanwhile, got down to business.

"So, Mr. Gresley, have you decided who our opponents for the semi-finals will be?" he asked Spencer haughtily.

"Just hold your horses!" snapped Skiff. "If you give us a minute, you and the others will hear everything!"

As they got to the base of the tower, they could see what looked like four closed doors leading to a room with mechanical chairs. Each chair appeared to have a duel field attacked to it.

"Four doors?" Thomas blinked.

The referee spoke up. "Duelists, please select the door you wish to enter. None of them will give you an advantage of a sort in this upcoming duel."

"I don't know." said Percy, while scratching the top of his head. "Even though you say that, it still looks hard to choose."

"Well, I'll pick this one." Thomas stated, standing near a door.

Spencer also already chosen his own door. Percy...just couldn't decide on his door.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe..." He started randomly pointing at the two remaining doors.

"An amateur like you can just take whichever one is left." muttered Spencer in annoyance at the green-haired boy's embarrassing actions.

Finally, Percy pointed at a door...but Dark Marik was already walking towards it.

"H-Hey! I picked that one, you jerk!" exclaimed Percy.

"Oh, my apologies." smirked Dark Marik. It was clear he was teasing the green-haired boy... "How silly of me to do..."

Everyone else went into their rooms while Percy protested (the rest of the gang sweatdropped in response) before finally giving up.

"I guess this is the only one left." he sighed, looking at the remaining room.

The four duelists entered the rooms all the way as the doors closed by themselves.

"Everyone else can follow me." said Skiff.

"Where are we going?" asked Emily.

Mr. Gresley (Boxford) winked. "You'll see."

At last, the remaining group arrived in the main body of the Duel Tower.

"Oh, wow!" gasped Molly.

"That's what I call a high ceiling." added Michael.

"Just how tall is this old tower?" came from Zack.

"And what about the four finalists?" asked Matt. "Where are they?"

The referee held a hand up. "Just wait a few seconds..."

Within a few seconds, the four duelists rose from the floor into the air until they stopped at a '4000' mark. Each of them was seated (actually standing) in a mechanical chair.

"Whoa!" cried Percy. "We're really high up! An explanation would be nice, Spencer!"

"You'll get one." replied Spencer. "So just keep your mouth shut and listen well."

Down below, the referee began to explain everything about the upcoming match...

"For proud duelists such as yourselves, it would be unfair to decide your opponents with a mere lottery. So the semi-finals will be decided with a duel."

"Decide our opponents in the semi-finals with a duel?" thought Thomas.

"The rules are simple..." continued the referee. "This will be a four-way duel between the four remaining finalists. The first two to arrive at the top-"

"-will be the first to duel." Edward finished.

The referee nodded in confirmation. "Exactly."

"So... this is like a four-person Battle Royale, am I right?" Percy asked.

"Heh, you're not as stupid as you look." insulted Spencer.

The green-haired boy looked miffed, but wisely remained silent. Meanwhile, the referee continued to speak and explain the rules.

"Each player will start with, as usual, 4000 life points. As you lose life points, your chair will climb higher and higher up the tower. Again, the two who lose first will the first to the top."

Thomas (LP: 4000), Dark Marik (LP: 4000), Spencer (LP: 4000), and Percy (LP: 4000) all remained silent - yet listened on.

"For this duel, your deck MUST contain only 40 cards. No more, no less." The referee continued. "Shuffle it, and insert into your Duel Disk."

Thomas, Spencer, Percy, and Dark Marik all activated their Duel Disks. Thomas then noticed a connected nearby at his chair.

"What's this for?" he called.

"Just attach the connector to your Duel Disk." replied the referee.

Surprisingly, the four duelists could hear everyone down below. Either way, Thomas did what he was told.

"Now your cards, in addition to the other players' cards, will be displayed on the viewing screen."

Percy connected his connector to his Duel Disk, and was followed by Spencer and Dark Marik both connecting their connectors to their respective Duel Disks.

"All four players will take separate turns." said the referee. "You may choose to attack any of the players you wish to."

"That sounds easy enough." Emily commented. "This duel won't affect any tournament rankings. No winners and losers."

"Actually, it's not all that easy." Zack replied.

"What do you mean by that, Zack?" asked Ben.

"It's a psychological contest." The black-haired boy explained. "For example, Percy wants to duel Thomas in the semi-finals, so he might support Thomas against the other two. But the other three might attack him."

"I get it." Henry remarked. "So this Battle Royale is all about who you crush first."

"And that means the first person they'd go after..." began Gordon, but cut himself off.

He and Henry both looked up and glanced at Percy, who blinked for a few seconds before realizing that something was up.

"Hey! What're you guys talking about?!" called the green-haired boy irritably. "Are you guys talking about me behind my back?"

Hastily, Gordon, Henry, Zack, and Emily all sheepishly shook their hands and head in denial.

"Oh nothing." chuckled Emily sheepishly.

"Just...do your best out there, Percy!" added Gordon.

"Hmph! I just know you guys were talking behind my back." huffed Percy, whilst folding his arms.

Thomas, however, had a more serious thought on the matter...

"The objective of this duel is to split us into pairs." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "With good strategy, it should be possible to choose your opponent... but who do I want to face in the semi-finals?"

What were the thoughts of the other duelists? Huh... let's go and see, shall we?

"I have to face Billinton again." thought Spencer, looking towards his friend/rival. "If I want to defeat Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra, I will need Slifer the Sky Dragon added to my deck, too!"

"My opponent, eh?" thought Dark Marik with a sinister chuckle, looking around. "Thomas... I've wanted to kill you for so long. Then again... I could just torture the rest of the competition before then."

"Thomas, I got far in Battle City because I want to duel you." thought Percy.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Percy was speaking to Thomas, Emily, and Edward in the middle of Knapford square.

"I want to become a True Duelist like you, Thomas." explained Percy. "In Battle City, I must show you — when I win in this tournament, when I become a True Duelist, please accept a proper duel with me."

"I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card for the time being." smiled Thomas.

Percy smiled back as he and Thomas shook hands, sealing the deal.

"You are the best friend I could ever ask for." Thomas stated.

"Like wise." Percy agreed.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I haven't forgotten my promise to Red-Eyes." continued Percy mentally. "I have to duel and defeat Thomas before I can get it back." Suddenly, he remembered another vow he made earlier. "But, to save Lady's life, I have to face Marik and beat him."

Sensing he was being stared at, Dark Marik turned and gave Percy a smug smile, thus causing the green-haired boy to scowl hatefully in response.

"Are the duelists ready?!" called the referee. "We will now decide who goes first and the order of which the players will take a turn!"

"And how do we do that?" asked Percy.

"The order of the turns will be decided by each player choosing one monster card from his deck." explained the referee. "The players will go in order of the attack strength of the monster they choose."

"So, you have to give up a high attack point monster from your deck just to get a chance to attack first?" Thomas thought, taking his deck out of his Duel Disk.

"If you get the initiative, you can strike the first blow against any opponent you want." thought Spencer, looking through his deck. "You're bound to take the lead by doing that." He them smiled. "Getting the upper hand is worth it."

Dark Marik merely snorted. Percy, meanwhile, was looking at his deck with a look of worry on his face at what monster card to remove.

"Aw man." he thought. "Now I have to give up a powerful monster just to go first."

Down below with the gang...

"The mind games have begun." whispered James R..

After a minute, the referee raised his hand once more. "Now, please show us your chosen card!"

Almost immediately, Spencer held out Masked Beast Des Gardius (Level: 8/ATK: 3300).

"Lumis and Umbra were both more than kind enough to give me this card as part of the Ante rule from our tag-team duel." he thought smugly. "While useless in a duel, it is great in determining who goes first here."

Thomas held out a monster card called Feral Imp (Level: 4/ATK: 1300), Dark Marik held out a monster card called Lekunga (Level: 4/ATK: 1700). Percy merely held out Swordsman of Landstar (Level: 3/ATK: 500) with a thought on hand.

"This way, I can keep my stronger monsters." he thought proudly.

"The order has been decided!" announced the referee. "The first turn will go to Master Spencer! Followed by Marik Ishtar, then Thomas Billinton, and finally Percy Avonside!"

Over to Spencer...

"This will be easy." thought Spencer. "Two duelists I don't need to worry about. I just need to make sure they get paired up for the semi-finals."

He was clearly referring to Percy and Dark Marik, just in case you were all wondering. Over to Percy...

"As a duelist, I want to face Thomas..." thought Percy. "That way, I can keep my first promise. But...I have a more important promise to keep."

Over to Thomas...

"I wish Percy luck." thought Thomas. "I can guarantee that Spencer will do what he can so he duels me. I just wish I knew who I should target in the duel."

Over to Dark Marik...

"Death to those who face me..." thought Dark Marik. "It doesn't matter who duels me, I'll kill them all either way!"

"Let the Battle Royale commence!" announced the referee. "Duelists, draw your hands!"

They did so as told.

"Time to duel!" Thomas, Percy, Spencer, and Dark Marik all said at the same time.

"There they go." commented James R...

"Any clue who might make it through entirely?" asked Mavis.

"Well Spencer and Thomas are both verr good duelists." said Toby. "But since Percy's not as good as them..."

"Let's not worry about Percy-boy just yet." Discord suggested. "Let's see what will happen on the first few turns."

Spencer, meanwhile, started his turn.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): Attack Guidance Armor, Vorse Raider, Shrink, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Ring of Defense

* * *

"I summon Vorse Raider in attack mode!"

The mighty beast warrior appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1900)

"Next I place one card facedown and end my turn." continued Spencer, as he slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

A card appeared without showing the artwork to anyone but Spencer.

"I may not be able to attack this turn, but once I get the chance to..." The silver-haired boy thought to himself.

"Now it's my turn." said Dark Marik, looking to his hand.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spell of Pain, Newdoria, Lord Poison, Mirror Force, and Jam Defender

* * *

The evil man immediately took a card from his hand with the feeling of eagerness in his body.

"I will just summon Newdoria in defense mode-" he began, placing his card sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "-and end my turn!"

Appearing to the field was a fiend with orangish skin and spiky hair (Level: 3/DEF: 800).

"This fiend's effect will come in handy real soon." thought Dark Marik snidely.

"It's my turn." announced Thomas.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): The Regulation of Tribe, Big Shield Gardna, Archfiend of Gilfer, Seven Tools of the Bandit, and Dark Magician

* * *

As with Dark Marik, the blue-haired boy immediately took a card from his hand and placed it sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!"

The warrior wielding a large shield appeared (Level: 4/DEF: 2600).

"Next I place two cards facedown and end my turn." continued Thomas, slotting two cards into his Duel Disk.

Two cards appeared without showing the artwork to anyone but Thomas.

"Now it's my turn!" declared Percy.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (5): Jinzo, Skull Dice, The Legendary Fisherman, Graverobber, and Flame Swordsman

* * *

To the green-haired boy's disappointment, he didn't have a single low level monster in his hand.

"Aw man." he thought unhappily. "I got nothing to protect me."

With nothing to lose, the green-haired boy slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn." As Percy said this, a card appeared without showing the artwork to anyone but him.

Down below with the audience...

"Looks like Percy's not doing too well at the start." said Gordon. "He doesn't seem to have any weak monsters in his hand."

"Looks like it." agreed Michael.

"It's my turn again!" announced Spencer, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (4): Shrink, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Ring of Defense, and Ring of Destruction

* * *

The silver-haired boy looked straight at Percy with wicked glee.

"The ecosystem of battle! The food chain of battle! You weak small fry! I'll show you that barking dogs are no match for a lion!" he thundered dramatically. "Vorse Raider! Go ahead and attack that loser Percy directly!"

Percy recoiled in shock, while everyone else down below watched in horror.

"Percy has no monsters to protect himself with!" exclaimed James.

"Percy!" cried Emily.

Vorse Raider got closer and closer while Spencer laughed loudly and wickedly.

"Go, Vorse Raider!"

Suddenly...

"I activate my Trap card!" announced Thomas. "The Regulation of Tribe!"

The blue-haired boy's first set card turned over and revealed itself...just before releasing chains that struck and restrained Vorse Raider before it could slash at Percy with its weapon.

"What the-?!" Spencer exclaimed. His eyes became bloodshot from surprise.

"Thomas, you saved me!" Percy cried out.

Thomas nodded. "Thanks to this Trap card, the chosen monster type cannot declare an attack so long as the Trap remains on the field! And I've chosen 'beast-warrior'!"

Dark Marik didn't really care, while Spencer looked angry over his failed attack.

"Curse you, Billinton!" he growled.

"But why?" Percy asked.

"As a duelist-" Thomas stated, motioning his Duel Disk arm up a bit. "-I've chosen to fulfill the promise I made to my best friend!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	57. The Island Battle Royale (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Well, I'm afraid Lady hasn't awoken. And if nothing is done to save her within 24-hours, she'll never wake up...and my friends and I will never see her ever again."

Heartbroken, Percy knelt by the bedside and shook the girl under the covers.

"Please wake up, Lady." he begged.

Alas, Lady would still not awaken. After a few seconds of trying, the green-haired boy gave up and stood up with his eyes closed.

"That's it." Percy muttered. "Marik is going down!"

"That's right, I'm going to take Marik down and make him pay for everything he's done to me and my friends. ...from there, we arrived at our destination; Boxford Corp Island."

Inside the cockpit, the pilots were busy driving the blimp. Skiff was looking out the window when he spotted something in the distance.

"There it is!" he exclaimed.

In the distance was a small island with a large tower.

"That has to be Boxford Corp Island!"

Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both overheard Skiff announcing it.

"Never thought we'd return to this place." thought Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"This is Spencer's desire." thought Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "We will have to go along with it."

"Inside the building, it was announced that we would be engaged in a Battle Royale-like duel to see who we would face in a duel."

"Each player will start with, as usual, 4000 life points. As you lose life points, your chair will climb higher and higher up the tower. Again, the two who lose first will the first to the top."

Thomas (LP: 4000), Dark Marik (LP: 4000), Spencer (LP: 4000), and Percy (LP: 4000) all remained silent - yet listened on.

"Although Spencer made an early attempt on my life points, Thomas stepped in and saved me."

"As a duelist-" Thomas stated, motioning his Duel Disk arm up a bit. "-I've chosen to fulfill the promise I made to my best friend!"

"Man, I sure hope I know what I'm doing in this Battle Royale..."

* * *

 **Title: The Island Battle Royale, Part 2**

* * *

Inside the Duel Tower on Boxford Corp Island, the Battle Royale match was well underway and no one in the crowd below the duelists knew what the outcome would be.

"It's really a battle of wits up there." said Toby.

"And Thomas just saved Percy from a direct attack!" added Emily. "You don't think-?"

"That Thomas wants to duel Percy and live up to his promise?" Edward spoke up. "It's a possibility."

With the four duelists, Spencer was furious that his attack had been stopped.

"How dare you stop my attack, Thomas Billinton!" exclaimed the silver-haired boy. "I swear to you, you will face me in the finals!"

"Thanks, Thomas!" said Percy gratefully. "I owe you for that save."

"What are friends for?" replied Thomas with a smile, before looking serious and going into his thoughts. "If I want to face Percy in the semi-finals, I have to make sure that both Spencer and Marik's life points hit zero. To ensure that, I have to protect Percy from their ruthless assaults!"

"Billinton, my life has been dedicated to one general purpose; defeating you for my first ever loss at this game." thought Spencer. "And winning this duel is my fate! And above all, I must use Obelisk the Tormentor to do so!"

As he continued to speak in his mind, an image of Obelisk appeared beside him. With Thomas, an image of Slifer the Sky Dragon appeared beside him.

"Obelisk will destroy you and Slifer! Thus giving me that God card."

Over with Dark Marik; as the evil man gave a sinister snicker an image of The Winged Dragon of Ra appeared beside him.

"I'll need two Egyptian Gods to be a match for Marik and the God card he holds; The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Spencer thought some more, just before gazing back at Thomas. "Billinton, in order for me to dominate Battle City and reearn my title as the Duel King... I will face you in the semi-finals, even if I have to drag you there myself!"

Over with Percy; the green-haired boy was gazing at his best friend and in his thoughts.

"I guess Thomas wants to keep his promise and duel me." he thought. "He's a true friend, and I know how he feels. Thomas, I really want to face you, too... But..."

Percy then cast a quick glance over to Dark Marik, who looked over to the green-haired boy and smirked maliciously.

"I have to face Marik if I want to save Lady's life."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Lady, chained to the Sacred Stone of Ojhat, was too busy thinking about her impending fate, as well as all of her previous actions.

"I deserve this." she muttered. "I've been a terrible friend to everyone I have ever met. Thomas - I tried to defeat him in San Francisco so he wouldn't have to face Sailor John and potentially end up like Spencer did after he lost. Emily - I defeated her in a duel and made it seem like Thomas would never enter the finals. And Percy, my love - I had been very unsupporting to him. He doesn't deserve someone like me..."

At this point, The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack was all charged up.

"And now, Ra, attack and kill all three of them!" cackled Dark Marik. "God Blaze Cannon!"

Ra obeyed, firing the blast of fire at the three duelists. Seeing what was coming, Lady trying reasoning with her two friends.

"Forget about me!" she cried. "Run while you both still can!"

"Not a chance." James refused bravely. "I'm sticking by your side."

"Me too!" added Percy. "I won't let anything happen to you! ...because I love you."

Lady, with tears in her eyes, felt thankful.

"Thank you... my love."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I'm not about to let anymore people I care about get hurt." Percy continued to be in his thoughts. "Now it's my turn to do the rescuing!"

"Oh, I know now..." came Spencer's voice.

Percy snapped out and looked towards the silver-haired boy.

"Only an amateur like yourself needs Billinton's protection." said Spencer teasingly.

"What are you-?" Percy demanded angrily.

"I suppose a deadbeat like yourself can't manage to be a duelist on his own." continued Spencer. "You'll always need help...and will never become a True Duelist like the rest of us here!"

"Knock it off!" snapped Percy. "And you're wrong! I will become a True Duelist!"

"It's fine if you two friendship-obsessing dweebs want to keep your promise to duel each other." Spencer really didn't let up. "But just think about it, Percy... Why would Thomas ever waste his time helping someone like you?"

"Spencer, you shut your mouth right now!" snarled Thomas.

"Fine, I'll spell it out for you!" The silver-haired boy continued still. "Because the semi-finals is your only chance to face off!"

"What?!" growled Percy.

"Regardless of whom you face in the tournament semi-finals, your chances of getting into the finals are slim to nothing! On top of your lower skill level, the rest of us have an Egyptian God monster at our disposal!"

Percy continued to grow angry... not like Spencer really cared.

"Thomas knows that the semi-finals will be your only chance to face him in a duel!" he continued to taunt the green-haired boy. "Billinton also knows that he'll be able to easily wipe the floor with you as a warm-up for the real challenge!"

"I said shut up!" screamed Thomas.

"Oh, I just can't believe you would try such underhanded tactics right in the middle of the Battle City Finals." Spencer sighed falsely. "You really insult me."

Percy started shaking out of anger. At this point, however, Thomas had enough.

"Spencer!" Thomas thundered in anger. "I won't let you insult him any further!"

"Insult him?" Spencer asked in mock innocence. "If you wanna prove my words wrong, shouldn't you leave your friendship nonsense out the window and settle things with me fair and square on the battlefield?!"

Thomas nearly lost it. "SPENCER...!"

"That's enough, Thomas!" called Percy.

The blue-haired boy turned to face his best friend.

"Percy?"

"I'm grateful that you saved me back there." Percy stated, before clenching a fist. "But this is my fight and my fight alone!" He then smiled. "Besides, don't let Spencer rattle you with that rubbish - I WILL see you in the finals."

"Percy..." whispered Thomas.

Percy was now glancing at Spencer. "Thanks a lot, Spencer. Your words have cast my doubt aside." he thought.

"Just the howling of a loser dog." Spencer thought with a smirk. "As for you, Billinton... You'll be facing me in the semi-finals!"

Yes, things were gonna get rough starting now!

(elsewhere...)

Outside the tower, the blimp was sitting in its spot. Inside Lady's room, Ryan and Liz were both still looking after the coma-induced blonde-haired girl.

"I wish I hadn't yelled at her." said Liz shamefully.

"Dear, why don't you rest for a little while?" offered Ryan kindly. "I'll take over for you."

But Liz shook her head in refusal, making the purple-haired young man a little surprised at his wife's determination.

"It's my fault Lady is like this." she insisted.

"No, it's not." objected Ryan. "She would have ended up like this even if you hadn't. You have got to stop blaming yourself for this."

Unfortunately, the blonde-haired young woman refused to budge from her spot. Finally, Ryan gave up.

"I guess I can't stop you." he sighed. "But I want you to know one thing."

"What is it?"

Ryan smiled. "Your brother...no, our brother, is out there fighting hard to save Lady's life. He won't rest or stop until she is safe and sound."

"You're right." said Liz quietly, before looking towards her husband. "I have to be strong...and hope that Percy can do it."

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere down the hallway towards the Ishtar's room...

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room, the Egyptian woman was still looking after the coma-induced Odion.

"It has begun... the tournament finals."

A flashback begun.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Ishizu was wide awake panting and gasping from a horrible nightmare.

"Marik..." she said to herself. "I must save you."

Just then, the woman heard a knock at her door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and there was Mavis.

"Mavis?" Ishizu was surprised to see the blonde-haired teenage girl.

"Sister..." said Mavis with dullness in her voice...until an image of Marik appeared. "Sister, it's me!"

Ishizu gasped. "Marik! It's you!"

"I don't have time to explain!" began Marik. "You have to get Odion to a safe place and away from my dark side!"

Ishizu didn't say anything and just gazed in shock at hearing that Odion was in great danger.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Obeying Marik's plead, I moved Odion to my room where he'll be safe from that evil side of his." Ishizu thought to herself. "But I haven't heard Marik's voice since then! Has Marik's soul disappeared altogether? Or has he been completely trapped by his dark half somewhere?"

The Egyptian woman looked down to her adopted older brother with worry.

"Odion... this tragedy started when you first collapsed."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Young Marik and Ishizu had both arrived home when they saw Odion unconscious and their Father standing before him with a whip in hand. Young Marik tried to walk over to Odion in shock, but he suddenly gripped his head in pain as his face stretched out like bad animation. Mr. Ishtar then lashed the whip towards Marik in an attempt to frighten and/or hurt him...when he (Marik) grabbed hold of the whip before it could touch him.

"Kehehehehe..." 'Marik' laughed quietly and cruelly. "I thank you, 'Father', for killing Odion."

Young Marik's hair became all wild-like and the Millennium Eye symbol appeared on his forehead...and a sinister smile was laced on his face. Minutes later after killing Mr. Ishtar, 'Marik' went over to try and kill Ishizu, but stopped when he saw Odion, who weakly raised his head, showing the markings on the left side of his face. Suddenly, 'Marik' dropped the Millennium Rod and fell to his knees in extreme pain.

"W-What's-?"

When 'Marik' brought his head back up, he had his normal look back.

"W-what happened?" The young boy asked.

Looking around, he saw his big sister lying on the ground, injured yet alive... But the moment Young Marik saw his Father...well, the look on his face said it all.

"FATHER!"

Odion put his arms around Young Marik to comfort the crying young boy.

(new scene...)

Years later, Ishizu was now an adult while Marik grew into a teenager. Somewhere in the shrine, Ishizu was busy praying.

"A few years later, Marik and Odion both disappeared entirely - taking the Millennium Rod with them." Present Day-Ishizu narrated. "After the tragedy, my clan's mission had failed miserably. It faded away into the World of the Dead."

Near the shrine was a flower and the Millennium Necklace. Deciding it was time, the young Egyptian woman took the necklace and put it on. Upon doing so, she gasped in shock as a vision played for her.

(new scene...)

Ishizu was inside a building somewhere in England, and she had given one of the three Egyptian God cards to a silver-haired teenage boy.

(new scene...)

A blue-haired teenage boy had successfully summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon against a green-haired teenage boy with a Millennium Item of his own.

(new scene...)

In another vision, Odion just stood in his place, his head bowed, and a heartbroken look on his face as a bolt of lightning struck him in the head.

(new scene...)

In a final vision, Marik's dark side had awoken and taken over the real person.

(new scene...)

Ishizu was shocked to have been shown all of those glimpses of the future. This caused her to collapse on her knees.

"The Millennium Necklace..." The Egyptian woman gasped. "They showed me the future. Is it a sign that this tragedy is only the beginning?"

(new scene...)

Weeks after putting on the Millennium Necklace, more tragedy struck... Marik has returned, but as the new leader of the Rare Hunters.

"Soon after that, Marik had reappeared and stole The Winged Dragon of Ra." narrated Present Day-Ishizu. "Slifer the Sky Dragon had already been stolen in the process."

Once the vault was opened, the man went inside and came back out in a minute. Once out, he handed Marik something, making him smile gleefully.

"Yes!" he cried, seeing the card was The Winged Dragon of Ra. "The second Egyptian God card!"

(new scene...)

Somewhere inside the art museum of Cairo one night, all was quiet! ...until a small number of Rare Hunters scampered around until they were near a vault.

"This is it, Master Marik!" exclaimed a Rare Hunter.

Marik walked forth. "Are you sure it's inside there?"

"It has to be." said another Rare Hunter. "Where else would it be?"

Suddenly, the vault opened up... and the lights came on in the room much to the Rare Hunters shock.

"What's...?"

Inside the vault was a calm looking Ishizu Ishtar.

"I've already told you Obelisk the Tormentor is not here in Egypt." she said sternly. "...yet you ignored my warning regardless."

As the Egyptian woman exited the vault, Marik removed his hood with a confident smirk.

"It's been a while, dear sister." The Rare Hunter leader said coolly. "This just can't be a coincidence. For us to meet here this way, I mean."

Suddenly, security guards started assembling into the room and surrounding Marik and the Rare Hunters.

"You will surrender now." said Ishizu sternly. "You're outnumbered."

"I'm afraid that won't work." grinned Marik, just as his Millennium Rod began to glow.

Suddenly, the guards dropped their weapons and fell to the ground unconscious.

"I take it you're now the official in charge of this place? Well, it does make sense that a member of the Tomb-Keepers would want to protect the palette depicting the God cards."

Ishizu didn't budge from her spot. "Marik, I want you to return Ra and Slifer this instant!" she demanded.

"I think not." Marik retorted, not losing his smirk. "They both belong to me now. Just as the Millennium Rod does, too."

"No! They belong to the Pharaoh." corrected the Egyptian woman. "They must be returned to their rightful owner!"

"Sister!" exclaimed the Rare Hunter leader, now becoming really angry. "Have you forgotten what had happened years ago?! Our tragedy! ...no, the tragedy of the Tomb-Keepers! All of this was because of the Pharaoh! And soon, once I find his descendant... I will ensure that his bloodline ceases forever!"

"Not as long as I live." argued Ishizu. "The Ishtar family had to go through with this. It was our destiny to ensure that the prophecy be fulfilled! If you continue down this path of anger and revenge, you'll start another tragedy!"

"Silence!" shouted Marik defiantly, and then removed his cloak - showing the carvings on his back. "The scars carved on my back... the scars Odion also implanted on his face... Are you trying to tell me our suffering was not because of the Pharaoh?!"

"Yes!" nodded Ishizu. "That's right!"

Marik angrily shook his head. "No! I refuse to believe that!"

He then put his cloak back on and gazed back at his older sister. Not with a look at hated, but a look of pure determination.

"Sister, I am going to find and kill the Pharaoh's descendant and become the new Pharaoh." Marik stated hotly. "By doing so, I will change the fate of the Tomb-Keepers. When that time comes, I will come to you, and regain a happy life for all three of us."

"Marik, you will not get away from here!" Ishizu snapped.

Marik didn't say anything. Instead, an explosion came from nearby and filled the area with red smoke. Ishizu covered her eyes from it...but it was a bad move on her part. When the smoke cleared away...Marik and the Rare Hunters were gone. Running to the hole in the wall, Ishizu gazed down from the second floor of the building.

"Odion?!" she gasped.

Waiting on a motorcycle, with a rocket launcher on his back, was Odion. He looked up at Ishizu, his markings on his face showing.

"I'm sorry, Lady Ishizu..." The Egyptian man thought apologetically. "But I must do this... for Master Marik's safety!"

Marik quickly hopped into the side car of the motorcycle and looked up at Ishizu with a smug smile on his face.

"Sister, I will find Obelisk one way or another."

The motorcycle drove away, while the Rare Hunters followed behind on foot. This left Ishizu alone at the window of the museum.

"Odion, you're the only one who could keep Marik's dark half from showing up." Ishizu thought to herself. "In order to prevent it, you chose to follow the same path as Marik."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended...with Odion still asleep in bed.

"Now that you've fallen, all that Marik has left in soul is the evil within." Ishizu thought to herself some more. "Thinking back on it some more, everything has been chosen by fate."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A moment of Discord discovering the carvings of monsters inside ancient ruins.

"Discord J. Crawford finding the carvings and creating Duel Monsters..."

(new scene...)

A moment of Ishizu handing Spencer Obelisk the Tormentor in the Knapford Museum.

"Spencer Gresley obtaining the God card..."

(new scene...)

A moment of Thomas and Emily both completing the Millennium Puzzle.

"Thomas Billinton building and finishing the Millennium Puzzle..."

(new scene...)

A moment of Isizu removing her Millennium Necklace and giving it to Thomas before kissing his cheek.

"And surrendering the Millennium Necklace to him..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Ishizu turned away from Odion and walked towards a window.

"Thomas... our future, along with Marik's future, rests on your shoulders..."

Ishizu was gazing at the Duel Tower outside the blimp.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Duel Tower, the Battle Royale was still going on. Thomas and Spencer were both gazing at each other in anger...when a voice spoke up towards them.

"Hey! Come on, now!"

Thomas and Spencer both turned and gazed at Dark Marik, who had his arms folded and a teasing grin on his face.

"Isn't this supposed to be a duel?" The evil man asked. "How can I make my turn if you keep bickering?" He then fell into his thoughts... "Whether it be some sealed memories or the Tomb-Keepers... I will enjoy tearing my target limb-from-limb in more than one painful way. And that target...will be you, Thomas Billinton!"

Finally, Dark Marik drew his card and took his turn.

* * *

 **TurnSix** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (5): Spell of Pain, Lord Poison, Mirror Force, Jam Defender, and Metal Reflect Slime

* * *

"No matter, though, I'll sweep the competition away first just for the laughs."

He slotted a card into his Duel Disk and placed another onto a monster field slot.

"I set one card facedown and summon Lord Poison in attack mode!" Dark Marik announced, performing his turn.

A card appeared without showing the artwork to anyone but him, followed by the appearance of a black fiend monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Finally, I'll switch Newdoria into attack mode, too!"

Dark Marik's other monster switched into an attacking stance. (ATK: 1200).

"Spencer, in order to reserve my fight with Thomas... I have to eliminate both you and Billinton's little friend first!" The evil man stated wickedly. "Attack Spencer's Vorse Raider now, Newdoria!"

Newdoria obeyed and rushed forth towards Vorse Raider much to Spencer's surprise.

"Why on Earth would Marik even attack my monster with something that is far weaker?!" Spencer thought to himself, just before smirking wickedly in response. "How amusing!"

"Does Marik's monster have some sort of special effect?" thought Thomas curiously.

Regardless, Vorse Raider broke free of its chains and prepared to fight back.

"Vorse Raider, counter!" commanded Spencer.

Vorse Raider obeyed, slashing Newdoria to bits.

"Newdoria has been destroyed!"

Dark Marik gave a smirk as he placed his card into the graveyard. "Newdoria's effect activates! When it is placed in the graveyard, his curse destroys one monster on the field!"

Thomas and Spencer both gave a small gasp.

"The monster I choose to destroy...is Vorse Raider!"

Vorse Raider suddenly shattered to pieces.

"Yes!" thought Percy cheekily. "Now Spencer's field is wide open for a direct attack!"

"Because of my failed attack, I take 700 points of damage." Dark Marik stated, taking another card from his hand. "...however, I will use this Quick-Play Spell card!"

With an evil laugh, the man held it up... and Thomas saw what it was.

"Spell of Pain! That card transfers any damage that would have been dealt to the player to another duelist."

"I wonder who will take this effect?" snickered Dark Marik. "Let's see..." Finally, he looked to Percy and aimed the card towards him. "I will use Spell of Pain on Percy Avonside!"

"What?!" Percy panicked.

Dark Marik chuckled. "As a result of losing 700 life points...you're going up a bit."

Percy winced from hearing this (LP: 3300). That wasn't all; his gondola also went up a small bit.

"Percy!" cried out Thomas.

Down below...

"Percy!" exclaimed Gordon, Emily, and James R. at once.

"Don't give up!" called Michael.

Percy was unhappy to be going higher. "Sheesh, I really do hate heights." he muttered to himself.

"Relax! It was only 700 life points!" called James.

"You can still turn this around!" added Carlie.

"Easy for you to say." Percy thought bitterly. He was looking down at the ground with a sweatdrop on the back of his head. "I still have no monsters on my field... meaning I'm at a severe disadvantage right now!"

Dark Marik chuckled to himself again. "Just as I planned. Spencer's monster is gone, and the damage I would have taken was given to someone else. And next turn, I'll tribute my Lord Poison for something much stronger."

"It's my turn now!" declared Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (3): Archfiend of Gilfer, Dark Magician, and Polymerization

* * *

"Currently, Spencer has no monsters on his field. I'll attack him now and make sure he is defeated first!"

Because Thomas required a monster tribute to keep his Trap card out, it was destroyed because he didn't follow through with the condition... not that it mattered right now. He took the Big Shield Gardna card off his Duel Disk and placed a new card in its place.

"I tribute my Big Shield Gardna to summon Archfiend of Gilfer!"

Big Shield Gardna vanished as the powerful Archfiend of Gilfer took his place (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"Attack Spencer directly!" ordered Thomas.

Archfiend of Gilfer obeyed and started charging a burst of flame from its mouth.

"Bring it on, Billinton!" dared Spencer mentally.

"Flame Attack!" The blue-haired boy shouted.

Archfiend of Gilfer finally launched the attack towards Spencer...but he was ready for it.

"How naive!" The silver-haired boy insulted. "I read through your strategy like a book!" To prove a point, his set card turned over and revealed itself. "I activate my Trap card - Attack Guidance Armor!"

A magical-type armor materialized out of the Trap card.

"Now listen carefully; this card will create a cursed armor... and whomever is equipped with it will be the new target for an attack." explained Spencer. "And the only other monster on the field..."

Percy panicked at first! ...but then remembered he had no monsters on his field.

"Oh wait, I don't even have a monster in play." The green-haired boy said sheepishly. "I'm really lucky!"

"So you are." sighed Spencer, rolling his eyes. "No... my target is-" He pointed forth dramatically. "-YOUR monster, Marik!"

The cursed armored got equipped to Lord Poison, much to Dark Marik's anger.

"You're going to be the one who will take Archfiend of Gilfer's attack now!"

The fire blast aimed towards Lord Poison... but Dark Marik wasn't licked yet.

"Can't be helped, I guess." he shrugged uncaringly, before giving a smirk. "Or can it?"

To prove his own point, Dark Marik poked a button on his Duel Disk and his facedown card turned over and revealed itself.

"I activate my own Trap card - Mirror Force!"

A holy barrier materialized around his field.

"Mirror Force?!" Spencer gawked.

"This Trap card will now cancel your attack and destroy all of your monsters in attack mode." explained Dark Marik, looking towards Thomas. "Say farewell to your Archfiend of Gilfer!"

"Oh, are you sure about that?" Thomas grinned a bit.

"What do you mean by that!?"

"Reveal Counter Trap card!" announced the blue-haired boy, as his last set card turned over and revealed itself. "Seven Tools of the Bandit!"

The holy barrier cracked and shattered.

"This Trap card will negate the activation of your own Trap card and destroy it!"

Nothing was to stop Archfiend of Gilfer's fire blast from roasting Lord Poison alive. Dark Marik braced himself from the attack and gave a low growl out of anger from his failed strategy (LP: 3300). Thomas merely smirked in satisfaction.

"Wow, things are heating up." Skiff remarked.

"Marik!" Spencer exclaimed. "You just lost some of your life points! That means your gondola goes up to where Percy is!"

Dark Marik said nothing as his gondola slowly rose up to where Percy was.

"Marik's up to where I am now." thought Percy.

Suddenly though, Dark Marik spoke directly to Thomas in anger...

"I will get you back for this, Billinton!" The evil man called. "But don't forget one little detail; activating Seven Tools of the Bandit costed you 1000 of your life points! Meaning you'll be rising with me."

"I'm well aware of that!" Thomas retorted (LP: 3000), just as his gondola followed suit.

"Huh?!" Spencer reacted in shock.

"Thomas is moving higher than where Marik and Percy are." Emily claimed, watching closely.

"True, but remember; this duel has no winners or losers." Discord reminded.

"Billinton's trying not to face me." growled Spencer to himself. "I cannot allow him to lose the duel first!"

Finally, it was Percy's turn.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (5): Jinzo, Skull Dice, The Legendary Fisherman, Flame Swordsman, and Gearfried the Iron Knight

* * *

"Please let it be a monster..." prayed Percy. Looking at his drawn card, the green-haired boy's prayers were answered. "Yes! Now watch as I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Upon placing his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk, the familiar iron knight materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1800).

"Who should I attack?" Percy thought to himself. "Spencer and Marik both used their facedown cards to try and stop Thomas's attack. And now, since they both have no monsters out... they're both wide open for a direct attack. So who will I strike?"

His eyes flared in anger at the silver-haired boy as a decision was made.

"Gearfried!" commanded Percy. "Attack Spencer's life points directly!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight, sensing how angry his master was at Spencer for what had happened to Lady, was more than happy to obey.

"Spencer can't protect himself!" thought Thomas to himself. "Go get him, Percy!"

"Eat this, Spencer!" declared Percy.

Gearfried the Iron Knight lunged forward and slashed at Spencer in his chest, causing the silver-haired boy to yell in pain.

"That was for letting Lady get hurt, you jerk!"

Spencer grimaced as his life points took a hit (LP: 2200), but he was furious with the green-haired boy now.

"I'll get you for that, Avonside!" The silver-haired boy snarled. "I won't let you won't win this duel! Do you hear me, you low life...?!"

"Oh, boo hoo!" snarked Percy, watching Spencer's gondola rise up higher than everyone else. "Cry me a river!"

"Marik and Percy's gondolas are even in height..." thought Thomas. "Instead of attacking Marik directly, he went for Spencer instead. Why?" Suddenly, a thought came into his head... "Could it be? Percy...wishes to face Marik in the semi-finals?"

Over with Percy, he was busy glaring at Dark Marik in anger and hatred. While doing so, he envisioned Lady being trapped inside that hourglass and it was half full of those bugs that eat human flesh.

"Lady's life could end at any time now." thought the green-haired boy. "I have to beat Marik in the semi-finals before it's too late!"

Finally, he slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. This caused a card to appear without showing the artwork to anyone but Percy.

"I place a card facedown and end my turn!"

"Then it would be my turn!" declared Spencer, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2200)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (5): Shrink, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Ring of Defense, Ring of Destruction, and Blade Knight

* * *

"It's true that if I attack Billinton and find a way to off myself in the process...I would be guaranteed to face him in the semi-finals! ...but for me to lose in battle here before the semi-finals...!"

Finally, three cards appeared without showing the artwork to anyone but Spencer.

"I set three cards facedown and summon Blade Knight in attack mode!" The silver-haired boy announced, before placing one of his two remaining cards onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Appearing in front of the three facedown cards was the sword wielding medieval knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1600 - 2000). Its attack power went up because Spencer had one or less cards in his hand.

"Attack Marik directly!" demanded Spencer. "Face the wrath of my monster!"

Blade Knight obeyed and slashed the Rare Hunter leader with his sword. Dark Marik crossed both arms together and scowled (LP: 1300). On cue, his gondola started to go higher and higher.

Percy was dismayed. "This will make things harder for me to face Marik in the semi-finals!"

Down below, everyone was observing on what was happening so far.

"So far Percy is in the lead." said James. "One more attack and Marik will lose."

"But it's still technically anyone's game." Henry reminded.

"Too true." Ben agreed. "But the thing I'm afraid of are the match-ups themselves."

"With anyone going up against Marik-" put in Carlie. "-I don't blame you at all."

Spencer chuckled to himself. "There's no room for failure on my road of battle!" he said aloud.

Dark Marik merely gazed down at the silver-haired boy with a huff.

"All I need to do is dispose of Marik and that deadbeat... and then defeat Thomas in the semi-finals." Spencer thought to himself some more.

Thomas only gazed at Spencer with a stern glare! ...not that the silver-haired boy really cared about that.

"So, Billinton, what will you do now? Our battle of the Gods will begin real soon!"

An image of both Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon briefly appeared. Which duelist will face who in the semi-finals? The answer will come up in the next chapter. Standby for more action!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	58. The Island Battle Royale (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Spencer began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"So far, we're continuing the Battle Royale. And currently I'm not happy with how things were going so far! I tried to turn Percy and Thomas against each other so they wouldn't face each other in the semi-finals... but that failed!"

"But think about it, Percy... Why would Thomas ever waste his time helping someone like you?" asked Spencer harshly.

"Spencer, you shut your mouth right now!" snarled Thomas.

"Fine, I'll spell it out for you!" The silver-haired boy continued still. "Because the semi-finals is your only chance to face off!"

"What?!" growled Percy.

"Regardless of whom you face in the tournament semi-finals, your chances of getting into the finals are slim to nothing! On top of your lower skill level, the rest of us have an Egyptian God monster at our disposal!"

Percy continued to grow angry...not like Spencer really cared.

"Thomas knows that the semi-finals will be your only chance to face him in a duel!" he continued to taunt the green-haired boy. "Billinton also knows that he'll be able to easily wipe the floor with you as a warm-up for the real challenge!"

"I said shut up!" screamed Thomas.

"Oh, I just can't believe you would try such underhanded tactics right in the middle of the Battle City Finals." Spencer sighed falsely. "You really insult me."

Percy started shaking out of anger. At this point, however, Thomas had enough.

"Spencer!" Thomas thundered in anger. "I won't let you insult him any further!"

"Insult him?" Spencer asked in mock innocence. "If you wanna prove my words wrong, shouldn't you leave your friendship nonsense out the window and settle things with me fair and square on the battlefield?!"

"To make matters worse, I ate a direct attack by that Percy after my attempts to destroy Billinton's Archfiend of Gilfer failed!"

Percy's eyes flared in anger at the silver-haired boy as a decision was made.

"Gearfried!" commanded Percy. "Attack Spencer's life points directly!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight, sensing how angry his master was at Spencer for what had happened to Lady, was more than happy to obey. He lunged forward and slashed at Spencer in his chest, causing the silver-haired boy to yell in pain.

"That was for letting Lady get hurt, you jerk!" declared Percy.

Spencer grimaced as his life points took a hit (LP: 2200), but he was furious with the green-haired boy now.

"I'll get you for that, Avonside!" The silver-haired boy snarled. "I won't let you won't win this duel! Do you hear me, you low life...?!"

"Oh, boo hoo!" snarked Percy, watching Spencer's gondola rise up higher than everyone else. "Cry me a river!"

"No matter what the outcome, I WILL face Billinton in the semi-finals, and nothing will stop me from succeeding in making sure it happens! Both Marik and Percy will fall first, and then the battle of the Gods will begin!"

* * *

 **Title: The Island Battle Royale, Part 3**

* * *

Around Boxford Corp Island, it was sunny and very quiet around the junk-filled island...well, not inside the Duel Tower it would seem.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Duel Tower, the four-way Battle Royale was still going on, and was getting much hotter.

For the first two duelists:  
-Thomas (LP: 3000) only had Archfiend of Gilfer on his side of the field.  
-Percy (LP: 3300) had Gearfried the Iron Knight and a facedown card on his side of the field.

The other two duelists weren't doing so bad either:  
-Spencer (LP: 2200) had three facedown cards and a powered up Blade Knight on his side of the field.  
-Dark Marik (LP: 1300) had a completely empty field... and it was his turn now.

"My turn now!" The evil man announced, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Dark Marik (LP: 1300)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (3): Jam Defender, Metal Reflect Slime, and Dark Jeroid

* * *

A blue fiend-type monster was a face on the lower section on the body materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1500).

"I summon Dark Jeroid in attack mode!" announced Dark Marik, and then immediately fell into his thoughts. "This monster has a special effect as well... when it is summoned I can lower the attack of one monster on the field by 800 points."

He glanced at the other monsters. Blade Knight (ATK: 2000) would have its attack become equal to that of Dark Jeroid's, and Archfiend of Gilfer (ATK: 2200) would still be too strong to attack. That just leaves...Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK: 1800).

"Come on, Marik..." thought Spencer. "The moment you declare an attack on me, your life points will be wiped out by my deadly ring destruction strategy."

But Dark Marik knew better than that. He knew there was a Trap set, and so glanced towards Thomas's only monster.

"Archfiend of Gilfer has 2200 attack points, which means its attack would drop to 1400... it would still be too high for Dark Jeroid to attack."

Finally, Dark Marik glanced to Percy's lone Gearfried the Iron Knight and gave an evil smile. A smile that worried Percy greatly...

"I've decided who I'll target!" The evil man announced. "Dark Jeroid will use its effect on little Percy's Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Percy winced. "Figures as much!"

Gearfried started shrinking as it became weaker from Dark Jeroid's ability (ATK: 1800 - 1000).

"My monster's...so small!" The green-haired boy stuttered.

"Now attack!" commanded Dark Marik.

Suddenly, Percy smirked confidently as the attack was about to begin.

"Fool ya! Looks like it's time to make things right!" declared Percy. One of his set cards turned over and revealed itself. "Reveal Skull Dice!"

A little black demon carrying a red dice emerged from the card.

"This Quick-Play Spell card will allow me to roll a die. Whatever number it rolls, it will go and divide your monster's attack."

"Tch! Always relying on luck!" grumbled Dark Marik.

Percy scoffed. "Tell that to my card! Go dice roll!"

The little demon tossed the die into the air.

"Let it be something good." Percy hoped to himself.

The result was...a two.

"Oh yeah! A two! That means Dark Jeroid loses half of its attack points!"

Dark Jeroid grew weaker (ATK: 1200 - 600).

"Alright!" cheered Thomas.

"Gearfried!" commanded Percy. "Counterattack!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight was about to move in...when it suddenly shrunk even smaller than before.

"What in the-?!"

"Percy's monster shrank even more!" added Thomas, looking surprised.

Even Dark Marik was surprised to see this happen. Thomas then cast a glance towards Spencer...who let out a laugh as one of his facedown cards turned over and revealed itself.

"I've activated my Shrink Quick-Play Spell card!" The silver-haired boy announced. "This card halves Gearfried's attack even moreso!"

Gearfried lost even more attack points (ATK: 1000 - 500).

"Percy, your only monster is now low enough to be destroyed by Dark Jeroid!"

"It's...s-so small." Percy muttered.

Dark Marik smirked. "Dark Jeroid... attack and destroy Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

Dark Jeroid obeyed, firing a dark beam from its mouth and destroying Gearfried.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Thomas angrily, looking at Spencer.

Spencer merely closed his eyes and smiled smugly. Percy, meanwhile, was mad that he lost his only monster.

"Why'd he have to do that...?" The green-haired boy complained (LP: 3200)...before his gondola began to rise up to where Thomas currently was.

"That good-for-nothing weasel!" snapped Gordon furiously. "It's like he WANTS Marik to win!"

"More like Spencer wants Percy and Mariik to face-off." Henry corrected. "That way, he can face Thomas in the semi-finals."

"But even if Marik targeted Spencer's Blade Knight-" Emily spoke up. "-Spencer still has those facedown cards of his. No one should let their guard down."

"That's my big brother!" cheered Skiff. "He used his facedown card right in the pits of despair!"

With with the four duelists...

"Listen up!" called Spencer. "All enemies that oppose me serve only one purpose; to make me win!"

Percy was cross. "W-What's that suppose to mean-!" he demanded.

"Percy, don't let him get to you!" called Thomas. "We'll win this duel!"

"Gee, I hope so..." thought the green-haired boy glumly. He then spoke aloud. "It's your turn, Thomas!"

"Right!" agreed Thomas, drawing his card. "I draw!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the blimp and Lady's room, Liz hadn't taken her eyes off of the beautiful blonde-haired girl. Nearby, Ryan was lying on his own bed taking a little nap.

"Lady..." whispered Liz. "Please wake up!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's soul room, the the beautiful blonde-haired girl was still trapped inside the hourglass, and it was already half full of those flesh eating insects. Lady's face was also smeared with bloody scratches.

"Help me..." groaned Lady quietly and weakly.

(elsewhere...)

Back in Lady's room, Liz continued to speak to her coma-induced friend.

"I'm so sorry I yelled at you, Lady." The blonde-haired young woman went on. "I wish I could just turn back time and keep myself from doing so."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Inside Odion's room, Liz and Lady were both alone. Liz's calm face had turned into an angry one.

"Lady, I just can't believe you!" she began.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lady.

"You're my brother's girlfriend, are you not?" Liz questioned accusingly. "Then why not show a little faith? While everyone else, myself included, showed him some encouragement during the duel, you were not being all of that very much!"

"I told you I wanted him to win!" objected Lady. "But the situation looked very bleak."

"That's no excuse!" snapped Liz. "Stop being such a pessimist towards your friends! It's like you don't truly care for Percy at all, otherwise you would never have doubted him!"

Lady had a look of shock and hurt on her face...unfortunately, the young woman didn't stop there.

"If you continue to be so doubtful about Percy in his duels, then perhaps it's best that you never see him again...or even everyone else here."

After hearing those very hurtful words, Lady looked like she was about to cry.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I'm so, so sorry..." Liz whimpered. A small tear rolled down her cheek.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Duel Tower, the four-way Battle Royale continued to gain heat. Thomas then began to take his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dark Magician, Polymerization, and Sage's Stone

* * *

"Okay, these are the current positions the other players are at..." he thought to himself, gazing at Spencer's field first. "Spencer has Blade Knight and two facedown cards."

The blue-haired boy then looked over to Dark Marik.

"On the other hand, Marik has no facedown cards. But he does have that Dark Jeroid in attack mode."

Finally, Thomas looked towards Percy's side of the field.

"All Percy has is a facedown card. He currently has the disadvantage."

Suddenly, the green-haired boy snapped out of his little daze...in a rather silly tone.

"W-What is it?! What are y'all staring at me for?" yelled Percy. He then folded his arms in a huff. "Who really cares if my field is empty, anyway?"

"Archfiend of Gilfer is the strongest monster on the field right now." Thomas thought some more, looking back at Spencer's field. "But what's got me worried is Spencer's two facedown cards. They have to be Trap cards. I couldn't carelessly attack him. So who else should I aim for?"

Spencer and Dark Marik both separately gave low snickers. Finally, Thomas made a decision on who to strike.

"I've decided-" The blue-haired boy pointed towards Dark Marik. "-to aim for you!"

Down below, the gang was discussing over what was going to happen real soon.

"Thomas must be thinking of his promise to face Percy in order to become a True Duelist." James remarked. "So he's gonna attack either Spencer or Marik."

"But look at Percy though." Matt suddenly said. "He's been having his eyes paced in one spot for much of the duel."

Up to Percy, it was true. His eyes were in one place. And that place was...

"He's been gazing at Marik the entire time."

"You're right." Zack nodded. "Percy's been aiming for Marik all along."

"He wants to save Lady from her coma." Emily added.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was late last night. While Thomas and Mavis were both searching for Duck, Emily had woken up to find her friend missing. As the dark green-haired girl searched a hallway, she could hear a voice from around a corner, and it was filled with frustration and anger.

"That stupid Marik! I hate him so much!"

She looked down the hall to see where the voice was coming from.

"Percy?"

It was true. The green-haired boy was up, around the corner...and was busy pounding the wall in a fit of frustrated rage. Not caring that his fist was turning red.

"He's going to pay for what he did to Lady." Percy muttered in his sleep.

Emily approached her friend and shook him.

"Percy, wake up!" she called quietly.

The green-haired boy tossed in his sleep as he woke up.

"Huh? What?" he asked groggily, before feeling the pain his fist was in. "Ow... what have I been doing?"

"I found you in the hallway." Emily pointed out. "You were pounding at the wall in anger. Saying that you hate Marik so much."

"I want him to pay for what he did to Lady." said Percy angrily.

"Percy..."

"Look, I'm sorry if I woke you." The green-hard boy apologized. "I'm just so angry at Marik right now."

Emily nodded. "I know."

"He's done so much to us." Percy went on. "He's been trying to kill Thomas, and he possessed you, me, and Mavis to set up a death trap duel, and now-"

"That's enough, Percy." interrupted Emily. "Just what're you trying to tell me?"

"I have to defeat him. Tomorrow, I'll find some way to get him to face me in the semi-finals. When we duel, I will take him down."

Emily listened on in shock.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"He really said that?" asked Gordon, looking a little gloomy.

"It sounds like something Percy-boy would say." Discord admitted.

"He blames himself for what happened to Lady." Carlie whispered. "The poor guy..."

Finally, with the four duelists, Thomas was about to announce his attack.

"I use Archfiend of Gilfer to attack-!"

"Thomas, wait a second!" called Percy. "Before you declare an attack, I want to ask you something; ' ** _What is a True Duelist_** '?"

"What?" Thomas asked in surprise.

Down below, everyone was confused to what Percy was asking.

"Is now even a good time to ask?" Carlie quizzed.

"Likely not." James R. replied, as a sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head.

"Well, I do know one thing-" Gordon stated. "-a True Duelist wouldn't go and interrupt someone's turn like that!"

"I guess not." agreed James.

Back over with the four duelists...

"I've been looking for the answer to this question during the Battle City tournament." said Percy. "It's because I want to duel you fair and square, Thomas. I've dueled with many people and I think I have my own way, and I'm coming closer to an answer."

"If you ask me, it's more like an answer a deadbeat found on the path to mediocrity." thought Spencer smugly.

"Thomas... Because of you, I don't back down from any opponents." Percy continued. "You taught me to never give up, no matter how strong the opponent is, and to trust my cards all the way.

From there, the green-haired boy looked down towards his other friends below.

"And you guys taught me to trust my friends under any circumstances!" he called.

"We did?" Gordon blinked, before feeling Emily smacking him upside the head. "OW! I-I mean, yes... yes we did."

"Meanwhile, all of the duels I've been in..." Percy thought.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The first flashback was to Percy's duel with Samson..

"Well, Mr. ESP? What are you waiting for?"

Everybody waited and watched Samson. At last, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Jinzo!" he called. "Stop!"

Slowly, Jinzo's spinning began to stop until it was pointing towards...

"My Reflect Bounder!" gasped Samson.

Once the spider vanished from Jinzo's face, the android monster fired off a Cyber Energy Shock attack towards Reflect Bounder. As predicted, Reflect Bounder reflected Jinzo's blast back towards it, destroying it as well.

"N-no!" Samson wailed. "How could this have happened?"

"You wanna know, huh?" Percy smirked. "Let me do the math for you: Jinzo had 3200 attack points, subtract 1700 from Reflect Bounder... and you lose 1500 life points!"

Samson grimaced (LP: 0).

"And that means you're finished, and this duel is over!"

(new scene...)

Now Percy's duel against Diesel... A warrior wearing metallic armor materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1600).

"That's all for me." Percy said calmly.

"Goodbye, Percy! And now, my Insect Queen!" ordered Diesel. "Destroy his scrap iron knight and what's left of his life points!"

Insect Queen obeyed and charged up another acid blast. However...

"You dork!" insulted Percy. "I was hoping you'd do that!"

"You were?!" Diesel exclaimed, realizing the trick.

"I activate the Trap card Graverobber!" announced Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"No, not Graverobber!" Diesel yelled.

Out of the card came a little man with picks and shovels.

"This little guy can take a card from your graveyard and use it against you." explained Percy. "And I know just the card to use!"

Graverobber cackled and held out a familiar card. It was...

"Insecticide?!" squeaked Diesel, who was horrified to see the card.

"Time to exterminate your queen." grinned Percy in a sing-song tone.

The familiar spray can appeared and sprayed its contents. The Insect Queen shrieked in agony before finally fading away.

"Yeah!" cheered Percy. "There goes my pest problem!"

Diesel was practically in tears. "What have you done to my Queen?!" he sobbed.

"I just took out your best monster. And since you got rid of your two cards needed to stop me from attacking, I'm free to do so!"

From there, Percy drew his next card. Gearfried the Iron Knight immediately stood up into a battle position.

"I'll now switch Gearfried into attack mode!" Percy went on.

Diesel looked positively scared out of his wits.

"Alright, Gearfried-" Percy began confidently. "-scramble those eggs and wipe out the rest of Diesel's life points!"

The iron armored knight obeyed and lunged forth. Diesel screamed as the warrior monster sliced and diced the two eggs left behind (LP: 0).

"Welcome to loserville, Diesel." said Percy cheekily. "Population: You!"

Diesel sunk to his knees in a daze.

"I-I lost? I don't...believe it!"

(new scene...)

Finally Percy vs. Salty.

"Any last words?" Percy asked.

"Yes, six: This duel is not over yet!" Salty answered. He drew from his deck, looked at it, and smiled. "And I'll use my card right away." The sea dog held it out. "Return of the Doomed!"

The card materialized face-up.

"This revives a monster of mine that was destroyed this turn and puts it in attack mode!"

The card sank into the water, and a shadow of a monster appeared.

"What could it be?" Percy thought. "Is it The Legendary Fisherman? Or Fortress Whale?"

"My turn is done." Salty stated. "Now go!"

"Okay." Percy replied, drawing. "Here goes."

The green-haired boy noticed the card he drew.

"Giant Trunade... this card could help me out here. Umi would go back to Salty's hand, and expose the monster. But wait, what if it is the Fortress Whale monster? My Panther wouldn't stand a chance against it. What do I do?"

Salty grew impatient. "What on Earth are you waiting for?!" he demanded. "Hurry up and finish your turn so I can win!"

"I activate Giant Trunade!" Percy declared, as the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. "Now all Spell and Trap cards on the field return to our hands!"

A giant black hole appeared in the sky and began sucking everything into it.

"Drain the sea!"

Within seconds, the extra water was gone, exposing Salty's hidden monster... The Legendary Fisherman (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).

"You've found my Fisherman." sighed Salty.

"Salty..." whispered Percy.

The old sea dog looked like he was gonna start crying any second.

"End the duel, now."

(new scene...)

A scene of Odion using his Spell cards to call upon Mystical Beast of Serket was shown.

"All of the duelists I've faced..." Percy narrated. "They've helped me grow stronger...even if the match had gotten dangerous."

Odion stood in his place, his head bowed, and a heartbroken look on his face. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck him in the head.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Because of each duelists I faced-" Percy thought. "-I've learned my weak points and grown up to be a True Duelist with my own way." He then spoke aloud. "Only one person can win the Battle City crown and gain glory! This is a Battle Royale, so we're all enemies!"

Thomas didn't say a word. Spencer merely smiled smugly. Dark Marik merely snorted in disgust...

"I'm practically bored to tears over here!" called the evil man rudely. "Just get on with the blasted duel already!"

"Thomas!" Percy continued on still. "If you're a True Duelist, take down your enemy! Take ME down! Stop playing favorites just so you can keep your promise to face me!"

"Percy...!" Thomas was aghast.

"I'm the weakest player so far. Look around! I have a useless facedown card and no monsters on my field!"

"Percy..." whispered Emily.

"He does have the most life points so far." remarked Michael.

"One attack from Archfiend of Gilfer would send Percy to near the top." protested Carlie.

"It's a basic strategy to take down the weakest player first, Thomas!" Percy went on. "Don't waste your turn... attack me now!"

"But-!" Thomas tried to argue.

"Even if I lose this match, I'll still win and face you in the finals!" insisted Percy. "If you really do believe in me... attack now!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

A card was shown to Percy.

"Here you go, Percy." Thomas said. "Red-Eyes is yours once again."

But to his surprise, Percy shook his head no.

"It isn't mine to take, Thomas." he said quietly.

"What?" Emily quizzed. "But, Percy-!"

"Let him talk, Emily." Thomas interrupted. "What do you mean, Percy?"

"I can't take it right now." explained Percy. "If I were to take it back that easily, I won't be a True Duelist. And Red-Eyes wouldn't accept it, either. You and James are both True Duelists...though you are one more-so. When I dueled James back at the San Francisco tournament, I was fighting for mainly myself. That's why I came here. You guys always play honestly with any opponent. You really gave me a lesson—what I lacked is the player's self-esteem."

Emily and Edward both smiled as Percy went on with his passionate speech.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon has always been my special card." he said. "He is and always will be my partner. That's why I can't take it now. If I did, then Red-Eyes wouldn't be happy. Thomas, you can have the card temporarily. I want to become a True Duelist like you, Thomas. In Battle City, I must show you — when I win in this tournament, when I become a True Duelist, please accept a proper duel with me."

Thomas smiled. "I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card for the time being."

Percy smiled as he and Thomas shook hands, sealing the deal.

"You are the best friend I could ever ask for." Thomas stated.

"Like wise." Percy agreed..

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended. Thomas remained quiet for a while over being reminded of his true promise. At last, he smiled and found his voice.

"Very well, Percy... Alright, Archfiend of Gilfer, attack Percy directly!"

Despite a brief feeling of confusion, Archfiend of Gilfer obeyed. The fiend-type monster went and hit Percy with a blast of fire. Despite being burned by the flames, Percy smiled big as he took massive damage (LP: 1000).

"Percy..." thought Thomas.

As his gondola rose to near the top, Percy glared at the smirking Dark Marik.

"Brace yourself, Marik." The green-haired boy warned his enemy. "If I go down in this duel, I'm taking you down with me!"

"We'll see about that." Dark Marik grinned evilly in response.

With that said, Percy rose even higher until he was at the 1000 mark.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Michael. "I can hardly see Percy now!"

Finally, it was time...

"It's...my turn now!." Percy announced, beginning to draw his final card.

As the green-haired boy drew, he slashed a colourful wave from his deck (Destiny Draw city).

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (4): Jinzo, The Legendary Fisherman, Flame Swordsman, and Goblin Attack Force

* * *

Upon seeing his card, Percy smiled big. He knew that what he was about to do will ensure that Dark Marik gets defeated first.

"Hold on, Lady..." The green-haired boy thought to himself. "Your torture of death will soon be over." He then placed his card on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Goblin Attack Force!"

Appearing to the field was an small squad of green-skinned, armor wearing goblins. They were all armed for battle (Level: 4/ATK: 2300/DEF: 0).

"Is he going after Marik?" quizzed Thomas, before looking to Spencer. "Or...?"

"The target I'm attacking..." Percy began. He raised a finger in the air, and everyone waited for the answer. Finally, the green-haired boy pointed at who he was targeting. "Spencer's Blade Knight!"

Spencer smirked confidently. Everyone else was stunned.

"He's targeting Blade Knight?" asked Mavis.

"But why?" Toby added. "Doesn't Percy wanna save Lady's life?"

"I think there might be more to what Percy is about to do." Discord stated.

"What do you mean by that, Dad?" asked Matt to his adopted Father.

"Just watch and learn, son."

Over with Percy near the top of the tower...

"Alright, my goblins!" he began. "Attack Blade Knight!"

The team of goblins obeyed and charged towards Blade Knight, while a smiling Spencer waited for them to get closer.

"Bring it on, you loser!" he thought wickedly.

Thomas knew that smile all too well. "Spencer's got a Trap card!"

"Oh, I know what those cards are!" Percy thought gleefully.

The goblins got closer and closer, and then... as expected...

"Heh, I've always knew you were an amateur, Percy!" Spencer snickered. "Reveal facedown cards!"

Both cards turned over and revealed themselves. They were what the gang feared the most...

"Ring of Destruction and Ring of Defense!" gasped Carlie.

"Those two dangerous cards!" added Matt.

The first card made a ring with explosives ensnare the goblins.

"Now my Trap card will destroy your goblins and inflict damage to our life points equal to their attack points!" said Spencer. "And now my Ring of Defense Spell card will protect my life points from the hit!"

A large green ring materialized to protect Spencer from the damage.

"If Percy doesn't do something quickly-" wailed Toby. "-he'll..."

Spencer laughed maniacally. "It's game over for you, loser!"

Finally, an explosion clouded the top half of the field. Everyone watched in dismay.

"Oh dear..." whispered Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"I guess Percy was the first to be eliminated in this Battle Royale." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Up with a smiling Dark Marik...

"Heh... I knew he wouldn't last in this duel..."

"Guess again!" called a voice.

The black smoke cleared away...and Dark Marik, to his shock, noticed that his life points had hit zero first (LP: 0).

"Wait! Why did MY life points go down?" The evil man asked in surprise.

Everyone else in the whole chamber was shocked.

"But...how?" asked Spencer, who was also shocked.

Over on Percy's field, his facedown card was turned over, and it was...

"Graverobber?!" Dark Marik roared in disbelief.

"That's right!" grinned Percy. "I knew what Spencer was planning to use those cards in case of an attack. And so, it was a good thing that I prepared ahead of time. Thanks to Graverobber, I was able to use a card that my opponent had already used. ...like Marik's Spell of Pain!"

Dark Marik gazed at his graveyard in more surprise before looking back at the green-haired boy.

"I really hope you don't mind me doing that... Marik-chan!"

Dark Marik cursed as his face bulged a bit from the anger he was feeling towards the green-haired boy.

"You'll pay for this!" The evil man shouted in hatred.

Percy merely smirked some more. "Anyway, using Spell of Pain, I transferred all the damage I would have taken directly to Marik!"

"Great idea, Percy!" called Henry.

"That's something I never thought I'd see someone do!" added Ben.

"You certainly can get things done when you put your mind to it!" threw in James.

Dark Marik growled again as his gondola rose to the zero line.

"That was some great thinking, Percy." thought Thomas. "If he had attacked Dark Jeroid with Goblin Attack Force, Marik would have taken less damage from the attack. But by attacking Spencer and making him use his Trap, Percy was able to use Graverobber to nab Spell of Pain and turn the damage onto Marik."

As Dark Marik rose towards Percy, the green-haired boy turned and did an akanbe (a childish Japanese gesture consisting of someone pulling down one's lower eyelid to expose the red underside towards someone, often accompanied by sticking their tongue out) directed at the evil man.

"See ya!" Percy called cheekily.

"You're gonna deeply regret this!" called Dark Marik dangerously.

"Now Marik is in the first round of the tournament." thought Percy happily, before looking down towards Spencer. "Hey, Spencer, thanks for the help!"

"Don't think this saves you from anything!" said Spencer. "It's my turn!"

He drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2200)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (2): Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Cost Down

* * *

"There's no way a loser like you who relies on nothing but luck had any sort of plan!" The silver-haired boy claimed. "I will finish you off now!"

"Bring it on, Spencer!" dared Percy. "I'm ready for your attack!"

Spencer smirked in response. "Don't mind if I do. Blade Knight, attack Avonside directly!"

Blade Knight, despite having his attack lowered back to the original amount (ATK: 2000 - 1600), was still strong enough to finish Percy off.

"Be gone, Percy!" shouted Spencer.

Blade Knight slashed the green-haired boy with his sword. Percy reeled back, but didn't yell in pain (LP: 0)

Percy smirked triumphantly. "It's done..."

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS:**

 **4\. Dark Marik (LOSER)**  
 **3\. Percy Avonside**  
 **2\. Spencer Gresley**  
 **1\. Thomas Billinton (WINNER)**

* * *

Percy's gondola started to rise and follow Dark Marik.

"Percy!" called Thomas.

"We'll meet again in the finals!" Percy called back.

As he rose higher and higher, the green-haired boy remained in his thoughts.

"I'm fine with this. This Battle Royale duel was nothing more than a game to decide our opponents in the semi-finals."

At last, he reached the zero mark along with Dark Marik.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Percy greeted.

Dark Marik chuckled. "I do hope you're ready to sleep with the fishes." he remarked. "And by sleep, I mean die!"

"Not a chance, you freaky jerk!"

Down below, the referee finally made the call...

"The duel is over!" The suit announced. "The for the semi-finals have been decided!"

Over with Spencer, Blade Knight faded away.

"Very good." Spencer thought to himself.

Over with Thomas, Archfiend of Gilfer faded away.

"Spencer..." Thomas thought to himself.

The two rivals fixated glares at each other. Down below, the referee finally made the big announcement...

"The first semi-finals match will be as followed-" he began. "-Marik Ishtar vs. Percy Avonside! The second match will be Thomas Billinton vs. Spencer Gresley!"

"This duel was fated, Thomas!" called Spencer to the blue-haired boy. "I sure hope you're ready for it!"

"I'll see you in the finals, Percy." Thomas thought. "First I have Spencer to take care of!"

"Duel gate, open!" called the referee.

Up on the ceiling, hatches begin to open up for the four gondolas.

"We're finally heading for the final matches!" Percy stated.

"Heh heh heh... You may as well refer to it as a gateway to a world of darkness!" teased Dark Marik.

"Stop fooling yourself!" snapped Percy. "Even if you have the Winged Dragon of Ra, I'm still gonna beat you and save my girlfriend!"

Dark Marik snickered quietly before bursting into psychotic laughter in response.

"Better fasten your seatbelts." called Skiff. "We're all heading to the top!"

The four gondolas began to rocket up the tower towards the top. It was now official; the Battle City Finals have begun for real.


	59. Strength of Darkness (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Well, this Battle Royale was rather tricky. In it, we could either attack or help the other players. Whoever lost all of their life points first would play each other in the semi-finals first."

"Each player will start with, as usual, 4000 life points. As you lose life points, your chair will climb higher and higher up the tower. Again, the two who lose first will the first to the top."

Thomas (LP: 4000), Dark Marik (LP: 4000), Spencer (LP: 4000), and Percy (LP: 4000) all remained silent - yet listened on.

"Here's the deal; Thomas wanted to duel me so we could settle our promise. Spencer wanted to duel Thomas for selfish reasons. Marik? He doesn't care who he faces so long as he gets to mess around with their minds. And me? I've decided to face Marik and make him pay for everything he's done to me and my friends...especially Lady!"

Dark Marik, to his shock, noticed that his life points had hit zero first (LP: 0).

"Wait! Why did MY life points go down?" The evil man asked in surprise.

Everyone else in the whole chamber was shocked.

"But...how?" asked Spencer, who was also shocked.

Over on Percy's field, his facedown card was turned over, and it was...

"Graverobber?!" Dark Marik roared in disbelief.

"When Spencer used his destruction ring combo in an attempt to defeat me first, I used Graverobber to snatch that handy Spell of Pain card Marik used on me earlier and transfer the damage to him instead."

Dark Marik gazed at his graveyard in more surprise before looking back at the green-haired boy.

"Blade Knight, attack Avonside directly!" ordered Spencer.

Blade Knight, despite having his attack lowered back to the original amount (ATK: 2000 - 1600), was still strong enough to finish Percy off.

"Be gone, Percy!" shouted Spencer.

Blade Knight slashed the green-haired boy with his sword. Percy reeled back, but didn't yell in pain (LP: 0).

Percy smirked triumphantly. "It's done..."

"And thanks to Spencer direct attacking me, Marik and I both lost first. This meant he and I would duel first in the semi-finals!"

"Duel gate, open!" called the referee.

Up on the ceiling, hatches begin to open up for the four gondolas.

"We're finally heading for the final matches!" Percy stated.

"Heh heh heh... You may as well refer to it as a gateway to a world of darkness!" teased Dark Marik.

"Stop fooling yourself!" snapped Percy. "Even if you have The Winged Dragon of Ra, I'm still gonna beat you and save my girlfriend!"

Dark Marik snickered quietly before bursting into psychotic laughter in response.

"Bring it on, Marik! Time for you to pay for your misdeeds!"

* * *

 **Title: Strength of Darkness, Part 1**

* * *

Outside the Duel Tower on Boxford Corp Island, all was quiet...for now. Soon it was gonna get noisy. Very noisy indeed.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Duel Tower, Dark Marik's gondola was rising to the very top of the building.

"This isn't exactly how I planned it." The evil man thought in a uncaring tone. "But, alas, it cannot be helped. I'm gonna enjoy torturing you, Percy Avonside. Oh yes, I'm gonna really enjoy it!"

Percy's gondola was rising beside Dark Marik's gondola, and he had a fist clenched.

"Finally..." The green-haired boy thought. "I've been waiting for this moment ever since you put my girlfriend into a coma!"

Nearby, Spencer's gondola was rising as well.

"This is as it should be." The silver-haired boy thought. "I'm the one who will win in this fated duel with Billinton!"

Rising beside Spencer's gondola was Thomas's gondola.

"Everything will be settled once we reach the top of the tower." The blue-haired boy thought.

Finally, the gondolas were out of sight of the crowd down below.

"They're gone..." commented James R.

"Everyone wanting to watch the duel can follow me to the elevator." said Skiff.

The nearby doors opened. Just before Skiff could get everyone to follow him, Ben spoke up all of a sudden...

"Hold up. We should give both of Percy's older siblings a heads up."

"We can call them using the phone near the elevator." Mr. Gresley (Boxford) suggested, pointing to the nearby phone.

When they all got to the elevator, Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) used the phone to contact the blimp.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room aboard the blimp, Ryan was talking to whoever was on the other line. Liz was still looking after the coma-induced Lady.

"Alright, we'll be right there." said Ryan. "Thanks again. Bye!" He hung up and looked to his wife. "Percy's duel is going to start soon. We should be there to cheer him on!"

The purple-haired young man turned to leave the room...but discovered that Liz still wasn't going to leave.

"Don't you want to cheer for your brother?"

"I want Percy to win." Liz replied, looking serious. "But... my place is here looking after Lady. You can go cheer him on though."

Now Ryan was very worried. "Are you sure, honey?"

"I'm sure."

"She probably won't wake up for a while." Ryan pointed out. "And this duel is very important to Percy. He would be heartbroken if he own sister didn't show up to cheer him on."

But still, the blonde-haired young woman refused to leave Lady's side. Finally, Ryan sighed in defeat.

"Alright." he said. "I guess you can stay here."

The purple-hair young man ran out of the room. Once she was alone in the room, Liz looked over to the window and gazed out at the Duel Tower.

"Percy..." The blonde-haired young woman whispered to herself.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Duel Tower, the gondolas were being shifted around while making their way to the top. Finally, Dark Marik and Percy both arrived at the top of the tower. Once their gondolas stopped, they got off and gazed at each other.

"So this is the final duel arena?" asked Percy. "Kinda dreary, huh?"

"Oh, don't fret over it." teased Dark Marik. "I'll make it much more interesting... A view much more entertaining than anything you've ever seen! I do hope you look forward to it, little Percy!"

"The only thing I look forward for is beating you and saving the girl I love!" retorted the green-haired boy hotly.

Dark Marik turned around and gave a psychotic laugh as he walked over to another part of the platform. It was also around then Thomas's gondola arrived, and the blue-haired boy got off and walked over to Percy. The two friends watched as Spencer's gondola arrived last, and the silver-haired boy got off.

"Percy intentionally lost in the Battle Royale." thought Thomas. "That way, he'd be paired up with Marik. And the reason he would want to duel Marik so badly is..."

Suddenly, his thoughts were cut off when Percy looked over.

"Thomas?"

"Oh, sorry, Percy." apologized Thomas. He then looked very serious. "Just remember that you have to win this duel!"

"You don't have to remind me." reminded Percy, before giving a smile. "But don't you worry. I will win! And when I do, I'll be ready to face you in the finals! I'll have my own God card and everything!"

Unfortunately...

"You're not even worthy to use an Egyptian God card, Percy." said the voice of Spencer rudely.

The silver-haired boy had overheard the two best friends talking and decided to ruin the moment.

"What was that, Spencer?!" demanded Percy, looking at the rich boy.

"I hereby declare... you will be defeated by The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"W-Why you...!" growled the green-haired boy. "If you got something to say, then just say it! I won and got far in Battle City, didn't I?"

Spencer nodded. "I admit you did so."

"Then there's no way I'd lose to Marik that easily!"

"Neither you nor Billinton know the true nature of Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra!" The silver-haired boy stated rather firmly. "It has many powerful effects that are so terrifying that they surpass mortal thought."

"I don't care!" objected Percy. "I have to save Lady!"

"Are you trying to tell us that you know what Ra's special abilities are, Spencer?" asked Thomas.

"Yes... I've almost finished decoding it." nodded Spencer.

Percy gasped, but Thomas wasn't so sure about that. There had to be more to it than meets the eye...

"He translated the card's text from the Egyptian Hieratic text?" thought Thomas.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Dark Marik crossed his arms together and began to recite the text on the card.

" **Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight.** "

At first nothing seemed to be happening! ...but then the orb started to glow all gold-like once more, and Percy was the first to noticed.

"Thomas, look up there!" The green-haired boy announced, pointing up at the object. "That sphere is glowing all gold!"

He was right; the giant sphere was releasing rays of light while beginning to transform itself into the body of The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Ra is starting to coming out of the sphere." Thomas gasped in surprise. "The God belongs to Marik once more!"

Spencer was looking upward in surprise as the sphere continued to transform (wings were beginning to form on the sphere).

"That must be-!" The silver-haired boy thought, though he didn't get a chance to finish.

" **Envelope the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe.** " continued Dark Marik. " **Unlock your powers deep within, so that together we may win.** "

Lady, meanwhile, could only watch helplessly as the evil man finished reciting the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra card.

" **Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name...** " Dark Marik spread his arms out in welcome. " **Winged Dragon of Ra!** "

By now, the sphere had transformed into the full battle mode of The Winged Dragon of Ra, who let out a loud roar. The roar was so powerful that it unleashed a powerful wind blast across the top of the blimp. Spencer managed to keep his balance and look up in shock at the glowing dragon.

"BEHOLD THE WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" shouted Dark Marik, while his ace monster lowered itself a bit.

"So that's..." Thomas began.

"...The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Spencer finished.

The Winged Dragon of Ra soon reached the ground and leered at the helpless Lady Stone.

(new scene...)

Spencer took one look at the text...and his eyes widened in shock.

"W-what?!" he thought. "This can't be! I can actually understand the text says! And it tells me about Ra's effects..."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"How is it you're able to read it?" Percy demanded.

Thomas, however, had an even bigger clue as to what was going on.

"Your Egyptian blood." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. He then started to imagine Spencer carrying the Millennium Rod. "That's the only way you're able to understand the ancient text."

"Thomas, even you don't have what it takes to defeat Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra deck!" Spencer went on.

"Even Thomas doesn't have what it takes?!" asked Percy angrily. "That's a load of rubbish!"

"It's not rubbish. Ra's power far exceeds even my own God card as well. It also surpasses Slifer the Sky Dragon, too."

Nearby, Dark Marik glanced at his enemies and gave a wicked chuckle. Spencer glanced right back before speaking to the two friends some more.

"I've been coming up with a strategy to win." The silver-haired boy continued some more. "But first I need to watch Marik in action one more time. And this is where you come into play, Percy."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" asked Percy hotly. He didn't look very happy with being seen as a guine pig.

"If Marik uses Ra's ability against you, that's where I find new ways to defeat it." said Spencer, before looking back to Thomas. "And besides, if you had fought Marik in the semi-finals, Billinton, he would've gotten Slifer from you. That meant I would have had to face two God monsters."

"Ooh, why must you pick on us?!" Percy mumbled. He was getting sick of Spencer badmouthing him and his friends.

Thomas, however, smirked. "Spencer, that's a good plan you have... but it does have a little flaw."

"Hmm?"

"You forget that your opponent in the semi-finals is me." The blue-hair boy pointed out, readying his Duel Disk.

Spencer merely scoffed and turned around to walk away. "Our fated duel, Billinton!" he warned. "I look forward to it!"

From there, the silver-haired boy walked away to meet with his parents and brother.

"Why that little-!" Percy seethed.

Just then, coming up nearby staircase came Skiff, Mr. and Mrs Gresley (Boxford), and the rest of the gang.

"Spencer!" called Skiff.

While the younger boy and his parents went over towards the silver-haired boy, the rest of Thomas and Percy's friends approached the two boys.

"Um, what's with the angry look, Percy?" asked Gordon.

"Let me guess... Spencer?" quizzed Edward.

"Correct." sighed Thomas.

Percy didn't say anything. Instead, he walked past Gordon and Thomas and approached the duel stage - where Dark Marik waited.

"Sheesh, that Spencer really burns my skin." The green-haired boy thought bitterly. "This must be his little strategy; intimidate me before my battle with Marik. Well, that won't work against me! Marik's God monster is powerful, but everything I earned in this tournament helped me, too. Jinzo..."

An image of Jinzo and Samson flashed by.

"Insect Queen..."

An image of Insect Queen and Diesel flashed by.

"...and The Legendary Fisherman."

An image of The Legendary Fisherman and Salty flashed by.

"And most importantly..." Percy thought some more, as he stopped at his stop on the platform and glared at Dark Marik. "I have my promise! I can never become a True Duelist and face Thomas unless I save Lady's life!" Finally, he spoke aloud. "Just watch me... I WILL win!"

"Take him down, Percy!" called Henry.

"We know you can win this duel!" added Ben.

Just then, a new, familiar voice echoed from nearby...or rather the staircase.

"So do I!" called the voice. It was Ryan.

Percy's eyes lightened. "Ryan! And if he's here, then so must be-"

Yes, it was Ryan. However, a certain someone was missing...

"Where's Liz?" asked Percy, sounding a little upset.

Huffing and puffing for a moment, the purple-haired young man eventually explained why Liz wasn't here.

"And that's basically it." Ryan finished.

"So Liz just abandoned her own brother just to look after Lady despite the fact that she won't wake up from her coma until Marik loses?" asked James. "Sounds like she's a pretty bad sister! ...and this is coming from someone who adores her."

"Liz blames herself for what happened." said Ryan firmly. "Despite my efforts to tell her otherwise."

"Still?" asked Emily. "Liz has to stop blaming herself. She did not make Marik put Lady in a coma. He did so on his own. Even if Liz hadn't yelled at Lady, it would have happened anyway."

"Enough!" shouted Percy, catching his friends' attention. "I can understand how Liz feels. If she wants to continue to look after Lady, then I'm cool with it. Besides, I can feel she's still here with me in spirit."

The rest of the gang went quiet after hearing that statement.

"And now, the first duel of the Battle City semi-finals will now begin!" declared the referee. "We have Marik Ishtar against Percy Avonside!"

The platform began to rise in height.

"You can do it, Percy!" called Mavis.

"Win it!" added Zack.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room aboard the blimp, Odion was still in bed and in a coma. At this point, Ishizu felt that there was nothing more she could do for her adopted brother.

"All I can do now... is sit and watch the Duel Tower - and hope Marik can be saved from himself." The Egyptian woman said to herself.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, the platform had finished rising. Dark Marik and Percy both drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let the duel begin!" announced the referee.

"I will go first, if you don't mind." said Dark Marik.

Percy scoffed. "By all means!"

* * *

 **Turn One** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): Card of Last Will, Tribute Burial, Drillago, Helpoemer, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"I will first activate Pot of Greed! Letting me draw two cards from my deck."

"Pot of Greed on the first turn?" Matt blinked.

"That's something I've almost never seen someone go and do." added Zack.

Dark Marik drew two cards before taking hold of one of them and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Now I summon Gil Garth in attack mode." announced the evil man.

An armored-like fiend monster materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).

"A strong monster on the first turn." Ryan thought. He then spoke aloud... "Be careful out there, Percy!"

"Now I'll set one card facedown-" Dark Marik continued, as a facedown card materialized behind Gil Garth. "-and end my turn!"

"Look out, Marik!" exclaimed Percy, drawing a card. "Here I come!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (6): Scapegoat, Rocket Warrior, Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, Baby Dragon, and Alligator's Sword

* * *

The green-haired boy looked to his hand in dismay. It contained Scapegoat, Rocket Warrior, Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, Baby Dragon, and the just added Alligator's Sword.

"Marik's Gil Garth has 1800 attack points." The green-haired boy thought to himself. "I have nothing that can beat it right now." Soon enough, Percy slotted a card into his Duel Disk. "I place a card facedown..."

A facedown card materialized.

"Next I summon Alligator's Sword in defense mode!"

The armored alligator-like warrior appeared kneeling in defense mode (Level: 4/DEF: 1200).

"Why the long face, little Percy?" taunted Dark Marik. "Are you still upset about what I did to that girlfriend of yours?" His face then became psychotic as he pulled out his Millennium Rod. "If it makes you feel any better, you'll soon be joining her! Because this duel...is now a Shadow Game!"

With the Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead glowing along with the Millennium Rod, purple fog began forming around the duel stage.

"No way!" exclaimed James R..

"This fog again?" Ben asked with widened eyes.

"A Shadow Game!" said Discord seriously.

Soon, the duel stage was inside the Shadow Realm. Dark Marik raised his Millennium Rod confidently.

"Our Shadow Game begins now, Percy Avonside!" The evil man declared.

Percy stared defiantly at Dark Marik. "I'm not afraid of you!"

"Oh, but I can clearly see the fear in your eyes, boy. And if I'm not mistaken, you want to see your darling Polly Stone again too, don't you? Well, I'll let you see her...in the Dark World of death when you lose!"

"What?!" Percy growled. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"Oh, the screams that girl made in our duel... I can still hear them even as we speak." Dark Marik said excitedly. "They make such sweet, sweet music don't you think, my poor, pathetic friend?"

He burst into more sadistic laughter at his own, sick joke. This only served to enrage Percy further.

"Shut up, you jerk!" he shouted.

The two opponents then stared each other down.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room aboard the blimp, the Egyptian woman was looking out the window when she saw that the top of the Duel Tower was becoming covered in purple fog.

"Another Shadow Game has begun." thought Ishizu to herself. "Are you really looking to sacrifice another innocent soul, Marik?"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Shadow Realm, Percy was still seething in anger at his hated enemy.

"I'll-!"

"Percy knows if he goes along with this setting, he'll end up like Lady." said Henry unhappily.

"He doesn't care." replied Gordon. "He's willing to do whatever it takes to save her."

"Percy's prepared for the outcome." Emily added. "But if he does manage to win..."

Thomas looked over to the dark green-haired girl in shock. "Emily?!" he gawked.

"I'm sorry, Thomas." sighed the dark green-haired girl in a sad tone. "Percy asked me not to tell you."

"But why?" demanded the blue-haired boy. "Not not tell me until now?"

"He didn't want to upset you. I found him in the hallway sleepwalking last night while I was out for a little walk to try and tire myself out a bit. Once I woke him up, he told me everything."

"Percy..." Thomas whispered, just before going into his thoughts. "Did I make the right choice in the Battle Royale?"

"We have to stop Percy!" protested Carlie. "If he loses this duel, he'll end up like Duck and Lady!"

"Spencer, you have to stop the duel!" called Molly pleadingly.

However, like before, the silver-haired boy didn't say a word. This was to Skiff, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Gresley's (Boxford) dismay.

"Big brother..." whispered Skiff unhappily.

Up on the duel stage, Percy remained brave. It was obvious he wasn't going to let this Shadow Game scare him away.

"So, will you give up now to spare yourself of all the impending pain and suffering you'll be receiving?" mocked Dark Marik.

Up on the duel stage, Percy smirked instead of backing down.

"I accept your Shadow Game, Marik!"

Percy's friends all gasped upon hearing this.

"I don't care if I have to die in the process." continued Percy firmly. "I will fight you to save Lady!"

Dark Marik chuckled. "You seriously think you can beat me? Amusing! But I wonder how long that will of yours will last."

From there, the evil man drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (5): Card of Last Will, Tribute Burial, Helpoemer, Drillago, and Plasma Eel

* * *

"Now that you've entered this duel, there is nowhere to escape! Just like when I thrashed that girl, no one will be able to save you. It's just the two of us, right to the bitter end! You're going to thoroughly enjoy this Shadow Game, little Percy!"

"Grrr! Why not just shut up for once and explain!" demanded Percy angrily.

"Before I do that, let me tell you the Penalty Game that awaits the loser of this duel..." Dark Marik insisted. "The loser will sink into endless darkness. Both your body and mind will slowly... slowly...without realizing it, slip into a world of death and suffering!" He then gave another dark chuckle. "Exciting, isn't it? I envy you, Percy! Oh, the things you'll feel...!"

Percy scowled in anger. Down off the platform...

"Is he just trying to scare Percy?" asked Toby.

"It looks like it." replied Michael.

"More like he's trying to stack on extra mental pressure." Zack claimed, and then called out to the green-haired boy. "Don't be bothered by it, Percy!"

Percy, meanwhile, grinned. "Heh! You know what, Marik? It'll take more than something like that to scare me!"

"Oh really?" asked Dark Marik, placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "In that case I will take extra joy in torturing you, Percy. I summon Drillago in attack mode!"

The yellow drill-like fiend monster appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"Now, before I attack, take a good look at your monster."

Percy noticed a long wire coming from Alligator's Sword towards his chest.

"Is this...?" The green-haired boy began, but never finished.

"The same Shadow Game he used against Lady!" cried James.

"Heh heh heh, you are correct." confirmed Dark Marik. "But there are a few changes. In my previous duel, had I used this method to play on Lady's greatest fear. You? I think I'll instead just show you my new method! Either way, it will still grant me loads and loads of enjoyment!"

As Dark Marik laughed tauntingly, Percy narrowed his eyes and cursed loudly in response.

"This won't scare me!" he thought to himself.

"And now, it's time to reveal my new method!" announced Dark Marik. "Drillago, attack Alligator's Sword!"

Drillago obeyed, drilling Alligator's Sword into bits.

"Alligator's Sword has been defeated!"

Suddenly, the pink wire attached to Percy's chest snapped and the green-haired boy screamed in agonizing pain. Below the duel platform...

"Percy!" cried Ryan.

"What happened?!" exclaimed Mavis.

"As their monsters take damage..." whispered Thomas. "...the player will feel it, too."

Percy slowly got back up. "The pain...! The second my monster was destroyed, I felt a powerful surge of pain in my chest...!"

Dark Marik cackled. "Having fun yet?" he asked excitedly. "The sight of your pain is so breathtaking... but not enough." The evil man then spoke to his other monster "It's your turn, Gil Garth! Attack little Percy's life points directly!"

Gil Garth obeyed and charged towards the green-haired boy.

"PERCY!" screamed Molly.

"Not this time, Marik!" declared Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I reveal my facedown Scapegoat Spell card!"

The green-haired boy's facedown Quick-Play Spell card flipped face-up and revealed itself, creating four coloured sheep tokens to defend Percy. Gil Garth sliced the yellow sheep token and destroyed it.

"What?!" exclaimed Dark Marik, shocked that Percy wasn't in any agonizing pain.

"My sheep tokens aren't considered as real monsters." said Percy. "So even if they're destroyed, it doesn't effect me."

Below the platform...

"Yes!" cheered Thomas. "Nice one!"

"Talk about a relief." added Ryan.

Back on the duel platform...

"So even someone like you can come up with a plan, eh?" chuckled Dark Marik. "I guess I'll end my turn here."

"Then look out!" Percy exclaimed, drawing his card. "Here I come!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (5): Rocket Warrior, Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, Baby Dragon, and Panther Warrior

* * *

The green-haired boy smirked upon seeing what he drew.

"Sweet!" He then showed Dark Marik his drawn card. "Meet my Panther Warrior!"

The armored panther appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1600).

"Now to sacrifice a sheep token so my monster can attack!"

The pink sheep token was absorbed into Panther Warrior and it lunged forth and slashed at Gil Garth, destroying it. The wire in Dark Marik's chest immediately snapped, and he groaned in pain...before giving an evil smile and beginning to laugh scabrously (LP: 3800).

"That's payback for Lady!" Percy said hotly, ignoring the evil man's laughter from the pain.

"You're not half bad." admitted Dark Marik. "But this wouldn't be interesting if you weren't decent."

The green-haired boy spat spitefully. "Quit playing nice." he snapped.

"Percy's doing quite good again Marik." said Skiff.

"Despite this being a Shadow Game, Percy isn't afraid." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Now it's my turn!" declared Dark Marik. "And the time to show you more horrors of my torture deck!"

Upon saying that, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Dark Marik (LP: 3800)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (5): Card of Last Will, Tribute Burial, Helpoemer, Plasma Eel, and Hidden Soldiers

* * *

Dark Marik's hand contained Card of Last Will, Tribute Burial, Helpoemer, Plasma Eel, and the recently added Hidden Soldiers.

"I'll begin my turn with a Spell card." The evil man declared, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Tribute Burial!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"What does that do?" asked Percy.

"This card allows me to remove two monsters from the graveyard. My graveyard and your graveyard." explained Dark Marik. "When I do so, I can special summon a monster from my hand without a sacrifice."

Emerging from the evil man's graveyard was Gil Garth, and emerging from Percy's graveyard was Alligator's Sword.

"I'll sacrifice your Alligator's Sword and my Gil Garth!" said Dark Marik. "Behold my Poet of Death - Helpoemer!"

Slowly emerging from the ground was a zombie-like fiend monster attached to a cross (Level: 6/ATK: 2000).

"Helpoemer?" Carlie shivered.

"It looks...creepy." Molly whimpered.

"Are you intimidated yet, little Percy?" teased Dark Marik.

"You wish!" snapped Percy.

Chuckling evilly, Dark Marik slotted a card into his Duel Disk, causing a facedown card to materialized beside the first.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn!" announced Percy, drawing a card.

"Don't let your guard down, Percy!" Thomas thought to himself. "Marik has something big planned for you."

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 32  
 **Current Hand** (5): Rocket Warrior, Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, Baby Dragon, and Jinzo

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, Percy smiled big.

"Awesome! I've drawn Jinzo!" he thought to himself. "I can use it to destroy Helpoemer..." A thought then came to the green-haired boy. "But... why didn't Marik attempt an attack on any of my Scapegoats? Is it possible that he's scared of me attacking him or something..." He suddenly hesitated. "Either way, I have no idea what his Helpoemer is capable of doing, so it could be a mistake to rush in with Jinzo now."

Percy added his drawn card to his hand and chose another card.

"I summon my handy Rocket Warrior in attack mode!"

The warrior in rocket armor appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Gotcha!" exclaimed Dark Marik. "I'll activate my facedown Trap card!"

The first of the evil man's many facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself.

"Hidden Soldiers!"

"Aw man!" groaned Percy.

"Since you've summoned a monster-" explained Dark Marik, taking a card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "-I can special summon a level four or lower dark attribute monster of my own... With that being said, I choose to play Plasma Eel!"

A machine-type eel appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 500).

"And now I activate its effect... Attach yourself to the Panther Warrior, now!"

The eel attached itself to Panther Warrior. The monster's eyes twitched as the pincers struck the sides of its head.

"Plasma Eel will now deduct 500 attack points off of the monster it is equipped to at the end of your turn!" Dark Marik stated.

"500?!" gasped Percy.

"But it'll be much more entertaining than that for you, Percy! You're about to feel great pain beyond description!"

Upon saying that, the Plasma Eel unleashed an electric shock on Panther Warrior, causing it to cry out in pain. Unfortunately, Percy also felt the great electrical shock and he cried out in pain also.

"Oh no, Percy!" shouted Ryan.

"Percy!" called Matt. "Don't give in!"

Back on the duel platform...

"How is it?!" laughed Dark Marik. "The same pain that your pathetic girlfriend went through, too?!"

"Lady...!" thought Percy in pain.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The two shackles (Holding Arms and Holding Legs) attached themselves to Lady.

"Hey!" she cried. "Let me go!"

The two monsters then sealed themselves into the wall, completely preventing the beautiful blonde-haired girl from escaping.

"This is a Shadow Game, little girl." cackled Dark Marik. "Meaning that everything you experience here is real. Soon, you shall be nothing more than little scraps... NOW FACE THE DARKNESS, POLLY STONE! DIRECT ATTACK NOW!"

The monsters obeyed, shocking Lady and causing her to scream in agony from the very real electric shock.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Dark Marik laughed maniacally.

"Lady... the pain you've felt..." groaned Percy, laying on his knees. "It's so agonizing... but you fought till the very end, anyway... I'll...SAVE YOU!"

With a scream of determination, the green-haired boy managed to get back on his feet, much to Dark Marik's shock.

"Impossible!" he gasped. "You should be begging for mercy by now!"

"I made a promise to save Lady." said Percy in anger. "And nothing is going to make my break my promise! Not you, nor anybody else!"

Rocket Warrior suddenly transformed into its ' ** _Invincible Mode_** '.

"I'll now transform Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode! With it, I'll have it attack your Helpoemer! NOW!"

Rocket Warrior was more than happy to obey. Launching itself, it struck Helpoemer.

"AUGH!" screamed Dark Marik in pain, just before gagging into his hands.

"Thanks to Rocket Warrior's effect, Helpoemer loses 500 of its attack points until the end of my turn!"

Helpoemer got weaker (ATK: 2000 - 1500).

"Nice one, man!" cheered James.

"You got him!" added Emily.

"And now-" Percy continued, as the red sheep token was absorbed into Panther Warrior. "-now I'll offer another sheep token to my Panther Warrior so that it can attack your Helpoemer!"

Panther Warrior obeyed and slashed Helpoemer with its sword. Helpoemer wailed in a spooky tone before fading away. Dark Marik groaned in pain as his life points took a hit (LP: 3300).

"How'd you like that?" asked Percy angrily.

Suddenly, Dark Marik was shown to be smiling... From there, he then began to laugh scabrously once more... Except it sounded more creepy and sick than before.

"It feels good..." Dark Marik had said in the most sadistic tone ever heard. "Oh yes, the pain feels wonderful! WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS!"

Below the platform...

"Has he lost it?" asked Toby.

"Nah, he's clearly already loco!" Gordon replied, once again doing a ' _cuckoo_ ' motion.

On the duel stage, Dark Marik stopped his brief moment of insanity and spoke more clearly.

"I love pain... especially when it means your plan is going exactly the way you want it!"

"What do you-?" Percy sounded incredibly surprised.

"I WANTED you to destroy Helpoemer!" smirked Dark Marik. "Now its special ability will activate!"

Suddenly, Percy saw a ghostly specter of the Helpoemer card moving and going right into HIS graveyard.

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Oh, but can you hear that song?" teased Dark Marik. "Let's see what happens now, shall we?"

Silence filled the area...while creepy music could be heard coming from Percy's graveyard.

"W-what's this creepy music?" asked Percy nervously.

Suddenly, like a jump scare moment, a ghostly hand popped out of the graveyard.

"What in the world?!"

"That arm isn't there to just scare you." said Dark Marik. "It's all part of Helpoemer's special ability!"

The hand then snatched a random card from Percy's hand and took it straight to the graveyard.

"My card!" exclaimed the green-haired boy.

"That's right." Dark Marik stated. "After every one of your battle phases have come to an end... Helpoemer will randomly arise and steal one card from your hand and put it in your graveyard!"

Just then, without warning, the ghostly hand reappeared from the graveyard and taunted Percy even further by...giving him a certain finger gesture that is not very well liked by many people around the world. We'll leave it up to you on which gesture it is. The ghostly hand then returned to the graveyard until next time.

"If Percy keeps losing cards in his hand, he'll never be able to defeat Marik!" thought Thomas in worry.

Percy gazed at his graveyard. "No way... I could lose my entire hand or deck if that thing remains in my graveyard." he thought. "And I've already lost Jinzo before I could even play it."

"Percy Avonside... you will slowly step further and further into my strategy." said Dark Marik wickedly. "Not to mention deeper and deeper into the pits of darkness!"

With that said, the evil man started to laugh savagely at his opponent's predicament. Is he right, and it's the end of Percy? Stay tuned!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	60. Strength of Darkness (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Spencer began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"I've asked myself this question several times through out the finals - how did someone like Percy Avonside make it through the Battle City tournament? Perhaps his opponents' forfeited their Locator cards to him out of pity."

"Blade Knight, attack Avonside directly!" ordered Spencer.

Blade Knight, despite having his attack lowered back to the original amount (ATK: 2000 - 1600), was still strong enough to finish Percy off.

"Be gone, Percy!" shouted Spencer.

Blade Knight slashed the green-haired boy with his sword. Percy reeled back, but didn't yell in pain (LP: 0).

Percy smirked triumphantly. "It's done..."

"He wanted to face Marik, and I gave him is wish while getting my own wish granted in the process; my rematch against Billinton!"

Thomas suddenly smirked. "Spencer, that's a good plan you have... but it does have a little flaw."

"Hmm?"

"You forget that your opponent in the semi-finals is me." said Thomas, readying his Duel Disk.

Spencer merely scoffed and turned around to walk away.

"Our fated duel, Billinton! I look forward to it!"

"In addition, I can hopefully learn more about The Winged Dragon of Ra from watching this duel. I now know much of its secrets...but I still need to watch it in action one more time just to be sure my plan to beat it will work."

"Why the long face, Percy?" taunted Dark Marik. "Are you still upset about what I did to that girlfriend of yours?" His face then became psychotic as he pulled out his Millennium Rod. "If it makes you feel any better, you'll soon be joining her! Because this duel is now a Shadow Game!"

With the Millennium Eye symbol on his forehead glowing along with the Millennium Rod, purple fog began forming around the duel stage.

"As expected, Marik turned the duel into a Shadow Game like from his duel with Lady Stone. What's more, Percy destroyed Helpoemer. A monster with a terrifying effect."

Suddenly, like a jump scare moment, a ghostly hand popped out of the graveyard.

"What in the world?!"

"That arm isn't there to just scare you." said Dark Marik. "It's part of Helpoemer's special ability!"

The hand then snatched a random card from Percy's hand and took it straight to the graveyard.

"My card!" exclaimed the green-haired boy.

"That's right." Dark Marik stated. "After every one of your battle phases have come to an end... Helpoemer will randomly arise and steal one card from your hand and put it in your graveyard!"

"At this point... I'm not sure if I'll be seeing The Winged Dragon of Ra in this duel..."

* * *

 **Title: Strength of Darkness, Part 2**

* * *

Inside the Shadow Realm...all was quiet. Percy and Dark Marik were both in the middle of their duel in the Battle City semi-finals. The standings were as followed:  
-Dark Marik (LP: 3300) had a facedown card and the monster known as Drillago on his side of the field.  
-Percy (LP: 4000) had Rocket Warrior, Panther Warrior, and a sheep token on his side of the field.

Spencer, Skiff, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) were all very quiet watching the duel at this point. Emily, however, had a few words to say on Percy's predicament.

"If Percy loses a card from his hand every turn..." she began. "He'll never be able to mount a counterattack!"

"That jerk Marik sure loves his cheap tricks!" fumed James.

"Percy's at a disadvantage right now!" added Henry.

"We have to keep relying on him." insisted Thomas. "Right now, Percy needs all the support he can get."

Of course, it wouldn't be easy. Up on the duel stage, Dark Marik was ready to draw a card and take his turn.

"It's my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Dark Marik (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : 35  
 **Current Hand** (2): Card of Last Will and Coffin Seller

* * *

Upon seeing his Coffin Seller Trap card, Dark Marik gave a silent laugh.

"Percy only has Rocket Warrior and Panther Warrior on his side of the field." he thought to himself. "Both are extremely weak four star monsters I can defeat easily... But Panther Warrior is equipped with my Plasma Eel; which will cause that puma to lose 500 attack points on each of the boy's end phases. In addition, he cannot be sacrificed as well!" Dark Marik chuckled sinisterly once more. "I'll let Percy keep his two monsters for now. It will allow me to spread more and more pain his way!"

Finally, the evil man slotted his final two cards into his Duel Disk.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Percy was surprised. "He's not going to attack...?" He watched Dark Marik snicker a little bit. "He also used up his entire hand, too... What could he be up to now?"

The green-haired boy looked to his hand. Currently, it contained Graceful Dice, Baby Dragon, and Foolish Burial.

"I don't have too many options to use against him, and I lost Jinzo to Helpoemer..." Percy thought to himself. "I sure wish you were up here, Liz... I could really use your help..."

Finally, the green-haired boy drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 31  
 **Current Hand** (4): Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, Baby Dragon, and Insect Queen

* * *

Percy had drawn the Insect Queen monster card.

"Alright! I drew Insect Queen!" he thought in triumph, adding the card to his hand. "But because she's a level 7 monster, I can't summon her right now. I'll just have to make due with Baby Dragon until I can be able to summon her." Percy took another card from his hand. "I summon Baby Dragon in defense mode!"

The young orange scaled appeared in a defensive stance (Level: 3/DEF: 700).

"Those facedown cards are obviously Traps. Should I just pull back for now...? Or..."

"What's the matter?" asked Dark Marik with a look of dark amusement on his face. "I have no hand right now. Come on, and attack me!"

Percy merely scowled in anger.

"Perhaps my facedown cards worry you? It must be futile! 'cause they could be ' _scary_ ' Traps and all...!"

Dark Marik laughed sadistically while Percy remained conflicted in weither to attack or not.

"Those are obviously Traps." said Gordon.

"He can't attack or Marik will set them off!" added Toby.

"But if he doesn't attack-" protested Molly. "-he won't get to defeat Marik."

"Then he should attack." Thomas stated seriously.

Molly, Gordon, and Toby looked at the blue-haired boy like he was crazy or something.

"Please tell me that was a joke." Gordon pleaded.

"Marik's facedowns might not be too deadly." explained Thomas. "Otherwise he would not be trying to scare Percy with them. He must be trying to bluff him out of attacking. If Percy does attack, Marik could reveal his plan. But if he does not attack, Panther Warrior's attack will only drop faster."

Back with Percy atop the duel stage...

"If I can defeat Drillago right now, Marik will have nothing to guard his life points!" The green-haired boy thought to himself. "But if I end my turn without doing anything, he'll get out without taking any damage. Not to mention Panther Warrior will lose another 500 attack points from that Plasma Eel regardless. If I'm really scared by those facedown cards, I'll only give him a further advantage... I don't know what expects to happen, but..."

Finally, Percy made his choice over the matter.

"Rocket Warrior, you're up! Transform into your invincible mode and get ready to attack!"

Rocket Warrior did as he was told.

"Attack Drillago!" called Percy.

Rocket Warrior obeyed and attacked Drillago by charging like, what else, a rocket. The drill monster was soon struck and got a power degrade (ATK: 1600 - 1100). Unfortunately, after recovering from the pain from his Shadow Game, Dark Marik gave a loud laugh.

"I compliment you for having the guts to attack me, despite the obvious Traps I have set!" The evil man mocked. "But it was still a futile effort. Now watch as I reveal my first facedown card!"

The first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Card of Last Will!"

"Nuts!" thought Percy unhappily, watching as his opponent drew five new cards.

"You brought that on yourself." said Dark Marik, not losing his evil smirk. "I draw until I hold exactly five cards from my Trap card whenever a monster I control has its attack or defense points decreased."

One of the cards he spotted was The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"There's no need to play my Egyptian God card against someone as worthless as you." The evil man thought snidely. "My other Trap cards will serve me well against the likes of you."

Down below with the crowd...

"No way!" groaned Carlie.

"Are you serious?" added Zack.

"At least now I can do this!" continued Percy, still on the battle phase. "I offer my last sheep token so Panther Warrior can attack!"

Panther Warrior lunged forth, slashed at Drillago with its sword, and destroyed it. Dark Marik groaned a little bit, but soon smiled again upon recovering (LP: 2900).

"Take that!" smirked Percy confidently.

"Nice one, Percy!" called Michael.

"But Marik still has two set cards left." reminded Ryan.

Unfortunately for everyone, the look on Dark Marik's face seemed to read it was time to activate one of those set cards.

"I now reveal my next Trap card!" he laughed, just as the first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. "Coffin Seller!"

"Coffin Seller?!" gasped Percy.

Thomas, Emily, Mavis, Edward, and Matt all watched on in horror.

"Now every time a monster card in your hand or field is sent to the graveyard-" explained Dark Marik. "-you take 300 points of damage!"

The evil man began to laugh wickedly yet again.

"Oh man, I'm in trouble now!" Percy gulped.

"Your battle phase has ended... and you know what that means!"

A ghostly hand rose from Percy's graveyard and took a card from his hand down with it.

"My Insect Queen!" cried Percy. In his thoughts... "First Jinzo was taken, now Insect Queen...!"

"A monster card, eh?" teased Dark Marik, overhearing the green-haired boy's dilemma. "Then say goodbye to 300 life points!"

He then began to laugh some more as Percy took damage (LP: 3700).

"A very powerful combo..." whispered Thomas.

"Percy's in big trouble now." added Gordon unhappily.

"Your turn's as good as finished." said Dark Marik. "So it's time for Plasma Eel to sap 500 more attack points from your Panther Warrior!"

Plasma Eel sent an electrical blast through Panther Warrior, weakening it by 500 more points (ATK: 1500 - 1000). Because of the Shadow Game, Percy felt the pain and yelled.

"Now it's my turn!"

With that said, Dark Marik drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Dark Marik (LP: 2900)  
 **Deck** : 29  
 **Current Hand** (6): Legendary Fiend, Premature Burial, Relieve Monster, Nightmare Mirror, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Nightmare Wheel

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn Nightmare Wheel card, the evil man looked to his opponent.

"Now it's time for me to show you another terrifying combo." he hissed.

A facedown card materialized followed by a face-up Premature Burial materializing.

"I'll set one card facedown and activate the Equip Spell card Premature Burial! By giving up 800 life points, I am allowed to bring back a monster from my graveyard. And I choose Drillago!"

Drillago materialized on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600). Dark Marik then paid his 800 life points as per cost (LP: 2100).

"But that's not all." Dark Marik continued, holding up a new card. "I'll sacrifice my revived monster to summon the powerful Legendary Fiend!"

Drillago vanished as a bluish fiend with bat wings appeared to the field (Level: 5/ATK: 1500). Percy became nervous when he saw the new monster show itself...

"That...looks strong. Weak for a level 5 monster, but still strong."

"Then allow me to give you some info on it." teased Dark Marik. "My monster has a special ability. On every one of my standby phases, it gains 700 attack points!"

"No fair!" objected Percy. "Cards like that are way too broken!"

"Don't blame me!" taunted the evil man. "Blame the person who made the card!"

Discord didn't look too pleased with Dark Marik's little jest about him.

"Anyway, you'd best get rid of my Legendary Fiend soon. Otherwise, it'll become too strong for you to destroy!"

Dark Marik (LP: 2100) and Percy (LP: 3700) both continued to stare each other down.

"Did you really design that card, Dad?" asked James R..

"I'm afraid so." sighed Discord.

"Now it's in a hands of a psychopath like Marik." grumbled Michael.

"Currently Percy has the life point advantage. But Marik has the field advantage, so Percy is the one at the disadvantage." Zack stated.

"Come on, Percy..." Matt said under his breath.

On the duel stage...

"He's playing me left and right." thought Percy unhappily. "Isn't there something I can do? ANYTHING?!"

Desperately, the green-haired boy looked over to his Duel Disk, but mainly the graveyard portion.

"If I can just draw that one card... I can get Jinzo back on the field!" Finally, he got ready to draw. "Please let this be the one card...!"

Percy drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3700)  
 **Deck** : 30  
 **Current Hand** (3): Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, and Little-Winguard

* * *

Unfortunately, he drew the Little-Winguard monster card instead.

"That isn't it!" The green-haired boy thought to himself. "I failed...!"

Dark Marik chuckled. "Nothing you try now will make a difference! Especially once I play another of my favorite cards."

To prove his point, the evil man poked a button on his Duel Disk. This caused his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself.

"I activate a Trap card! ...Nightmare Wheel!"

On cue, a torture wheel appeared and Rocket Warrior, looking scared, was strapped onto the wheel.

"Rocket Warrior can't move!?" cried Percy.

"As long as this card remains face-up on my field, the selected monster cannot attack!" explained Dark Marik. "And they cannot change their battle position either!"

Percy was now more worried. "He's going to attack with Legendary Fiend on his next turn." he thought some more, taking his drawn card and getting ready to place it on his Duel Disk. "All I can do is defend for now...!"

On cue, Little-Winguard materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1800).

"I summon Little-Winguard in defense mode!" announced Percy, just before placing two fingers on his Panther Warrior card and switching it sideways. "Next I switch Panther Warrior into defense mode!"

Panther Warrior switched to a defensive stance as well (DEF: 1600).

"My turn is over!" Percy declared.

Dark Marik, snickering quietly, immediately held his left hand out in evil triumph.

"In that case, Plasma Eel's effect activates once more! Draining 500 more attack points from your Panther Warrior!"

Plasma Eel sent an electrical blast through Panther Warrior, weakening it by 500 more points (ATK: 1000 - 500). Because of the Shadow Game, Percy felt the pain and yelled. The green-haired boy then collapsed onto his knees while clutching his head in searing agony.

"The pain...!" screamed Percy. "THE PAIN!"

"Percy!" cried out the green-haired boy's friends.

Dark Marik only cackled in excitement at seeing his opponent in great pain or even worse stuff. Regardless, Percy looked up wearily...

"Even so, I won't let this pain keep me down!" he thought to himself. "No... this pain is just giving me more of a reason to get back in and fight harder! For Lady!"

As the green-haired boy continued to think about Lady, a fading image of the beautiful blonde-haired girl, trapped in the hourglass, was briefly shown beside him.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Lady's room aboard the blimp, Liz had just gotten herself a glass of cold water when she looked out the window at the fog covered top of the Duel Tower.

"You can do it, Percy." The blonde-haired young woman thought to herself. "Although I really want to be there for you."

"If you wish to be with your brother, then you should be up there with him." said a familiar voice (female).

Liz jumped in surprise before turning around and finding...

"Ms. Ishizu!"

The Egyptian woman gave a look of apology. "I apologize for the intrusion." she bowed. "You seem conflicted right now, Ms. Avonside."

"I am." sighed Liz unhappily. "Percy's dueling against Marik and I really want to be there to support him."

"Then why are you here and not up there with him?"

The blonde-haired young woman moved her head slowly over to the coma-induced Lady Stone, who was still lying in the bed.

"Lady only has less than 8-hours left to live before she never awakens." Liz explained. "And a part of me feels responsible for letting this happen, so-"

"You still blame yourself for this girl's incident?" asked Ishizu, interrupting a bit.

Liz nodded sadly. The Egyptian woman put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You were not responsible for what happened." she said kindly. "It was my brother's darkness that did this to her, not you. Even if you had not yelled at her, she would still have met this fate."

"It still hurts me though..."

"Everyone feels pain and regret for things they did not mean to say or do." Ishizu pointed out. "But the more regret you feel, the more pain you will put yourself through. You must let the pain go."

Liz didn't look all that convinced...at least until Ishizu said something else that would shock the blonde-haired young woman.

"...like Marik told me."

Liz gasped and looked towards the Egyptian woman in complete surprise.

"What are you talking about?" The blonde-haired young woman asked curiously.

Ishizu closed her eyes, just as a flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was still night time, and a possessed Mavis was standing within the doorway to Ishizu's room.

"Marik...?" Ishizu was shocked. "My brother, is that you?"

"Yes." said Mavis (possessed). "It is me."

Ishizu got out of bed and slowly walked over to the possessed blonde-haired girl.

"Odion...needs my help?"

"Yes, you have to get him somewhere my dark side won't be able to find him!" The image of Marik pleaded. "If Odion is killed, then my dark side will remain in my body and the whole world could be in grave danger!"

Ishizu could tell that Marik was being serious in the matter.

"Very well." she said at last. "I will hide Odion."

Just before Ishizu could leave the room, the possessed Mavis grabbed the woman by her arm.

"Wait!"

Ishizu stopped and looked to the possessed blonde-haired girl. The image of Marik had a look of shame on his face.

"Sister, I...I want to apologize for everything I've done." he said at last.

Ishizu's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything.

"I've never intended for any of this to happen." said Marik sadly. "Father's death, all the trouble I caused for Thomas Billinton and his friends, none of that was supposed to have ever happened. My hatred for the Pharaoh and his bloodline caused my dark side to make me do all of those unforgivable things. I...I'm so sorry, sister!"

Ishizu remained silent for a while...but eventually gave a small smile of a sort.

"I forgive you, brother." she said kindly.

The image of Marik used his arm to wipe away any tears that were dripping down his face and gave a nod.

"Thank you." The reformed Rare Hunter leader bowed. "Now let's save Odion."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Marik showed remorse for all that he had been made to do and wanted to make amends for it." Ishizu spoke on. "When he disposed of his pain and came to me..."

Liz listened on, and began to get a determined look on her face. Finally, once Ishizu finished speaking, the blonde-haired young woman began to speak.

"Thank you for the talk, Ishizu." she said gratefully. "You're also right. I have to stop blaming myself for this and focus on what's really important. Would you mind looking after Lady while I go cheer Percy on?"

Ishizu nodded, giving a small smile in addition. With that said, Liz left the room to head over to the Duel Tower.

(elsewhere)

Back inside the Shadow Realm atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik had just drew his next card.

"Get ready for further torture, little Percy!" he declared.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Dark Marik (LP: 2100)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (4): Relieve Monster, Nightmare Mirror, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Malevolent Catastrophe

* * *

The evil man saw his card was the Malevolent Catastrophe Trap card. In addition, the Nightmare Wheel spun Rocket Warrior around a little bit. Percy, meanwhile, was clutching his chest in pain for some reason, and Dark Marik knew this...

"Oh, I had forgot to mention that!" Dark Marik called out mockingly. "On all of my standby phases, you will feel the pain your monster is in while it is trapped on the Nightmare Wheel... In addition to that, you'll be taking 500 points of damage to your life points!"

"Say...what?!" gasped Percy weakly.

"Further more, Legendary Fiend also receives 700 extra attack points on my standby phase also!"

Legendary Fiend grew stronger (ATK: 1500 - 2200).

"So now, my Legendary Fiend...!" commanded Dark Marik. "Attack Little-Winguard!"

Legendary Fiend obeyed, slashing Little-Winguard to pieces.

"Why, you-!" growled Percy.

Because a monster was sent to the graveyard, Coffin Seller's effect activated and dealt 300 more points of damage to the green-haired boy's life points while making him cry out in pain (LP: 2900).

"Heh heh heh... You've taken 300 more points of damage due to Coffin Seller." chuckled Dark Marik. "I never knew taking life points away from you like this would be so much fun!" Finally, he slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I now set one card facedown and end my turn!"

"You heartless cur...!" Percy muttered hatefully.

A facedown card materialized beside the other set card.

"Make your move, Percy!" demanded Dark Marik.

Percy looked at the facedown cards in worry. "Is that another Trap card? ...or is it a bluff?"

Over with Dark Marik, he knew exactly what he just set facedown. It was one of his favorite Trap cards, after all.

"My set Malevolent Catastrophe will allow me to destroy all of his monsters even if he is able to summon something very powerful." thought Dark Marik. "In addition, combined with Coffin Seller dealing damage to his life points, it will make him weak enough to be finished off by my Legendary Fiend! ...not to mention it will cause him extreme amounts of pain in the process!"

"Poor Percy..." commented Skiff.

"I knew that amateur wouldn't last long against Marik." thought Spencer bitterly. "Looks like I won't be able to see The Winged Dragon of Ra again."

Back on the platform...

"It's my turn!" announced Percy.

The green-haired boy started to draw from his deck, but then, all of a sudden, stopped midway before he could do so.

"What if I draw another wrong card?" Percy thought to only himself. "I'll just get closer and closer to losing everything..."

"What's the matter?" asked Dark Marik with a laugh. "Too afraid to draw? Well that's a good thing—for me, anyway. It means your failure will bring me closer to victory! The least you can do is let me enjoy your final moments of suffering, eh?!"

He then burst into more insidious laughter. Percy scowled a bit as he struggled to draw his card. Suddenly, down below with the rest of the gang, a familiar voice echoed from the nearby door.

"Percy! Don't give up!"

Percy had overheard the voice from nearby. "Liz?" he whispered hopefully.

Yes, it was... the blonde-haired young woman had arrived to cheer her beloved little brother on in his most dangerous Duel Monsters match yet.

"You came!" exclaimed Ryan, looking very happy to see his wife.

"It's about time you showed up." added James.

"What about Lady?" asked Carlie.

"Ishizu is looking after her for a little bit." explained Liz, before looking up the platform towards her brother. "Percy, I'm sorry I didn't come to cheer you on at first!"

Percy looked on in surprise, but didn't say anything in response.

"I was too ashamed to come." Liz continued. "I was afraid that I would cause something awful to happen to you and you'd end up like Lady. But Ishizu convinced me to stop blaming myself for it and come here to encourage you."

"Really?" asked Toby.

"Really." The blonde-haired young woman confirmed, before resuming her discussion with her beloved younger brother. "I know you can win this game! Show Marik here that you have the strength and courage of a True Duelist!"

"Aw, isn't this sweet?" teased Dark Marik cruelly. "Baby Percy here needs his big sister to stand up for him. Well, now that she's here, she can watch you lose to me in addition to dying!"

"Guess again, Marik!" snapped Percy, filled with new determination. "I will defeat you right here, right now! It's my turn... HERE GOES!"

With that said, he drew his card, slashing a wave of colour from his deck in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2900)  
 **Deck** : 29  
 **Current Hand** (3): Graceful Dice, Foolish Burial, and Question

* * *

Percy looked to his drawn card... and smiled widely upon seeing what it was.

"I've drawn it!" he thought. The green-haired boy then gave a triumphant laugh. "Well, Marik, it looks like my wasted turn is gonna grant me victory instead!"

"What?!" growled Dark Marik.

"Time to show you one of my trump cards!" Percy announced, slotting the drawn card into his Duel Disk. "I activate this Spell card!"

A Spell card materialized face-up.

"Question!"

"Question?" asked Dark Marik. "What the devil does that card do?"

"That's easy." smirked Percy. "All you have to do is guess the name of the monster card I have at the bottom of my graveyard!"

"What?! Guess the card?"

"If you guess correctly, then it is removed from play." The green-haired boy continued. "Guess wrong... and I can special summon it onto my side of the field!"

Dark Marik scowled, while Percy got in a stance the showed his Duel Disk (mainly the graveyard portion).

"Alright, tell me the monster card at the bottom of my graveyard."

"The monster card... it has to be Alligator's Sword. It was the very first monster I destroyed in the duel." thought Dark Marik.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Alligator's Sword was destroyed by Drillago. The Tribute Burial Spell card soon materialized face-up.

"No, that's not it." Dark Marik narrated. "I banished it from the game when I played my Tribute Burial Spell card!"

The Alligator's Sword monster card emerged from Percy's graveyard and faded away.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended as Dark Marik continued to try and remember the monster's name.

"From there, I kept destroying too many of his monster cards to even keep track. One of them has to be the first monster card I sent to his graveyard by the use of Helpoemer's effect. But which one is it?"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The ghostly hand snatched a random card from Percy's hand and took it straight to the graveyard.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"NO!" exclaimed Dark Marik, whilst stumbling back some.

Percy chuckled. "You don't know, do you? Of course, you don't! It's because your Helpoemer makes me discard at random! There's no way you'd ever figure it out!"

Dark Marik cursed in frustration, and the green-haired boy continued to egg on him...

"I'll give you ten more seconds to guess the card." he teased. "Otherwise, I'll summon it right away."

Still, the evil man couldn't figure it out. "Is it really that powerful a monster?"

Percy made countdown sounds until he reached zero. Once he did that, the cheeky green-haired boy made a buzzing sound.

"I'm sorry, but stunned silence isn't the answer we're looking for." laughed Percy.

A card emerged from the graveyard and Percy took hold of it, while Dark Marik merely gave a small smirk in response.

"Heh! It doesn't matter what monster card you care to summon..." The evil man thought to himself. "My Malevolent Catastrophe will wipe it out along with your other monsters!"

"And now, behold my monster - Jinzo!" announced Percy, holding up his card and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

On cue, the android monster materialized with its arms folded (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1500).

"J-Jinzo?!" gasped Dark Marik in shock.

"Now all of your Traps are history, Marik-chan!" announced Percy. "Just watch what my new monster is capable of doing to your set cards. Isn't that right, Jinzo?"

Jinzo fired a red laser beam from its eyes and swept Dark Marik's side of the field, destroying all but one of the facedown cards, including the set Malevolent Catastrophe. Nightmare Wheel was also destroyed, and Rocket Warrior was freed.

"My Trap cards!" exclaimed Dark Marik. "My unstoppable strategy has been defeated!"

"Way to go, Percy!" cheered Henry.

"Way to turn things around!" added Gordon.

"Go, my brother!" came from a very happy Liz.

"That was a smart play." Thomas admitted. "Using the effect of Helpoemer against Marik was a great idea!"

Back on the platform...

"How dare you!" thundered Dark Marik in anger.

"Ha! How'd you like that?" asked Percy teasingly, holding his Duel Disk up slightly. "Jinzo was the very first card I won in this tournament. Against a lad named Samson. And now, I'm using it to defeat your little Trap strategy, Marik-chan!"

The evil man seethed even further. "Don't you **dare** call me something like that!"

"Oh, so sorry." sighed Percy uncaringly, placing two fingers onto one of the cards on his Duel Disk. "How about I do this instead? I switch Baby Dragon into attack mode!"

On cue, Baby Dragon stood up all ready for battle along with Rocket Warrior.

"Guys who aren't alone, become much stronger." The green-haired boy thought to himself. "I'll defeat this final enemy and save Lady's life!"

Below the platform, Thomas was in the middle of his thoughts over how Percy was able to turn things around.

"As I expected from you, Percy... Throughout Battle City, you've shown more and more promise as a duelist... Pride, spirit, and strength. You have all of those in your heart."

Back on the platform, Percy was ready for his battle phase.

"Jinzo, wipe out Legendary Fiend with Cyber Energy Shock!"

Jinzo was more than happy to obey, firing a blast of cybernetic energy at Legendary Fiend, destroying it. Dark Marik grunted a little bit in searing pain due to the fact he was injured by his own Shadow Game (LP: 1900).

"Hurting me this badly...!" he thought angrily.

"Alright, Baby Dragon and Rocket Warrior!" commanded Percy. "Finish Marik off!"

"If Percy's attack gets in, he'll win!" said Thomas happily.

"Go get him, Percy!" called James.

"You're the man!" added Gordon.

Spencer remained neutral. "Marik still has a facedown card." he thought. "And I have a feeling it will stop that deadbeat's attack."

Rocket Warrior and Baby Dragon both got closer and closer to Dark Marik, but unfortunately...

"Your boasting has gone far enough!"

Percy was confused by those words... Realizing it, the evil man decided to just show the green-haired boy exactly what he meant.

"Reveal Quick-Play Spell card!" announced Dark Marik, just as his last set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Dark Wall of Wind!"

A gust of wind surrounded the evil man as Baby Dragon's fireball and Rocket Warrior's impact attack both bounced off the shield as Dark Marik laughed in triumph.

"What the-?!" cried Percy.

"His attacks bounced off of him?!" came from Thomas.

"My Spell card makes all damage that I take from direct attacks become zero for the remainder of this turn." explained Dark Marik. "And since it's now the end of your battle phase...!"

A ghostly hand rose from Percy's graveyard and took a card down with it. This time the hand took the Foolish Burial Spell card. Dark Marik once again laughed at his opponent.

"You really thought you had this duel won?" Dark Marik asked wickedly. "Too bad! Your battle phase has now come to an end!" The evil man pointed forth and added in a sing-song tone... "Oh, Plasma Eel...!"

Plasma Eel sent an electrical blast through Panther Warrior, weakening it by 500 more points (ATK: 500 - 0). Because of the Shadow Game, Percy felt the pain and yelled.

"Now your Panther Warrior is as good as useless!"

Percy collapsed onto his knees weakly. "D-Dang it!" he muttered, upset that Panther Warrior now had zero attack points.

"You went and got cocky!" berated Dark Marik. "And I'm not done yet... All that waits for you now is the underworld!"

Percy gritted his teeth and growled at his hated enemy. Dark Marik merely continued to smile wickedly.

"Now that I think about it; this Shadow Game seems to be much too soft for you - especially the Penalty Game you'll be receiving when I win the duel... Actually, I should just increase the danger, pain, and suffering you'll be receiving...by making it ten times as worse!"

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 27  
 **Current Hand** (4): Relieve Monster, Nightmare Mirror, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Lava Golem

* * *

Upon seeing the Lava Golem monster card, Dark Marik gave a loud laugh in evil triumph.

"I've drawn the perfect Penalty Game for you, little Percy." The evil man then showed the green-haired boy his drawn card. "My lethally hot Lava Golem!"

Percy gasped upon sight. Below the platform, James was a bit confused.

"Isn't that a level 8 monster?" he asked Edward.

"Yes." nodded Edward. "A level 8 monster that can only be special summoned to the opponent's side of the field by tributing their own monsters."

"What?!"

On Percy's side of the field, both Baby Dragon and Jinzo faded away in blue streaks.

"Wait! What are you-?!" The green-haired boy demanded in shock, but never finished.

Suddenly, a huge pool of lava formed from behind Percy as he suddenly found himself in a cage.

"W-What is this?" cried Percy. "And why did it get so hot all of a sudden?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Dark Marik jokingly. "I've given you this special monster as a gift. Think of it as thanks for dueling with me."

The puddle of lava suddenly turned into a huge creature with skeletons coming out of its midsection (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

Dark Marik cackled. "Rejoice! You now control a monster with 3000 attack points! With it, you can go and strike me down to save your beloved Polly Stone!"

As the man laughed maniacally, Percy didn't know what to make of this turn of events. Back below the duel platform, however, Thomas did know what to make of it...somewhat.

"He must have planned something." he thought to himself. "Otherwise he would not have given Percy such an advantage."

"Brother!" cried Liz. "Please be careful of that thing!"

"Why would Marik give Percy a powerful monster like that?" came from Ryan.

Over with Spencer, Skiff, and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford)...

"Big brother, what is that thing?" asked Skiff. "I've seen lots of cards before, but never something like that."

"A very powerful and deadly card." explained Spencer. "I've seen it once before a while back."

Back atop the duel stage...

"Provided, of course, that the player can handle this golem's red-hot body melting around him every turn!" continued Dark Marik. "Dealing 1000 points of damage as a result! I guess you could say this monster is quite a hand full."

To prove his point, a small drip of magma slithered down off of Lava Golem's body, down the cage, and onto Percy's shoed foot, making a sizzling sound.

"Yeouch!" cried Percy. "That's hot!"

"In addition, now that Jinzo is gone I can play Trap cards again." said Dark Marik, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "Like so..."

On cue, facedown card materialized.

"H-Hey! You practically told me it's a Trap card!" accused Percy.

"Big deal! You have a 3000 attack point monster and I'm completely wide open for an attack by you! It's a simple decision, is it not?"

As the man laughed wickedly, Percy was in a struggle over what to do now. Everyone else was worried over what the green-haired boy might try and do.

"Percy, dear..." whispered Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Think this over carefully!" called Matt. "Marik is clearly trying to provoke you into attacking him!"

"Don't lose your cool!" added Ben.

"Or it could cost you big time!" finished Zack.

"So Marik tributed two of Percy-boy's monsters to summon Lava Golem..." thought Discord. "But why would Marik do something like that? Why be that generous? Unless he has a strategy to ensure that the attack fails...!"

"Again, what will you do now?" asked Dark Marik tauntingly. "Attack me directly and save your girlfriend, or pass and risk something dangerous?"

As the man continued to laugh at Percy, the green-haired boy merely gazed at his enemy with intense hatred.

"You lousy-!" he grumbled. "I can't think in all of this heat!"

Dark Marik just cackled. "If you can't take the heat-" he taunted. "-then get out of the oven!"

"Shut it, now!" Percy bellowed.

"What's the matter? If you want me to shut up... just attack me with that 3000 attack point monster of yours! Either way, a much hotter underworld awaits you real soon!"

And Dark Marik proceeded to laugh even harder than before. Does Percy have a chance to win this Shadow Game now? We'll just have to wait and see next chapter, won't we?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	61. Strength of Darkness (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Man, this duel is taking much out of me. I knew it would be incredibly dangerous, but Marik is easily making it more deadly than I ever knew it would be..."

Suddenly, like a jump scare moment, a ghostly hand popped out of the graveyard.

"What in the world?!"

"That arm isn't there to just scare you." said Dark Marik. "It's part of Helpoemer's special ability!"

The hand then snatched a random card from Percy's hand and took it straight to the graveyard.

"My card!" exclaimed the green-haired boy.

"I now reveal my next Trap card!" Dark Marik laughed, just as the card flipped up and revealed itself. "Coffin Seller!"

"Coffin Seller?!" gasped Percy.

Thomas, Emily, Mavis, Edward, and Matt all watched on in horror.

"Now every time a monster card in your hand or field is sent to the graveyard-" explained Dark Marik. "-you take 300 points of damage!"

"Even worse, I managed to revive Jinzo and ruin his strategies—but only to lose it in one turn! ...namely to get a monster on my side of the field called Lava Golem."

"I've drawn the perfect Penalty Game for you, little Percy." The evil man then showed the green-haired boy his drawn card. "My lethally hot Lava Golem!"

On Percy's side of the field, both Baby Dragon and Jinzo faded away in blue streaks.

"Wait! What are you-?!" The green-haired boy demanded in shock, but never finished.

Suddenly, a huge pool of lava formed from behind Percy as he suddenly found himself in a cage.

"W-What is this?" cried Percy. "And why did it get so hot all of a sudden?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Dark Marik jokingly. "I've given you this special monster as a gift. Think of it as thanks for dueling with me."

The puddle of lava suddenly turned into a huge creature with skeletons coming out of its midsection (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

Dark Marik cackled. "Rejoice! You now control a monster with 3000 attack points! With it, you can go and strike me down to save your beloved Polly Stone!"

As the man laughed maniacally, Percy didn't know what to make of this turn of events.

"You'd think with a monster that powerful on my side of the field, I would attack and finish Marik off here and now! ...but he actually gave it to me willingly. I guess that means that nutcase has something else planned with that monster that would hurt me badly."

"What's the matter? If you want me to shut up... just attack me with that 3000 attack point monster of yours! Either way, a much hotter underworld awaits you real soon!" taunted Dark Marik.

"Heh! Unfortunately for that psychopath over there, he can have his little laugh for now. Why? Because I too have a special card waiting in my deck to be played. One such card I've been saving specifically for the finals."

* * *

 **Title: Strength of Darkness, Part 3**

* * *

Dark Marik continued to laugh menacingly at his trapped opponent.

"Go ahead and laugh!" growled Percy. "Just you wait until I draw my next card...!"

"Then go!" dared Dark Marik, smirking still.

Angrily, the green-haired boy drew a card. "Gladly!"

Below the platform...

"Hey, Edward..." Mavis spoke directly to the 17-year old blue-haired boy. "If Percy's monster has 3000 attack points, then a direct attack would win him the duel, right?"

"It is possible." nodded Edward, looking serious. "Marik has no other monsters on his side of the field. However, that is likely his plan. Once Percy declares an attack, he'll just activate his set card—which is likely a Trap card."

Back atop the duel stage, Percy was gazing at the facedown card Dark Marik had.

"I gotta do something about Marik's facedown card before I attack." The green-haired boy thought to himself. "If I draw Giant Trunade right now, I can just send the set card right back to his hand."

Finally, the green-haired boy looked at his drawn card...

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2900)  
 **Deck** : 28  
 **Current Hand** (2): Graceful Dice and Gamble

* * *

...which wasn't his Giant Trunade Spell card, but rather the Gamble Trap card instead.

"Aww man." thought Percy in dismay. "Not what I was hoping for."

"Is something wrong?" taunted Dark Marik. "Perhaps you didn't draw what you needed to save yourself? Well, that is really too bad for you."

Percy growled, but said nothing aloud. He remained in his thoughts...

"I have no more monster cards in my hand. What should I do now...?" The green-haired boy looked up towards the facedown card again. "The problem is that facedown card of Marik's. If it's a Trap card, then it could be a one turn usage one. Meaning even if it stopped my attack, it would be put into the graveyard once it is used up. But..."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Dark Marik had just summoned Lava Golem onto Percy's side of the field.

"Provided, of course, that the player can handle this golem's red-hot body melting around him every turn!" said Dark Marik. "Dealing 1000 points of damage as a result! I guess you could say this monster is quite a hand full."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"1000 life points would be too much for me to handle." Percy thought some more. "If I sit here and do nothing, my life points will continue to drop until they hit zero. So I'll step into your little Trap card, Marik!" He narrowed his eyes at the evil man. "Hey, Marik!"

"Hmm?" asked Dark Marik.

"I'll attack you with your own monster, just like you want me to!"

"Really?" The evil man shrugged with sadistic amusement. "I thought you'd be too scared of my facedown card to even try and attack me!"

"Oh yeah?!" growled Percy, clenching a fist.

"But you do have a very good hunch." continued Dark Marik, and then decided to confess something... "Yes! Just as you figured, this set Trap card is not continuous. It will disappear from the field on my next turn."

Below the duel platform...

"He's insane!" protested Michael. "Why the heck would Marik straight up tell Percy what his facedown card is?!"

"I don't know." said Henry.

"He must be making fun of him." fumed James.

Nearby, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both watched Percy and hoped that he wouldn't fall for Dark Marik's goading.

"Percy, dear..." thought Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Marik's just trying to provoke you into attacking." thought Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Back on the duel stage...

"Here I come!" declared Percy.

"Since you don't know what Lava Golem's attack is-" said Dark Marik. "-I'll tell you what it is - it's called ' _Golem Volcano_ '. Let me hear you say it nice and loudly, Percy!"

"Tch! It's my monster, so I'll name its attack." thought the green-haired boy bitterly, just before speaking aloud... "Lava Golem, attack!" And this was the attack name he came up with... " **Avonside Fire**!"

Everyone that wasn't Spencer, Skiff, or their parents down off the platform gave quite possible the funniest freaked out expressions known to mankind at hearing that (Discord's look was the most priceless).

"Avonside Fire?!" Emily gawked.

"Who'd ever name their attack that?!" came from James.

"Oh, the indignity!" groaned Gordon.

Lava Golem proceeded to fire off a blast of fire towards Dark Marik, who just folded his arms and cackled in response.

"Just like that... I reveal my Trap card!" He motioned his arm out and made his facedown card flip up and reveal itself. "Relieve Monster!"

"Relieve Monster?" asked Percy.

"This Trap card can be activated when the player declares an attack." explained Dark Marik. "I return one level 4 monster to my hand. Then I can summon another one from my hand."

"But Marik has no monsters on the field!" protested Gordon. "Meaning Relieve Monster shouldn't have activated."

"Not true." said Thomas. "He has the Plasma Eel attached to Panther Warrior."

It was true; Panther Warrior still had the mechanical worm monster attached to it! ...and that meant it could be targeted to return to the owner's hand.

"I return Plasma Eel to my hand!" announced Dark Marik.

Plasma Eel returned to Dark Marik's hand, making Panther Warrior feeling much better without being zapped.

"And now I'll resummon Plasma Eel in defense mode!" The evil man placed his card sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

Plasma Eel reappeared in a defensive position, just as the Lava Golem's fireball attack approached and hit the eel—but it didn't destroy it. Dark Marik began to laugh in triumph.

"Plasma Eel cannot be destroyed by battle. So your attack was a wasted attempt!"

"No...!" moaned Percy.

"And now... Helpoemer will take another random card from your hand!"

The ghostly hand reached up from the grave and took Percy's Gamble Trap card.

"My turn is over!" Percy grunted in frustration.

"And now..." Dark Marik eagerly pointed towards his opponent. "Lava Golem's red-hot body will begin to melt onto you."

Lava Golem put one of its giant hands onto of Percy's cage as lava began to ooze down.

"Hey, is it getting hotter in here, or is it just me?" asked Percy naively, sweating from the growing heat... Just then, he could see the lava coming down. "Lava?! AAAUUUGGGHHH!"

Dark Marik laughed wickedly as Lava Golem completely covered the cage.

"My brother!" screamed Liz.

"Get him down from there!" called Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

The lava soon died down, but Percy was shown to be alive—minus 1000 life points (LP: 1900).

"How unsightly..." Dark Marik flinched teasingly.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room aboard the blimp, the woman was still looking out the window at the shadow fog covered Duel Tower.

"Marik..." she said quietly. "The Shadow Games your dark half creates are becoming more and more ruthless by the moment. Will that evil side's hunger for darkness and destruction ever be consumed? ...or will it be endless until the whole world perishes?"

At this point, we don't know, I'm afraid.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Shadow Realm, it was Dark Marik's turn.

"It's my turn now, little Percy!" The evil man announced, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 26  
 **Current Hand** (3): Nightmare Mirror, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and Machine Duplication

* * *

It was a Spell card called Machine Duplication.

"Machine Duplication..." thought Dark Marik with an evil smile. "With this, I can completely paralyze my opponent in place!" From there, the evil man slotted his card into his Duel Disk. "Behold the Spell card Machine Duplication!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Machine Duplication?" Percy quizzed. "What does that do?"

"This Continuous Spell card allows me to special summon two more copies of one machine-type monster I have on my field as long as the said machine has at least 500 attack points or less." explained Dark Marik.

"What?!"

"Heh heh heh..." The evil man chuckled. "As you can see, I have two more copies of the Plasma Eel monster card hidden within my deck." He then held out his hand. "Come forth - Plasma Eels!"

With that said, two more Plasma Eels took to the field and joined with the first copy.

"Now there are three Plasma Eels?!" gasped Percy.

Two of the three Plasma Eels prepared to attack.

"Using their ability-" said Dark Marik. "-they will attach themselves to your monsters!"

The first Plasma Eel wrapped itself around Rocket Warrior and began to electrocute him. The second Plasma Eel, meanwhile, latched itself onto Lava Golem and started electrocuting it, too. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the Shadow Game, the wires coming from the monsters to Percy's chest also snapped, zapping the green-haired boy quite badly... Moreso than usual, I'm afraid.

"AAUUGGHH!" he screamed in agony.

"PERCY!" screamed Liz, nearly bursting into tears.

"NO!" cried out both Ryan and Thomas.

Dark Marik laughed insanely from watching Percy scream in pain from the torture of the Plasma Eels.

"That's the sound I love most!" he remarked excitedly. "Let me hear more... more...! MORE!"

At last, the zapping stopped and Percy was gasping for air as he collapsed onto his knees.

"I wonder how many more turns you can keep this up, little Percy?" Dark Marik asked sadistically. "Perhaps you'd be better off surrendering to me now?"

He resumed cackling like a deranged psychopath—which he was, of course.

"You lousy son of a-!" Percy muttered in hatred, managing to get back up. "It'll take more than that to...keep me down!"

"Still want to go at it, eh?" sighed Dark Marik emotionlessly, just before smiling and slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "But that's fine with me."

A facedown card materialized.

"I set a card and end my turn."

Below the platform, much of the gang was becoming more and more worried for Percy's safety...

"This is awful!" Carlie moaned.

"Yeah." agreed Ben. "If Percy can't think of a way out of this situation soon, he could-!"

Over with Spencer, the silver-haired boy closed his eyes with disappointment.

"As I had expected..." thought Spencer unhappily. "There was no reason to call upon The Winged Dragon of Ra against that deadbeat..."

"Isn't there anything Percy can do about Marik's strategy, little Thomas?" asked Gordon anxiously.

"Percy only has one card left in his hand." The blue-haired boy explained, looking dead serious. "Regardless, there has to be a way to turn things around with it."

Back atop the duel stage, Percy began to think about his ' _little_ ' predicament.

"Marik's Plasma Eel can't be destroyed in battle." The green-haired boy thought to himself. "And those other two Plasma Eels will keep weakening my monsters, causing me great pain in the process, and I can't even tribute the equipped monsters. Not only that, but during each of my end phases, Lava Golem takes away 1000 of my life points. How am I supposed to get around that?"

From there, Percy looked to his hand.

"Graceful Dice is the last card in my hand, but it's of no help to me right now." The green-haired boy then cast a quick glance over to his best friend in the stands...To his surprise, he saw that Thomas was giving his best friend a reassuring smile, causing Percy to smile right back. "But I did promise to face Thomas in the final fight—as well as save Lady's life from this nutcase's Penalty Game—and I swear that nothing is gonna stop me from doing so."

"Well?" cut in Dark Marik's voice. "Are you gonna take your turn? ...or are you gonna surrender?"

Narrowing his eyes, Percy looked back over to the evil man with a look of determination on his face.

"It's not over yet, Marik! I will find a way to take down your strategy! So long as I have cards to draw, I'll find something to help me!"

With that said, the green-haired boy took his turn and drew his card. Upon taking one look at the drawn card, Percy's eyes widened with surprise.

"This is...!" The green-haired boy gasped.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was another day at Sodor High School (way before the Battle City tournament), and Percy was with his friends in the cafeteria at their usual table.

"Hey, Percy." Thomas said to his best friend. "Did you show the others the new card you got in that Duelist Pack from the San Francisco tournament?"

"Not yet." The green-haired boy dug into his pocket and took out a Duel Monsters card. "Here it is."

"Whoa!" gasped James. "Gilford the Lightning?"

"That's a very powerful monster you got there, Percy." said Edward. "And if you use it correctly, you can potentially clean the opponent's field of monsters instantly."

"How?" asked Percy.

"You'll know when the time comes."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended...revealing that Percy did indeed draw the Gilford the Lightning monster card.

"Gilford the Lightning..." Percy thought to himself. "I never thought I'd actually draw you at a time like this... But you're a level 8 monster, meaning I would have to tribute two monsters in order to summon you. And those Plasma Eels currently have two of my current monsters tied up right now, meaning I can't target them for a tribute summon. Only Panther Warrior can be targeted..."

Suddenly, he realized something about the Graceful Dice card in his hand.

"Hold on a sec... Graceful Dice targets only the monsters that have 500 attack or less no matter who owns the monsters, and Machine Duplication can only stay if... Yes! There IS a way to break through that strategy of Marik's!" With a plan on hand, Percy finally spoke aloud to his opponent. "Hey, Marik! Get ready to say goodbye to your Machine Duplication card!"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Dark Marik, looking puzzled. "You have no way to get rid of it!"

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 27  
 **Current Hand** (2): Graceful Dice and Gilford the Lightning

* * *

On cue, the Graceful Dice Spell card materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Graceful Dice!" announced Percy. "This allows me to roll a die. Whatever number it lands on will go and multiply the attack points of any and all monsters on the field that have an attack of 500 or less based on the exact result the dice rolls." He then grinned confidently at Dark Marik. "And if I remember correctly about your Machine Duplication Spell card, it only stays if the machine-type monsters summoned by it have 500 or less attack points. What that means is if their attack points were to go above 500 points, the Spell card would be destroyed along with the monsters summoned by it!"

Dark Marik looked slightly worried at this plan the green-haired boy had thought of... Meanwhile, below the platform...

"That just might work!" gasped Thomas in realization.

"But will it?" asked Molly.

"We're about to find out now." James answered.

"Come on, Percy..." Ryan muttered under his breath.

Back on the duel platform, a little man holding a large blue dice appeared from the face-up Graceful Dice Quick-Play Spell card.

"Basically, any number will do, but I'm actually hoping for a REALLY high number." thought Percy, before finally speaking aloud and giving the command. "Go, dice roll!"

The little man threw the dice into the air. Eventually it hit the ground and rolled around and around until it stopped at...

"A six!" announced Percy, smirking once more. "That multiplies your Plasma Eel's attack by that number!"

Plasma Eel's attack went way up (ATK: 500 - 3000).

"And because your Machine Duplication card only works with machine-type monsters that have 500 or less attack, that means one little thing...!"

The face-up Machine Duplication card instantly shattered into pieces, while the other two Plasma Eels faded away from both of Percy's remaining monsters.

"My Plasma Eels!" Dark Marik exclaimed in shock.

Below the duel platform...

"Excellent play, Percy!" called Thomas positively.

"But now he has one super powerful one to deal with." protested Molly.

Back atop the duel platform...

"Okay, Marik! Get ready to face a force like no other!" Percy declared, readying his card. "I'll sacrifice Panther Warrior, Rocket Warrior, and Lava Golem to summon my ultimate fighting machine!"

Upon placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk, Lava Golem, Panther Warrior, and Rocket Warrior each turned into small orbs of light. Thomas and Spencer both smiled in the bright light, while Dark Marik merely scowled... Finally, the colourful orbs went into the sky.

"GILFORD THE LIGHTNING!"

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, narrowly missing Thomas and the others off of the platform. The bolts of lightning also barely missed Skiff and his parents, too. A human male wearing orange clothing and silver armor was shown shadowed in the dark as lightning struck around him. Dark Marik watched in shock as two bolts of lightning struck past him and the wind picked up and moved his cape about. The warrior monster also had a sword sheathed on his back. Finally, the shadows faded away from the monster and revealed him fully before he gave a loud bellow of a battle cry as more and more lightning struck around the stage.

"G-Gilford the Lightning...?" Dark Marik asked nervously (a rare moment).

"Get ready, Marik." said Percy in triumph. "This monster is gonna put an end to your miserable life! So get ready! This is the true ace monster of my whole deck! The legendary warrior who controls the storms! Your Plasma Eel is about to bite the dust here and now!"

"Amazing!" Henry breathed.

"I've never seen anything like it." said Skiff.

"I'll admit it was a good move." Spencer admitted.

On the duel stage, Dark Marik recovered and began to laugh.

"I kinda missed the joke, chuckles!" snapped Percy.

"A fool to no end. Your new monster may be powerful indeed-" said Dark Marik. "-but it's no match for my Plasma Eel, which you made stronger with Graceful Dice. What's more, it also cannot be destroyed by battle!" He gave another loud laugh. "Your plan has failed! The so-called ' _legendary warrior_ ' will die in vain!"

That's right, Plasma Eel was now the stronger foe (ATK: 3000), while Gilford the Lightning was the weaker opponent (Level: 8/ATK: 2800). However...

"Wrong, Marik-chan!" retorted Percy. "Did you really think I was dumb enough to give you the advantage like that?"

"Yes!" Dark Marik replied bluntly.

"Percy's right." spoke up Thomas. "When Gilford the Lightning is summoned by tributing three monsters instead of the usual two... his effect automatically activates." He smiled more proudly. "Go and show him, Percy!"

"I sure will!" thought Percy, before giving the command. "Gilford, wipe out that Plasma Eel with Lightning Thunder!"

Gilford the Lightning obeyed... He drew his sword out, raised it up to the air, and charged it with the power of thunder. Lightning struck the lone Plasma Eel and caused it to be destroyed.

"My last defense!" cried Dark Marik. "But how? Plasma Eel couldn't be destroyed!"

"You really need to learn about how certain cards work." Percy taunted, waving a hand out.

"What do you mean?!"

"I agree that your Plasma Eel can't be destroyed in battle." said Percy. "However, it CAN still be destroyed by card effects, which is what Gilford just did. When he is summoned with three tributes, Gilford destroys all of my opponent's monsters like that no matter what!"

Dark Marik cursed loudly in anger. Percy was feeling more and more confident than ever.

"With your field now completely empty, I can finish you off right here, right now! Gilford the Lightning, attack Marik's life points directly and end this duel!"

Gilford the Lightning was more than happy to obey, charging his sword with lightning, and thrusting forwards.

"If Percy's attack gets through, he'll win!" cheered Liz. "Go, my little brother!"

"You lose, Marik!" exclaimed Percy.

"You really think so, eh?" taunted Dark Marik. "You've forgotten one little detail - my facedown card... Now, behold it!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Nightmare Mirror!"

A large mirror appeared in front of Dark Marik.

"This Trap card negates your attack-" explained Dark Marik. "-and then inflicts 1000 points of damage to you! But first, why not take a good look into the mirror?"

Percy did so... and was shocked to find a reflection of himself there.

"Is that...m-me?"

"Yes." Dark Marik confirmed. "I'll admit that you deserve a hand for lasting this long against me... but playtime has long since passed! Your monster will now strike the mirror...and you!"

Gilford the Lightning thrust the sword into the mirror, causing Percy to cry out...before the mirror glass shattered and the entire mirror itself faded away. The sword was about a few inches from Dark Marik's face...and he started to laugh maniacally.

"I was so close..." thought Percy, grimacing a bit (LP: 900).

"Now you're down to just 900 life points." joked the evil man. "Best to not let another damaging Spell or Trap be used by me, eh?"

"Right." replied Percy sarcastically. "Don't forget that your Trap card has a cost of its own!"

"Indeed." agreed Dark Marik. "I must now discard one card from my hand to the graveyard." He took the last card in his hand and discarded it. "And because you've done your battle phase, Helpoemer will send a random card from your hand to the graveyard!"

"But I have no more cards in my hand!" Percy pointed out. "Meaning I discard nothing."

"Can't be helped, I suppose." Dark Marik giggled malevolently. "Although I'll win on my next turn!"

Below the platform, Thomas was rather confused to hear the evil man something say that.

"The way Marik is acting... he must be planning something on his turn." The blue-haired boy thought to himself.

"Is he going to play it?" thought Spencer hopefully.

"My turn is over!" announced Percy bitterly, before going into his thoughts. "He's wide open for an attack - Marik has no cards in his hand, no monsters on his field, and no set cards. If I can survive his coming turn, I've got him!"

"It's my turn!" said Dark Marik, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Dark Marik (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 23  
 **Current Hand** (1): Monster Reborn

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, the veins on Dark Marik bulged, and he began to cackle in wicked delight.

"What's so funny? Just make your move, you jerk!" insulted Percy.

Dark Marik frowned. "I'll admit I've underestimated you quite a bit. I never thought I'd have to use something like The Winged Dragon of Ra against the likes of you."

"The Winged Dragon of Ra?!" came from everyone in the Duel Tower (except Spencer).

"He must have found a way to summon it!" Thomas stated, before going into his thoughts. "The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack points are determined from the combined total of attack points from the monsters that were tributed. But is there such a way to summon Ra and grant it attack points or something?"

"Big brother, is there such a way for Marik to summon Ra?" asked Skiff.

Spencer didn't say anything out loud. "Yes... with the use of Monster Reborn. If Marik drew it, he'll use it immediately. Once he does, I'll be able to learn ALL of Ra's powers and figure a plan out on how to beat it."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Scenes to where Spencer deciphered the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra were shown. First was the initial ability:

"According to the Hieratic Text that I've deciphered on the God card; ' _Ra shall take power from three sacrifices..._ '" Spencer narrated. " _'However, even if the sacrifices are to the god's liking, it will only answer to the one who recites the one chant to call upon it'_."

(new scene...)

Next was the 'One Turn Kill':

" _'Ra shall come forth from Earth... when one chants the spell that grants it the means of resurrection. Those who face it shall be incinerated by flames in an instant and be burned to a crisp'_."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"As for its third ability..." Spencer thought some more. "' _In an instant, Ra shall become a Phoenix, and all of its enemies shall return to the Earth_ '."

Up on the platform, Dark Marik slotted the last card in his hand into is Duel Disk.

"Behold the Spell card..." he began, as the Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up. "...Monster Reborn!"

The Spell card soon disappeared as fire soon engulfed it. That signalled it was time...

"Be reborn... WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" commanded Dark Marik.

The blaze of fire soon slowly died down and revealed the body of The Winged Dragon of Ra (Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Dark Marik gave an extremely psychotic laugh as soon as his monster finished appearing from the blaze of fire, while Percy only watched on in shock.

"Finally, you're here!" thought Spencer, watching on in excitment.

"Why would Marik use Monster Reborn to summon Ra from the graveyard?" Thomas asked aloud.

"No clue." Matt shrugged. "Because it was summoned that way, it has no attack or defense points to speak of."

"Not to mention it was summoned with a Spell card." added Michael. "Once Marik's turn is over, Ra will immediately return to the graveyard."

Back on the duel platform, The Winged Dragon of Ra growled a little bit while Dark Marik gave another evil laugh.

"I know what you're thinking - but Ra has the power of Instant Attack!"

"Instant Attack?" Percy blinked.

"That's right!" confirmed Dark Marik. "And now you are about to be burnt alive by the most powerful God card of them all! Now watch as I activate Ra's third ability!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra started breathing fire...all around its whole body. Dark Marik was also chanting something in an Ancient Egyptian language.

"What's he doing now?" Percy questioned, not losing his look of shock.

"Ra's covering itself in flames!" Thomas answered. "...or transforming."

"Its final ability." muttered Spencer. "It's activating!"

Once the flames stopped being breathed, Ra was now completely on fire...

"Meet The Winged Dragon of Ra's final form!" announced Dark Marik. "Egyptian God Phoenix!"

"Egyptian God Phoenix!?" gasped Percy. "It looks completely different than the one you've used to beat Lady!"

Dark Marik snickered. "I never thought I would have to actually show you, nor anyone else, the true form, power, and nature of Ra... You can be proud of that, little Percy!"

"So beautiful..." whispered Mrs.. Gresley (Boxford).

"...yet very dangerous." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"This is the end, Percy Avonside!" announced Dark Marik. "You will die this turn!"

He then began to laugh maniacally once more, while Egyptian God Phoenix gave a loud screech in response. Emily was terrified of seeing this new form of Ra and thus stood closer to Thomas (because she felt safer being with him), who was thinking over the situation.

"When Ra is special summoned with Monster Reborn, it should have zero attack and defense points." Thomas thought to himself. "But Marik has declared that he will defeat Percy on this very turn. Does this mean Ra possess an even more terrifying hidden power?"

"Thomas! Spencer!" Dark Marik called out suddenly.

This got the blue-haired boy and silver-haired boy's attention respectively.

"It's thanks to Percy here that you both will get to see a ' ** _Sneak Preview_** ' of The Winged Dragon of Ra's final power!" said Dark Marik, not losing his maniacal smirk. "This terrifying power will kill off the boy right here, with the same fate waiting either of you in the finals!" His smile then grew more and more savage. "Why not send him off with a big round of applause? ...but make it loud enough for this pitiful duelist to hear when he arrives in Hell!"

"Why you...!" snarled Percy. "What makes you think you'll win? Ra has no attack points and is facing Gilford the Lightning, which has 2800 attack points! If you think your monster can beat mine, then show me!"

"Hm hm hm hm hm..." chuckled Dark Marik. "Just keep quiet and wait for death... After you witness Ra's third special affect in action, you will wander the underworld with the one girl I sent there also!"

Percy gasped. "Special effect?"

"Now listen up... When I pay 1000 of my life points, it will incinerate every monster on your side of the field. Oh, and the beauty part of this ability? They'll be destroyed no matter how HIGH their attack points are!"

"He can really destroy Gilford that easily?" The green-haired boy thought to himself. He then spoke aloud. "I don't believe you, Marik. Beside, even if you do defeat Gilford the Lightning with the Egyptian God Phoenix, I won't lose any life points due to the attack really being an effect! Meaning you won't beat me this turn."

Dark Marik snickered. "Need you forget. Remember our Shadow Game?" he asked deviously.

Percy looked and saw a red wire move from his chest towards Gilford the Lightning.

"The players will feel the exact same pain their monsters feel!"

Liz was paralyzed with horror. "If Marik orders Ra to attack-!"

"-then Percy could die!" added a frightened Ryan.

"Ra's judgement will burn both your mind and body into ash!" smirked Dark Marik. "You may have life points left over, but all that awaits you now is defeat and death!"

Percy narrowed his eyes defiantly.

Dark Marik laughed savagely. "Get ready to lose it all! For the Phoenix rises tonight!"


	62. Percy Falls

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Dark Marik began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"So, the fool Percy thought he could defeat me in a Shadow Game? Doesn't he even realize that whenever a normal person faces off against wielder of a Millennium Item, the wielder of the item always wins the battle?"

"I'll sacrifice Panther Warrior, Rocket Warrior, and Lava Golem to summon my ultimate fighting machine!" declared Percy, readying his card.

Upon placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk, Lava Golem, Panther Warrior, and Rocket Warrior each turned into small orbs of light. Thomas and Spencer both smiled in the bright light, while Dark Marik merely scowled... Finally, the colourful orbs went into the sky.

"GILFORD THE LIGHTNING!"

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, narrowly missing Thomas and the others off of the platform. The bolts of lightning also barely missed Skiff and his parents, too. A human male wearing orange clothing and silver armor was shown shadowed in the dark as lightning struck around him. Dark Marik watched in shock as two bolts of lightning struck past him and the wind picked up and moved his cape about. The warrior monster also had a sword sheathed on his back. Finally, the shadows faded away from the monster and revealed him fully before he gave a loud bellow of a battle cry as more and more lightning struck around the stage.

"G-Gilford the Lightning...?" Dark Marik asked nervously (a rare moment).

"Get ready, Marik." said Percy in triumph. "This monster is gonna put an end to your miserable life! So get ready! This is the true ace monster of my whole deck! The legendary warrior who controls the storms! Your Plasma Eel is about to bite the dust here and now!"

"I'll personally admit that Gilford the Lightning took me off guard when I didn't see coming his monster possessing the ability to destroy all monsters on my field when summoned with three tributes! ...but even that won't be enough to stop me from winning the match!"

"You've forgotten one little detail - my facedown card..." taunted Dark Marik. "Now, behold it!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Nightmare Mirror!"

A large mirror appeared in front of Dark Marik.

"Thanks to my Trap card, I was able to discard my Egyptian God card to the graveyard...and draw Monster Reborn on my next turn."

Upon seeing his drawn card, the veins on Dark Marik bulged, and he began to cackle in wicked delight.

"What's so funny? Just make your move, you jerk!" insulted Percy.

Dark Marik frowned. "I'll admit I've underestimated you a bit. I never thought I'd have to use something like The Winged Dragon of Ra against the likes of you."

He then slotted the last card in his hand into is Duel Disk.

"Behold the Spell card..." The evil man began, as the Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up. "...Monster Reborn!"

The Spell card soon disappeared as fire soon engulfed it. That signalled it was time...

"Be reborn... WINGED DRAGON OF RA!" commanded Dark Marik.

The blaze of fire soon slowly died down and revealed the body of The Winged Dragon of Ra (Level: 10/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Dark Marik gave an extremely psychotic laugh as soon as his monster finished appearing from the blaze of fire, while Percy only watched on in shock.

"The idiot got me so angry through out that I'm about to use the most devastating effect Ra possesses. Granted, it won't deal any life point damage, because, as I pointed out, it's merely a special effect... But due to the nature of the Shadow Game we're playing, that Avonside boy will pretty much be dead once the Phoenix strikes him and Gilford the Lightning!"

Dark Marik laughed savagely. "Get ready to lose it all! For the Phoenix rises tonight!"

"Oh, how I look forward to hearing those screams of pain and agony from that poor sap! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **Title: Percy Falls...**

* * *

On the duel stage in the Shadow Realm, Gilford the Lightning and the mighty Egyptian God Phoenix form of The Winged Dragon of Ra faced off against each other.

"Go, my Phoenix! Destroy Gilford the Lightning and kill Percy Avonside!" commanded Dark Marik with wicked glee.

Ra obeyed, dive-bombing towards both Percy and his monster with a great screech. Percy could only watch in horror at his impending fate. He had already used Gilford the Lightning's effect and had no other cards on the field.

"This can't be possible!" The green-haired boy thought. "If I lose now, then I'll never see Lady... Thomas... my sister... EVER AGAIN!"

Finally, the firebird struck both Gilford the Lightning and Percy, setting them ablaze.

(elsewhere...)

There was an earthquake that rocked the whole area around the Duel Tower! ...or rather rocked the whole entire island...

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Shadow Realm, Gilford the Lightning roared in agony from the flames consuming his body, but was nothing compared to the pain Percy felt...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

"Percy!" screamed Thomas.

On the platform, Dark Marik was laughing sadistically from witnessing his opponent's pain and suffering—all while Percy continued to scream from the agonizing pain he was feeling from the dancing flames of rage from Egyptian God Phoenix.

"Burn... burn until the last of your soul is gone!" Dark Marik cackled insanely and excitedly. "Now give me more...! More...! MORE SCREAMS!"

The evil man resumed his insidious laughter.

"Percy, no!" cried Emily.

Thomas wasn't looking any better. "This isn't good...! If the pain continues at this rate, Percy's mind will..."

Meanwhile, the flames around the stage grew more fierce as Percy's screams got even worse.

"That does it!" announced Mr. Gresley (Boxford), taking off his jacket. "I'm going to get him out of there!"

"Stay back!" ordered Dark Marik, holding his Millennium Rod out at the man in a highly threatening gesture. "Come any closer, and you'll join the girl in the world in darkness!"

"I don't care! It's better than sitting back while others suffer!"

With that said, Mr. Gresley (Boxford) began to run towards and climb up to Percy's side of the platform! ...and, as expected, Dark Marik's Millennium Rod began glowing and instantly fired off a blast. Mr. Gresley (Boxford) was hit by the blast and, with a pained yell, flew off the platform and landed near both Discord and Ryan.

"Oh no! Jim!" cried Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), worried for her husband's safety.

"How awful..." whispered Carlie in fright.

"Man, this is crazy!" exclaimed James R.. "What he's doing now... Marik really is an irredeemable monster!"

Percy and Gilford the Lightning both continued to scream in agonizing pain from the flames of the third Egyptian God monster. At this point, even Skiff was just about ready to pull the plug on the duel.

"Spencer, Marik has gone too far this time!" The young boy protested. "This duel must end now! ...before Percy really does die!"

But Spencer didn't budge. "So that's Ra's third ability..." he thought to himself. "I've finally seen it with my own eyes. Not bad for an amateur, Percy..."

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Gilford the Lightning shattered into pieces of glass. With the red wire snapping from his chest, Percy gave one final scream of pain before the flames of Egyptian God Phoenix slowly began to fade away.

"Let's see what's left of your little friend, shall we?" taunted Dark Marik. "That's enough, Ra! Return to the graveyard at once."

Egyptian God Phoenix gave a screech and began to disappear behind its master.

"Well... I can see the remains of Percy's soul rising to heaven within the smoke."

When the flames and smoke both died down, as well as everything becoming dead silent, Percy was shown to be...barely standing.

"What?!" Dark Marik gasped.

Percy's body was smoking from the flames and dancing fury of Egyptian God Phoenix... however, he was still standing and alive regardless.

"You're-!"

Everyone off the duel stage was shocked to see their friend still standing.

"Percy!" exclaimed James.

"It can't be-!" came from Thomas.

Percy remained motionless, but his eyes soon regained vision.

"I-Impossible!" screamed Dark Marik in shock. "You're still alive?!"

The green-haired boy gazed weakly at his opponent... which evolved into a vision.

* * *

 **VISION**

Percy was still atop the Duel Tower, but was gazing...at Thomas?

"Thomas...?" asked Percy in surprise. "Thomas, is that you?"

Thomas smiled and slotted his deck into his Duel Disk.

"You've done it, Percy." The blue-haired boy said happily. "You've defeated evil Marik and saved Lady's life."

"I...did?"

"Yes." confirmed Thomas. "After Ra was sent back to the graveyard by its own ability, you drew Gearfried the Iron Knight and attacked Marik directly with it."

"I...remember..." Percy mumbled. "I remember being struck by that Phoenix...and surviving the fiery flames of it. Thanks to Ra being affected by Monster Reborn for just one turn...it vanished."

"Yes! And because you've won against Marik, and I had defeated Spencer...we're about to have our promised duel IN the Battle City Finals!"

The dullness in Percy's eyes were replaced with great happiness.

"You're right!" The green-haired boy exclaimed. "It's time for our promised duel!"

Thomas immediately tossed his coat off...and wore it like a cape, while Percy readied his own Duel Disk.

"May the best duelist win." The two boys said at once to each other.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended, and Percy still remained motionless. Dark Marik, meanwhile, for the first time in his whole life showed complete fear of this boy! ...or even towards anyone.

"If he succeeds in attacking my life points-" he said through gritted teeth, horrorstruck. "-I'll lose the duel and my Egyptian God card!"

"You...lose..." Percy mumbled weakly.

Finally, at his end phase, Egyptian God Phoenix faded away back into Dark Marik's graveyard.

"This can't be happening to me!" The evil man ranted. "H-How is it even possible?! Is Percy's will greater than even the power of The Winged Dragon of Ra?! ...but that's absurd! No one can withstand the power of the God itself!"

"You've won, Percy!" cheered Gordon.

"All he needs to do is draw a monster strong enough to deal the final blow-" said Emily happily. "-and the duel will end!"

"Yay, Percy!" whooped Molly.

"This is awesome!" came from Skiff.

Spencer was beyond stunned. "But how did he-?" he stuttered, not believing that Percy managed to survive Egyptian God Phoenix's attack.

"Hurry, Percy!" called Thomas. "Draw your card and end this duel!"

"It's...my turn." said Percy tiredly, drawing a card slowly.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 900)  
 **Deck** : 26  
 **Current Hand** (1): Gearfried the Iron Knight

* * *

Weakly, the green-haired boy saw it was his Gearfried the Iron Knight monster card.

"Gearfried..."

He started to place it on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. Everyone watched on silently and anxiously about what was about to happen.

"What card did he draw?" asked Henry.

The Gearfried the Iron Knight monster card materialized face-up! ...just before the iron knight monster appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1800).

"N-NO!" screamed Dark Marik in terror. "I can't lose! NOT TO YOU!"

"Gearfried..." began Percy weakly, yet was smiling. "Attack his life points..."

Suddenly, before he could finish his sentence, the green-haired boy began to fall onto the ground.

"M-my...brother..." Liz whimpered. Her eyes were welling with tears.

It was too late. Percy had finally collapsed onto the platform as Gearfried the Iron Knight shattered apart.

"PERCY!" cried out the green-haired boy's friends.

"NOOO!" screamed the Crawford kids.

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Dark Marik wins by default**

* * *

Dark Marik scoffed. "Resistant to the very end." he muttered wearily.

The Shadow Realm fog faded away as the referee checked his watch.

"We will now enter a time count!" announced the referee.

"Wait!" called Skiff, climbing onto the platform.

The young boy managed to get onto the dueling platform and race towards Percy.

"Percy, Percy!" Skiff exclaimed. "Are you okay?!" He checked Percy's pulse before backing away and giving a gasp of horror. "Guys! I... I can't feel a pulse!"

Thomas, Matt, Emily, Liz, Ryan, Carlie, and Ben all gasped in complete shock.

"N-No...pulse...?" Liz spluttered.

"Percy...!" Carlie's voice began to break.

That was all the referee needed to hear...

"Percy Avonside is unable to continue the duel!" The suit announced, sounding very uncaring that a duelist had collapsed. "Therefore, Marik Ishtar wins by default!"

"Percy!" cried out Thomas in despair, being the first to approach the duel platform.

All of Percy's friends and loved ones immediately climbed onto the platform to reach the fallen green-haired boy.

"Percy!" came from both Toby and Edward.

"My little brother!" Liz sobbed.

Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) helped her husband back up. "Jim, we need the doctors up here, now!"

"I'm...on it." Mr Gresley (Boxford) weakly obeyed, heading for the phones.

The ring then started to lower back down as Dark Marik fell to his knees weakly, having been physically drained from the Shadow Game.

"I can't believe an imbecile like him pushed me this far...!" The evil man coughed weakly, just before briefly gagging into his hands for a few seconds and breathing extra hard from great exhaustion and lost strength. Dark Marik then smiled upon recovering... "But it was well worth it in the end...!"

Watching Percy lie on the ground and his friends gathering around him, Spencer remained in his thoughts over the end of the duel...

"Percy nearly won against Ra." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "That was something I had never expected to ever see."

Back over with the gang...

"Percy, Percy!" wailed Molly repeatedly.

"Please wake up...!" begged Ryan.

An upset James soon grabbed Percy by his shirt collar and pulled him over.

"Percy, wake up right now!" The red-haired boy demanded, with his voice starting to break. "This isn't funny, man!"

But Percy still wouldn't wake up, and James eventually lost all remaining self control and such...

"WAKE UP!" roared James, just about to punch Percy.

Fortunately, Gordon managed to grab the red-haired boy's fist before it was too late.

"James, cool it!" The older, blue-haired boy demanded.

James immediately broke down sobbing. Gordon then looked back over to Skiff urgently...

"Where are those doctors?!"

"My Dad says they're on their way!" Skiff answered, looking just as despaired.

Nearby with everyone else, the rest of the gang didn't look any better whatsoever with what happened to the green-haired boy.

"Percy..." sobbed Molly. "Why did it have to be..."

"This isn't fair!" Mavis also cried.

"Easy, Mavis..." Toby hugged his girlfriend, but he himself was crying also.

Carlie was also crying her eyes out from what happened to one of her friends (Percy) and her brother was trying to comfort her... Liz, however, was taking it so much worse, and had to actually be physically restrained by both Michael and Matt so that she could be taken away to be comforted by her husband back aboard the blimp. Thomas, meanwhile, approached Percy very slowly, fell to his hands and knees, and burst into tears, too.

"It's a lie..." The blue-haired boy whispered, just before letting out a scream. "IT'S A LIE!"

Spencer watched the heartbreaking scene on with his arms folded. "Percy, the way you died fighting Ra... As of now, you've officially earned my respect as a duelist." he thought only to himself.

It was then the crying Thomas heard the one voice that made his blood absolutely boil. He turned around...and saw that Dark Marik was actually laughing at what he had done just now.

"It's too bad about your friend, Thomas-boy." The evil man taunted, sweeping his cape about with a swing of the right arm. "One less friend for you means one step closer to your impending death!"

Turning around while shaking violently with great anger and with a forming dark aura all-around him, Thomas pretty much lost it right there and then...

"MARIK!" he roared in fury, charging towards Dark Marik and punching him hard in the stomach. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Thomas!" Emily shrieked, running over to her friend and grabbing his arm to try and calm him down (and get rid of the forming dark aura around him).

Pushed back, and already badly weakened from his duel, Dark Marik fell to one knee while clutching his stomach in pain—yet, he still had the strength to look back up at Thomas, smile evilly, and gloat.

"Oh dear, ha ha ha, did I just touch a nerve?" The evil man asked teasingly, slowly managing to stand back up. "Well, when we eventually duel... you will be losing so much more than your best friend."

"SHUT UP!" screamed Thomas. "PERCY ISN'T DEAD!"

Dark Marik only chuckled cruelly. "It doesn't matter to me... for he will be soon enough." He then started to walk towards the tower's exit. "I'll see you later, Thomas! ...when we duel and I finally manage to kill you."

It was then Spencer spoke up, causing Dark Marik to halt in place.

"Don't get your hopes up, Marik." The silver-haired boy warned. "Because it won't be Billinton you'll be dueling! ...it will be me."

"And what makes you think you'll even stand a chance against me, Spencer?" asked Dark Marik, frowning at being interrupted.

"Because thanks to your duel with Percy, you've revealed too much information about your Egyptian God monster." said Spencer smugly. "I've seen Ra's third ability, and now I know how to attack it."

To prove his point, the silver-haired boy held up a card, though not showing what it actually was...

"And with this one card, I'll be able to defeat both you and your God monster."

The evil man listened on, but merely gave a small evil smirk in response.

"I'd like to see you try." laughed Dark Marik. "For now, I'll wish you the best of luck! ...because you'll need it."

With that said, he walked away laughing like a madman... From there, countless doctors came rushing into the arena to tend to Percy...

"Thank goodness you're here." said Discord. "Bring him to the medical room aboard the blimp at once!"

Percy was immediately carried out on a stretcher, with the rest of the gang following from behind begging the doctors to save ther badly injured friend. Only Thomas, Spencer, Skiff, and the two Co-Presidents of Boxford Corp stayed behind. It was then the referee announced the next match...

"The next duel of the semi-finals will be Thomas Billinton against Spencer Gresley. The duel will commence in one hour's time!"

Hearing those words brought a smile onto Spencer's face as he faced the crestfallen Thomas.

"Guess we'll see who deserves the honor of stopping Marik's madness once and for all." said the silver-haired boy. "But in all seriousness, I've been waiting for this very moment ever since you handed me my first defeat."

Thomas merely turned and gave Spencer a cold stare. "First I must make sure Percy is okay." he replied. "Once that's done... I'll deal with you, Spencer."

The blue-haired boy then raced after his friends and the doctors.

"And I'll be waiting for you until then!" Spencer thought to himself. "...to finally take you down."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, the coma-induced green-haired boy was lying in bed and hooked up to several medical machines while doctors ran tests on him.

"How...is he?" asked Ryan as slowly as possible.

"We can't be too sure at this point." said one of the doctors. "I don't even know what's causing the condition."

"Dang it, you've gotta know something!" exclaimed Gordon hotly.

"Take it easy, Gordon." scolded Edward, before looking to the doctors and speaking to them more politely. "Is Percy dead—or is he unconscious?"

"He's still breathing at the moment." answered another doctor. "...but his condition is still very dangerous."

"Very dangerous?!" Emily gasped, feeling like she was just about to burst into tears again. "You mean Percy's going to...die?"

"NO!" Liz freaked out, collapsing near her little brother's bed and sobbing her heart out some more. "PERCY! Percy...!"

"Easy, Elizabeth..." said Ishizu calmly, placing both hands around the blonde-haired young woman's shoulders.

"Doctor, you HAVE to know something about what's gonna happen to Percy!" demanded James angrily.

"I'm sorry." said the lead doctor apologetically. "We're doing the best we can, but our equipment isn't suitable for something like this. All we can do now is hope for a miracle, and pray that your friend manages to wake up."

That didn't sit too well for James, who only collapsed on his hands and knees and screamed in a frustrated rage. Just then, Skiff arrived in the medical room...

"Skiff!" Discord exclaimed in relief. "What did Spencer-boy say? Are we leaving immediately?"

Unfortunately, Skiff had some bad news... "We're...not going anywhere."

" **SAY WHAT**?!" exclaimed Zack, James R., and Matt at once.

"Why the hell not?!" Michael demanded, sounding furious.

"Can't he see Percy's condition?" asked Carlie in an upset tone. "Why in the world won't he let us get him proper help?"

"Because he wants this tournament to continue until the very end." sighed Skiff. "Mom, Dad, and myself tried to talk him out of continuing the Battle City Finals... but my brother wouldn't even hear of it."

"Why that son-of-a-!" Gordon snarled, beginning to leave the room in anger. "I'll-!"

Suddenly, Skiff held his hand up, stopping the tall, blue-haired boy in his tracks.

"We'll contact a Boxford Corp helicopter to pick up Lady, Duck, and Percy." The younger boy stated, sounding very honest. "From there, the helicopter will get them to a proper hospital back on the Island of Sodor. I promise you guys that they will be okay."

"Really?" asked Mavis hopefully.

"Really."

"Thank you, Skiff." said Ryan quietly.

The younger boy nodded softly. "Just don't tell my brother, please!"

As Skiff left the room, Gordon decided to go with him to the main cockpit and help out with radioing for help.

"Gordon, wait!" called Henry.

Too late, he was gone. Meanwhile, Thomas stood by Percy's bedside with tears in his eyes. After the duel with Dark Marik, his best friend was near death, or possibly even dead... While the rest of the group was in despair over it, both Liz and Thomas were taking it the hardest... Speaking of the former, Liz was also by the bed still crying her eyes out while clutching onto her beloved little brother's left hand.

"First Lady, then Duck, and now Percy..." sobbed Thomas. "How many more lives does Marik have to keep taking until he is satisfied?"

Ishizu continued to try and comfort the blonde-haired young woman, but also gave a look of concern when she saw the blue-haired boy begin to exit from the room.

(elsewhere...)

Exiting the room and walking (or stumbling) slowly into the hallway, Thomas took his Duel Disk off his arm in solemn depression.

"I can't fight anymore... I'm finished with this game..."

Suddenly, the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl spirits both emerged from the Millennium Puzzle. As expected, they were looking highly worried for their master's well-being right now.

"Thomas..." whispered Dark Magician Girl.

"I promised Percy that I would duel with him after he became a True Duelist." said Thomas through his tears. "I should have carried out that promise for Battle City. But looking for answers to what I saw in the museum, the Egyptian God cards, stopping the Rare Hunters... defeating Marik's dark half... None of that even compares to the solemn promise to a best friend. Did... did I sacrifice Percy for all of that?"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Percy nodded before a card was shown to him.

"Here you go, Percy." Thomas said. "Red-Eyes is yours once again."

But to his surprise, Percy shook his head no.

"It isn't mine to take, Thomas." he said quietly.

"What?" Emily quizzed. "But, Percy-!"

"Let him talk, Emily." Thomas interrupted. "What do you mean, Percy?"

"I can't take it right now." explained Percy. "If I were to take it back that easily, I won't be a True Duelist. And Red-Eyes wouldn't accept it, either. You and James are both True Duelists—though you are one moreso. When I dueled James back at the San Francisco tournament, I was fighting for mainly myself. That's why I came here. You guys always play honestly with any opponent. You really gave me a lesson—what I lacked is the player's self-esteem."

Emily and Edward both smiled as Percy went on with his passionate speech.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon has always been my special card." he said. "He is and always will be my partner. That's why I can't take it now. If I did, then Red-Eyes wouldn't be happy. Thomas, you can have the card temporarily. Besides, I've prepared a new deck for the tournament. With these cards, I'm still qualified to participate. Just in case, I still have both the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard both to wager." As he spoke, he looked at his Duel Disk and drew the top two cards from his deck, holding them both up to Thomas, Emily, and Edward, revealing them to be the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard monster cards respectively. "They are my last rare cards. I want to become a True Duelist like you, Thomas. In Battle City, I must show you — when I win in this tournament... When I become a True Duelist, please accept a proper duel with me."

"Oh, Percy." Emily began, smiling as tears fell from her eyes. "That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard you say to anyone."

"Agreed." Thomas nodded, also smiling. "I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card for the time being."

Percy smiled as he and Thomas shook hands, sealing the deal.

"You are the best friend I could ever ask for." Thomas stated.

"Like wise." Percy agreed, turning around. "Well, I'm off to find me some duels."

"Good luck." said Thomas.

With that, Percy headed off.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, but Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both remained silent.

"DID I?!" Thomas shouted, with his voice breaking some more.

Still, the two Duel Monster spirits remained silent before vanishing. The look of sadness on Thomas's face was quickly replaced with great rage right around here.

"Now there's only one thing left to keep me going; and that is my hatred for Marik." The blue-haired boy suddenly turned around and punched the wall in front of him out of both anger and sadness. "But after that, what do I have left? Please don't die, Percy... I'll never..."

"Hey, Thomas..." spoke a familiar voice (male).

Thomas, hearing the voice, stood up looking around for the source.

"Who's out there?!"

It was then the blue-haired boy was seeing...a transparent image of his best friend, and he was smiling like nothing was wrong.

"Who says that it has to be the end?" asked Percy. "Just check your pockets."

"My pockets?" asked Thomas.

"There you'll find the answer..."

Suddenly, the blue-haired boy noticed a glow coming from his coat pocket. He dug inside until he pulled out the Millennium Necklace, glowing.

"The Millennium Necklace..." Thomas whispered. He then gasped when he was shown a vision of the future. "W-Wha-?!"

A vision began.

* * *

 **VISION**

"Let's duel!" came the voices of both Thomas and Percy.

In this future, Thomas and Percy were in the middle of the harbor, and were about to have their promised duel.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended.

"This... this is..." Thomas whispered.

But the blue-haired boy wasn't sure of what to think. The last time Ishizu used the Millennium Necklace to see the future, her prediction turned out to be very wrong. But... what if this time it was correct?

"I just don't know what to believe..."

Just then, a new voice was heard...

"Thomas, are you okay?"

Thomas snapped out of his daze. "Who's...?"

Walking up to the blue-haired boy was a very worried looking Emily.

"Oh... hey, Emily." greeted Thomas unhappily.

"I said are you okay?" Emily asked once more. Her voice was full of care and concern for her friend.

"No, I'm not." The blue-haired boy admitted, looking very upset. "We're losing more of our friends to Marik's dark half, Spencer refuses to cancel the tournament to get proper help for those who had fallen, and soon I have to face him in a rematch! ...with more on the line than ever before."

"Thomas..." whispered Emily.

Thomas then turned and showed the dark green-haired girl the Millennium Necklace he was holding in his left hand.

"And I had a vision just now."

"A vision?" asked Emily, blinking a few times. "Of what kind?"

"It was of Percy and I dueling and keeping our Battle City promise." explained Thomas, suddenly looking very down. "But...I honestly don't know what to make of it. Ishizu's prediction that Spencer would lose to her ended up being wrong, and even she admitted that."

"Yeah..."

"Is this vision I had true or not?" Thomas continued. "I need an answer-!"

Before he could continue speaking, an announcement was heard.

"Attention! The second round of the Battle City semi-finals are about to begin!" came the voice of the referee. "Will both required duelists come to the top of the Duel Tower, please?"

"I guess it's time." sighed Emily.

With that said, Thomas strapped his Duel Disk back on.

"If that vision is true-" he thought. "-then I have to keep fighting as a True Duelist. Otherwise, it will never happen."

"You're really gonna face Spencer?" asked Emily in surprise.

Thomas didn't say a word. Instead he turned and walked back towards the medical room where Percy was. Inside, everyone was still grieving for their fallen friend.

"Poor Percy." sobbed Mavis.

"This is all Spencer's fault." grumbled James.

"AND Marik's!" added a very angry Ryan.

"I'll never forgive him for this!" added Liz heatedly. Her eyes were all red from crying.

It was then everyone else in the room saw Thomas and Emily.

"Where were you two?" asked Zack.

"You okay?" added Ben.

Thomas didn't say a word. He walked past Gordon, Molly, Mavis, Toby, and Zack and approached the bed his best friend was lying in.

"What are you...?" Carlie began to ask.

"Shh..." hushed Emily, knowing exactly what her blue-haired friend was about to do.

Thomas could see that Percy's Duel Disk had come off his arm and carefully put it back on his friend's arm.

"Keep fighting, Percy." he said quietly. "Hang on like a True Duelist."

The blue-haired boy then turned around to leave.

"I have a duel to take part." Thomas stated. "I want all of you to stay here and look after Percy, Lady, and Duck."

"We will." nodded Molly.

Thomas exited the room and walked down the hallway. Back inside the medical room, everyone was silent.

"You think Thomas can win against Spencer?" asked Carlie.

"I hope so." said Mavis.

"No sweat!" James replied confidently. "Thomas will wipe the floor with that rich jerk!"

"Spencer-boy has gotten even better than last time." Discord reminded. "Thomas-boy will be in for the duel of his life."

That was the last straw for Emily, and she started to leave the room.

"Emily, wait!" called Molly, but was too late.

Discord blinked. "Was it something I said?"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Duel Tower, Thomas was making his way towards the elevator so that he could go to the duel arena.

"This is it..."

Before he pressed the button and enter the elevator, a voice was heard.

"Thomas, wait!" called a familiar voice (female).

The blue-haired boy turned and saw Emily running up to him.

"Emily?" he quizzed. "I thought I told you to stay behind?"

"I'm going with you." said Emily firmly. "You need as much support as you can get."

Thomas was silent...and this allowed the dark green-haired girl to continue speaking.

"Have you forgotten how many people have gotten hurt in this tournament so far?" she asked. "Percy, Lady, Duck...even Odion. I can't stand the thought of losing you, too!"

"I have to fight in order to keep my promise to Percy." protested Thomas. "The Millennium Necklace showed me a vision of the future, and if I stop fighting now, I'll never see that future."

"Thomas..."

The blue-haired boy turned his head slightly. "Besides, do you remember the field trip to the museum?"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was before the Battle City tournament was started. Thomas and his classmates were at the museum. Thomas and a few of his friends were in the Ancient Egyptian exhibit.

"Hey guys!" called Percy. "Come and see this!"

Thomas, Emily, and Edward walked over to what Percy, Toby, and Mavis were standing.

"What's up?" asked Thomas.

"You might want to see this." said Toby, pointing at the stone carving that showed the Pharaoh's duel with the Priest.

"Goodness gracious!" cried Emily, as soon as she saw the look of the Pharaoh. "That looks like Thomas!"

"That's not all." Mavis added, pointing to the other side of the carving. "See the guy the Pharaoh is dueling?"

"That's Spencer!" Thomas exclaimed.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I do." Emily confirmed. "We found out your ancestor was a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, and now you're supposed to save the world from evil, just as he did 3,000 years ago."

"I will find those answers." said Thomas. "And this tournament will see to it."

"I know..." Emily whispered. "But what if you-?"

"What if I 'what'?"

"What if you die?" asked Emily, with tears in her eyes.

Thomas gave a sigh. "I understand how you feel...but I can't run away now. I must show Spencer that I am a True Duelist...and fight for my best friend, Percy."

Emily blinked through her tears. "Thomas..."

The blue-haired boy then turned around fully and gave his dark green-haired friend a reassuring smile.

"Nothing will happen to me." said Thomas in a positive tone. "I promise you that."

Emily felt slightly better as she went and dried her eyes before smiling right back.

"Alright."

Thomas nodded... before narrowing his eyes and gazing upward.

"Now, come on." The blue-haired boy growled. "We have a certain someone to meet with."

"Right." nodded Emily.

With that, the two teenagers entered the elevator.

(elsewhere...)

Atop the Duel Tower, Spencer was waiting patiently for Thomas to arrive...

"The time has finally come..." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "Once I defeat Billinton here, I'll have two Egyptian God cards... And once I beat Marik and get The Winged Dragon of Ra, I'll finally become the Duel King once more!"

Yes, folks, this match was gonna be big, indeed.


	63. Sky Duel Coliseum (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Emily began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"This tournament... it has been so dangerous for all of us. Here we are in the semi-finals, having lost Lady AND Duck in the early finals..."

"You're very lucky, little girl." The evil man began in almost a ' _purring_ ' like tone, kneeling down to Lady's level. "You actually got away with your life. Unfortunately, you will come to regret it for the rest of your soon-to-be short life, as you'll wish you chose death instead of living. The loser of a Shadow Game needs to be punished for it. Tell me something... do you know what kind of punishment I'm talking about?"

Lady merely shook her head fearfully, but soon came to regret it greatly...

"The kind of punishment is what I call..." continued Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing. "...A PENALTY GAME!"

Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors. From there, she collapsed into a coma. Percy had managed to get up on his feet and run back onto the stage.

"Lady! LADY!" he screamed. "Wake up!"

"Don't bother." hissed Dark Marik. "She's trapped in a world of endless darkness with insects eating away at her. Unless you can defeat me in a Shadow Duel within the next 24-hours or so...she will never wake up."

Dark Marik look off the platform and saw Thomas approaching.

"So, you came after all, Thomas." The evil man remarked.

"What did you do with Duck?" demanded Thomas.

"Duck? I see... Oh, who knows?" replied Dark Marik. "Nobody knows where those who lose a Shadow Game are sent. So how should I know?!"

Thomas's eyes widened. "Duck lost...!"

"Thomas, it will be your turn soon." said Dark Marik, turning to leave. "At that time, you can rejoin your friends in the next world!"

Laughing maniacally, the evil man left the arena to go back down into the blimp and leaving Thomas alone.

"But that wasn't the worst of it. Oh no, it gets even worse! NOW we've lost Percy to that evil side of Marik's!"

Percy had finally collapsed onto the platform as Gearfried the Iron Knight shattered apart.

"PERCY!" cried out the green-haired boy's friends.

"NOOO!" screamed the Crawford kids.

Dark Marik scoffed. "Resistant to the very end." he muttered wearily.

The Shadow Realm fog faded away as the referee checked his watch.

"We will now enter a time count!" announced the referee.

"Wait!" called Skiff, climbing onto the platform.

The young boy managed to get onto the dueling platform and raced towards Percy.

"Percy, Percy!" Skiff exclaimed. "Are you okay?!" He checked Percy's pulse before backing away and giving a gasp of horror. "Guys! I... I can't feel a pulse!"

Thomas, Matt, Emily, Liz, Ryan, Carlie, and Ben all gasped in complete shock.

"N-No...pulse...?" Liz spluttered.

"Percy...!" Carlie's voice began to break.

That was all the referee needed to hear...

"Percy Avonside is unable to continue the duel!" The suit announced, sounding very uncaring that a duelist had collapsed. "Therefore, Marik Ishtar wins by default!"

"Percy!" cried out Thomas in despair, being the first to approach the duel platform.

All of Percy's friends and loved ones immediately climbed onto the platform to reach the fallen green-haired boy.

"Percy!" came from both Toby and Edward.

"My little brother!" Liz sobbed.

"To make things worse, Spencer, as usual, didn't do anything to stop the duel or save him! It would seem all he wants to do is face Thomas and try to win Slifer the Sky Dragon from him."

Spencer faced the crestfallen Thomas.

"Guess we'll see who deserves the honor of stopping Marik's madness once and for all." said the silver-haired boy. "But in all seriousness, I've been waiting for this very moment ever since you handed me my first defeat."

Thomas merely turned and gave Spencer a cold stare. "First I must make sure Percy is okay." he replied. "Once that's done... I'll deal with you, Spencer."

The blue-haired boy then raced after his friends and the doctors.

"This has become too much for me and everyone else. If Thomas isn't careful, we could lose him forever...and I would never be able to live with myself if that happened."

The blue-haired boy turned and saw Emily running up to him.

"Emily?" he quizzed. "I thought I told you to stay behind?"

"I'm going with you." said Emily firmly. "You need as much support as you can get."

Thomas was silent...and this allowed the dark green-haired girl to continue speaking.

"Have you forgotten how many people have gotten hurt in this tournament so far?" she asked. "Percy, Lady, Duck...even Odion. I can't stand the thought of losing you, too!"

"I have to fight in order to keep my promise to Percy." protested Thomas. "The Millennium Necklace showed me a vision of the future, and if I stop fighting now, I'll never see that future."

"Thomas..."

The blue-haired boy turned his head slightly. "Besides, do you remember the field trip to the museum?"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was before the Battle City tournament was started. Thomas and his classmates were at the museum. Thomas and a few of his friends were in the Ancient Egyptian exhibit.

"Hey guys!" called Percy. "Come and see this!"

Thomas, Emily, and Edward walked over to what Percy, Toby, and Mavis were standing.

"What's up?" asked Thomas.

"You might want to see this." said Toby, pointing at the stone carving that showed the Pharaoh's duel with the Priest.

"Goodness gracious!" cried Emily, as soon as she saw the look of the Pharaoh. "That looks like Thomas!"

"That's not all." Mavis added, pointing to the other side of the carving. "See the guy the Pharaoh is dueling?"

"That's Spencer!" Thomas exclaimed.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I do." Emily confirmed. "We found out your ancestor was a Pharaoh in Ancient Egypt, and now you're supposed to save the world from evil, just as he did 3,000 years ago."

"I will find those answers." said Thomas. "And this tournament will see to it."

"I know..." Emily whispered. "But what if you-?"

"What if I 'what'?"

"What if you die?" asked Emily, with tears in her eyes.

Thomas gave a sigh. "I understand how you feel...but I can't run away now. I must show Spencer that I am a True Duelist...and fight for my best friend, Percy."

Emily blinked through her tears. "Thomas..."

"I guess nothing's gonna stop him from going to duel Spencer. I just hope this big rematch won't have any surprises waiting for any of us..."

* * *

 **Title: Sky Duel Coliseum, Part 1**

* * *

Atop the Duel Tower, Spencer was waiting patiently for Thomas to arrive.

"If Thomas Billinton doesn't get here in the next five minutes... he'll forfeit, and you'll win by default, Master Spencer." said the referee, looking at his watch.

"You'd better show up, Billinton." thought Spencer, not losing his stoic look. "I didn't come all this way to have you forfeit and miss the chance for a proper rematch."

Despite having that thought, the silver-haired boy knew deep down that his rival WOULD indeed show up for the rematch.

"This is our fated duel."

(elsewhere...)

Inside the elevator, Thomas was busy making a few final alterations to his deck while Emily watched him. Some cards shown were Slifer the Sky Dragon, Exchange, Magic Formula, Magic Jammer, Mirror Force, Dark Magician, Kuriboh, King's Knight, and Life Shaver.

"I hope you'll be careful out there, Thomas." said Emily.

"I will." Thomas reassured, just before narrowing his eyes. "Spencer is going to pay for what he has caused. True Marik was the one who has been hurting our friends through out the finals, but Spencer allowed it."

"This will be your biggest duel yet." The dark green-haired girl reminded. "And Spencer has likely gotten so much better than ever before."

At last, Thomas was finished making the changes to his deck. He slotted it right back into his Duel Disk and bravely gazed at the elevator doors...which finally opened. This signalled that Thomas and Emily were both at the top of the tower.

"I'm ready for him."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower platform, Spencer was still waiting when he heard some footsteps from the nearby staircase.

"At last..." The silver-haired boy thought.

Climbing up the stairs was indeed Thomas Billinton...along with Emily Sterling. They both then entered the duel stage area as the blue-haired boy silently and fiercely gazed at his main rival.

"So, you've finally made it." said Spencer, sounding pleased.

Thomas nodded. "Spencer..."

"The time to settle the score has come." The silver-haired boy thought to himself, before glancing around and only seeing Emily with Thomas. "Oh? And where did the rest of the geek squad get off to? Too busy looking after Percy? I guess his coffin must require so many people to carry and bury."

He chuckled at his own joke, while Thomas only tightened his fist furiously. He really wanted to punch Spencer in the face right about now!

"Percy wouldn't even be in this condition if it hadn't been for you, Spencer!" The blue-haired boy spat hatefully.

"Moi?"

"Yes, you!" Emily spoke up, looking absolutely enraged herself. "Throughout the Battle City Finals, there had been a ton of moments and situations where people's lives were endangered for real! ...yet you didn't do anything to try and stop those events!"

"You actually showed care when Percy, Mavis, and Emily were captured and forced us both into a life-or-death duel! ...yet when Lady was about to be killed by Marik, you did nothing!" Thomas added to that, looking even angrier. "When Duck was in danger of dying, you did nothing! When Odion and Percy were both struck by the anger of the Gods, you did nothing! When Percy fell into a coma, you did nothing! NOTHING at all!" The blue-haired boy finally reached the full extent of his temper. "And all I ask of you... is WHY?! WHY DO NOTHING TO HELP THEM?!"

Thomas stopped to catch his breath from the rant as Spencer finally spoke up! ...and not exactly in a positive way.

"So what?"

Thomas and Emily both gave the silver-haired boy a very hard stare.

"What did you say?" whispered Emily, who didn't sound too happy at all.

"Who cares what happens to them?" asked Spencer rather dismissively. "All that matters to me is that I get at those remaining God cards and become the greatest duelist on the Island of Sodor once again. To those who took part and fell... well, that's the way of war!"

"You are so selfish!" snarled Thomas. "You're willing to sacrifice innocent people just to get what you want! Would you go as far as to sacrifice your own family?!"

"Enough about my family!" Spencer snarled back. "You, Thomas Billinton, are my only rival! Once I defeat you and gain Slifer the Sky Dragon, I'll defeat Marik, earn The Winged Dragon of Ra, and become the Duel King of the whole Island of Sodor! So now prepare yourself to lose everything you've worked hard to obtain!"

Thomas shook with growing rage. He almost thought Spencer was being as bad as Marik's dark half, and wanted to say that out loud to him! ...but immediately felt a soft hand touching his arm in an attempt to calm him down (which came from Emily).

"Don't bother." Emily told the blue-haired boy. "It just isn't worth telling him off."

Thomas calmed down when he realized that the dark green-haired girl was right. This allowed Spencer to continue speaking to his friend/rival.

"Besides, Percy was facing Marik. He fought to the bitter end and even forced him to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra. As a duelist, Percy Avonside truly was worthy. He can at least pass over without any regrets."

Thomas growled at Spencer as the two duelists began to shuffle their decks, but Emily's voice interrupted them from doing so...

"Spencer Gresley, do you even realize how dangerous your tournament has become?!" The dark green-haired girl demanded angrily. "Earlier, we've lost Lady and Duck to that dark half of Marik's! How many mores lives will it take for you to get it through your skull? You yourself could be next to be tortured by Marik's dark half!"

"That will never happen." protested Spencer arrogantly. "Because once I obtain Slifer the Sky Dragon, he'll be easily defeated by me!"

"Spencer, listen to me...!" Emily started to argue, but got cut off by the silver-haired boy.

"Once I defeat Marik and become the Duel King-" Spencer continued on boastfully. "-the whole world will love me! Oh yes... I can see it now...!"

A vision began.

* * *

 **VISION**

A parade was held for Spencer's victory. The silver-haired boy sat proudly on a float as millions of fans cheered out to him. At the end of the parade was Thomas, dressed as a disgruntled janitor, was sweeping the ground.

"What a loser!" called a voice in the crowd.

"Couldn't even win the Battle City tournament!" added another voice.

"I guess his win in the San Francisco tournament was a mere fluke!" teased a third voice.

The crowd began laughing at the poor blue-haired boy.

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended.

"That will really make my day..." Spencer thought to himself rather gleefully.

Thomas gave a defeated sigh over how stubborn the silver-haired boy was being right now.

"I guess there's no getting through to you." he admitted. "Very well. I guess there's one thing for me to do... defeat you, and prove you wrong!"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room inside the blimp, Liz and Ryan were both watching over the coma induced Percy. Nearby, the rest of the Sodor High School teenagers were watching over the coma induced Lady and Duck. Only Discord and his adopted children were not present at the moment.

"Percy, please wake up!" sobbed Liz. "Don't die!"

Ryan merely had a sad look on his face as he looked down to his brother-in-law...before seeing the green-haired boy's hand move.

"Huh?" he blinked. "Did...I just see Percy's hand move?"

Liz looked up. The doctor checked Percy over just to be sure... but nothing happened.

"It was just a reflex. No change has been detected within the patient."

As expected, Liz had started crying once more, while Ryan looked very upset for getting his hopes up.

"Percy..." The purple-haired young man thought to himself. "Thomas's duel is about to begin."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Everyone else in the room saw both Thomas and Emily return.

"Where were you two?" asked Zack.

"You okay?" added Ben.

Thomas didn't say a word. He walked past Gordon, Molly, Mavis, Toby, and Zack and approached the bed his best friend was lying in.

"What are you...?" Carlie began to ask.

"Shh..." hushed Emily, knowing exactly what her blue-haired friend was about to do.

Thomas could see that Percy's Duel Disk had come off his arm and carefully put it back on his friend's arm.

"Keep fighting, Percy." he said quietly. "Hang on like a True Duelist."

The blue-haired boy then turned around to leave.

"I have a duel to take part." Thomas stated. "I want all of you to stay here and look after Percy, Lady, and Duck."

"We will." nodded Molly.

Thomas exited the room and walked down the hallway.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Have faith." said a calm, soothing voice.

Ryan, feeling slightly surprised, turned and saw Ishizu walking up to him.

"Ms. Ishizu?"

"We still have the light of hope needed to disperse the darkness." The Egyptian woman pointed out.

Ryan glared in surprise at those words.

(elsewhere...)

Atop the Duel Tower, the platform began to rise up. Emily quickly jumped off and waited in the stand for the duel to begin.

"Good luck, Thomas!" The dark green-haired girl called out.

Thomas flashed his friend a quick smile... just before facing Spencer with his eyes narrowed.

"Percy, my best friend..." The blue-haired boy thought to himself, activating his Duel Disk. "I will win this duel for you... as a True Duelist!"

"I almost thought I'd win by default because of what happened to poor Percy." thought Spencer, smirking grandly. "It's nice to see that I was very wrong about that, and will get the duel I've been waiting for in months."

The referee stepped between the two duelists and raised his hand into the air.

"The second duel in the Battle City semi-finals will now begin!" The suit announced officially. "The duel is Thomas Billinton vs. Spencer Gresley!"

"It's time, Billinton!" shouted Spencer, drawing his opening hand before an image of Obelisk the Tormentor appeared behind him. "My Obelisk!"

Thomas drew his opening hand, while an image of Slifer the Sky Dragon appeared behind him.

"...or your Slifer!"

The two Egyptian God monsters were staring each other down.

"Our Gods are about to clash in the ultimate showdown!" Spencer finished dramatically.

"The winner of this duel will have two God cards." thought Thomas. "This will be the ultimate Ante of pride."

The two duelists stare each other down (LP: 4000). Down below, Emily knew this was gonna be big... VERY big indeed.

"Please be careful, Thomas." she thought.

"Now, since this is a very special rematch-" said Spencer. "-I plan to take you out in style in form of a suitable stage I've been preparing especially for this one duel." All of a sudden, he went and pressed a few buttons on his Duel Disk. "Activating the holographic scenery field!"

From there, the four pillars around the top of the tower began to transform into holo projectors of some sort. Once done, they began to activate solid vision-like light. The light surrounded the whole top of the Duel Tower.

"What is going-?" Thomas began, looking around in surprise.

"The battle of the Gods, and for the title of Duel King, will be held at one special place." explained Spencer. "And that place will be the..."

Finally, the light created a whole Roman coliseum-like stand all around the tower.

"Sky Duel Coliseum!"

Emily was amazed. "S-Sky Duel Coliseum?"

"Cinders and Ashes." muttered Thomas, looking around in amazement.

The holographic people in the stands were all cheering for both of the duelists! ...but mainly for Spencer.

"After countless conflicts-" explained Spencer. "-we will duel in the name of fate! Just like how the Romans of Ancient times fought within the Coliseum for their lives, pride, and freedom!" He then motioned his right hand out. "Now draw the sword from your deck!"

"What?! But I thought players who go first cannot draw a card?" Thomas protested.

The referee spoke up. "As requested by Master Spencer - for this duel only, you are allowed to draw on your first turn."

"Indeed." agreed Spencer. "Now begin your turn, Billinton, and let the fight begin!"

"Very well!" nodded Thomas fiercely, drawing a card. "My draw!"

* * *

 **Turn One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 54  
 **Current Hand** (6): Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, Collected Power, Magical Hats, Lightforce Sword, and Queen's Knight

* * *

He cast a fierce glance to his opponent.

"My drawn card is my sword." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "The Duel Disk is my shield. My deck... my pride and soul!" He then spoke aloud to Spencer. "Here I come, Spencer!"

"Let's do it, Thomas!" exclaimed Spencer in response.

And so the fated rematch begins...

"For my first card-" Thomas began, placing his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways). "-Queen's Knight in defense mode!"

The female Poker Knight appeared kneeling with her shield raised (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1600).

"And finally-" The blue-haired boy continued, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "-I set one card facedown."

A facedown card materialized behind Queen's Knight.

"My turn is over!"

"Now, it's my turn!" announced Spencer, drawing his card. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 54  
 **Current Hand** (6): Lullaby of Obedience, Power Balance, X-Head Cannon, Soul Exchange, Spell Sanctuary, and Obelisk the Tormentor

* * *

The silver-haired boy looked pleased to have drawn his Egyptian God card early on.

"Fate is on my side, as always..." he thought proudly. "All I need now is to gather three monsters onto my field to sacrifice." Spencer then took a card from his own hand and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!"

The familiar machine-type monster with twin cannons materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1500).

"I wonder what strategy Spencer will use against me now?" thought Thomas. "Likely not the Crush Card Virus/Virus Cannon strategy, as I know both the ins-and-outs of that kind of deck... Although I think he'll use the XYZ-Dragon Cannon strategy for sure."

Suddenly, a Spell card (Spell Sanctuary) materialized face-up.

"Now I activate a card you're very familiar with by now..." continued Spencer. "Spell Sanctuary!"

"That's the card he used against Sailor John." thought Thomas.

"As you likely know by now, you and I both must add a Spell card from our decks to our hands." Spencer explained. "In addition, any Spell cards we set facedown can be activated as Quick-Play Spell cards so long as Spell Sanctuary remains face-up on the field." He then pointed at Thomas. "So now... choose your Spell card!"

Thomas took his deck out from the Duel Disk, searched through it carefully, before finally choosing the Change of Heart Spell card.

"I wonder why Spencer would allow me to add Change of Heart to my hand so easily?" he thought to himself, looking at his opponent curiously. "Of course, he might have added a Spell card to his own hand that could hurt me badly."

Nearby, Spencer took a card from his deck and added it to his hand. Thomas merely stared at the silver-haired boy silently as he continued with his turn.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn." finished Spencer, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "By the way, I also took the liberty of having our long awaited rematch broadcast worldwide... That way, everyone will witness my victory!"

Below the platform, Emily looked around and, sure enough, there was the referee flipping on the switch of some console nearby.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, back in Knapford City on the Island of Sodor; many TV screens in stores changed channels to show Thomas and Spencer's duel in the Sky Duel Coliseum.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, Spencer was smiling gleefully to himself...

"You're done on my next turn." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "With Soul Exchange already added to my hand, and Enemy Controller facedown, I'll have all the sacrifices I need to summon the God of your destruction - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

(elsewhere...)

Down where the blimp was, a voice could be heard coming from inside the airship.

"How's it coming along, Skiff?" came the voice of James R..

(elsewhere...)

Inside the cockpit, Skiff was busy trying to contact help from Boxford Corp...but was having no such luck. Discord, Matt, Michael, James R., Zack, and Carlie were all also present.

"Not too good." sighed the younger boy.

"What's wrong?" asked Zack.

"Is something the matter?" added Matt.

"For some reason-" explained Skiff, speaking into a set of headphones. "-I'm getting an interference."

"Keep trying, Skiff." Carlie pleaded. "Our friends need to get to a proper hospital now!"

"We're doing everything we can."

Suddenly, Michael approached and took hold of the headphones from the younger boy.

"Let me see those." he insisted, and began to speak into them. "Hey! Can anyone hear me? Answer me! S.O.S.! We have an injured person on Boxford Corp Island! Respond!"

Sadly, no luck.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room, Liz was still seated by her younger brother's side, gripping his left hand as gently as possible.

"When will this madness end?" asked Liz sadly.

"Who knows?" Edward answered, walking over towards the blonde-haired young woman and her husband. "Right now, our main enemy is Marik's dark side."

"Yeah." agreed Ryan. "After that life-draining duel... I wonder where he could be right now?"

Good question. Let's see...

(elsewhere...)

Inside the bathroom of his room, Dark Marik was busy rinsing his whole head in cold water. Once he was all finished, The evil man turned off the tap, shook his head, and smirked darkly into the mirror.

"Spencer and Thomas... Obelisk vs. Slifer..." Dark Marik remarked to himself.

Leaving the bathroom, he left his room and walked down the hall towards the blimp exit.

"This is a battle I want to see with my own eyes."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, the holographic crowd was still chanting the name ' _Spencer!_ ' repeatedly...while both duelists stared each other down. Finally, Thomas made a move.

"It's my turn now, Spencer!" he declared, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 52  
 **Current Hand** (6): Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, Collected Power, Magical Hats, Change of Heart, and Alpha The Magnet Warrior

* * *

Thomas's current hand consisted of Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, Collected Power, Magical Hats, Change of Heart, and the added Alpha The Magnet Warrior.

"X-Head Cannon is much stronger than my Queen's Knight-" Thomas thought to himself. "-yet Spencer decided not to try and attack just yet. He's either being wary of my set card... or he's stalling until he has the tributes he needs to summon Obelisk."

From there, he took a card from his hand and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"Alpha The Magnet Warrior in defense mode!"

The green-hued magnet warrior came forth kneeling in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1700), joining Queen's Knight in defending the blue-haired boy from an attack by Spencer... Thomas then took and slotted another card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I also set one more card facedown and end my turn!"

A second facedown card materialized behind his monsters. Spencer merely watched and gave a smug smile in response.

"I'll teach you how foolish it is to play low level monsters like that against me." he thought to himself. Finally, the silver-haired boy drew his card... "My turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 52  
 **Current Hand** (5): Lullaby of Obedience, Power Balance, Soul Exchange, Obelisk the Tormentor, and Interdimensional Matter Transporter

* * *

Spencer's current hand consisted of Lullaby of Obedience, Power Balance, Soul Exchange, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the added Interdimensional Matter Transporter.

"You will bow before the God of the Obelisk, Billinton..." The silver-haired boy thought to himself, just before taking another card from his hand and speaking aloud... "For my turn, I'll activate the Spell card Soul Exchange!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up, causing Thomas to scowl. Down below, however, Emily gave a gasp at what was about to happen...

"This allows me to use your own monsters in a tribute summon." explained Spencer, just before pointing forth at Thomas's side of the duel field. "Queen's Knight, Alpha The Magnet Warrior, come to me!"

Against their wills, both of Thomas's monsters were both taken directly to Spencer's side of the field.

"Now I have the monsters I need to sacrifice!"

"Oh no, you don't!" snapped Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Change of Heart!"

The blue-haired boy's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before glowing all white.

"This Spell card allows me to take control of one of your monsters for the rest of this turn!" explained Thomas. "...like your own X-Head Cannon!"

X-Head Cannon went over to Thomas's side of the field.

"Sorry, Spencer, but I won't let you summon Obelisk that easily!"

Spencer looked stunned for a moment... but then he gave a small smile.

"Heh! So you've figured out my little strategy... but I'm afraid you're also greatly mistakened, Billinton." The silver-haired boy said slowly, just before motioning his hand to the nearby set card. "Facedown card, open!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Enemy Controller!"

"What?!" Thomas cried out.

"Now all I have to do is punch in the correct sequence and I can use the effect of my card to either gain control of one of your own monsters, or destroy it instead." said Spencer, taking a life point hit (LP: 3000). "All I have to do is give up 1000 life points! As for the code itself... Left! Right! A! B!"

A large video game-like controller immediately appeared out of the Enemy Controller Quick-Play Spell card and automatically put in the command Spencer gave it. Once it was done, a cable flew from it, connecting to X-Head Cannon. The monster then went back over to Spencer's side of the field.

"Now I possess three sacrifices once more."

Thomas grimaced in response. "Is he gonna summon Obelisk this soon?" he thought to himself.

"And now, I sacrifice Queen's Knight, Alpha The Magnet Warrior, and X-Head Cannon!" announced Spencer dramatically, holding up a card. "Come forth - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

A large arm of light shot from the Soul Exchange card, grasping all three monsters as the sacrificing process began. While both X-Head Cannon and Alpha The Magnet Warrior merely grimaced and/or flinched from being absorbed like this, Queen's Knight screamed in pain instead. Thomas couldn't stand to see any of his ' _own_ ' monsters hurting.

"I won't let you hurt my monsters like this!" he declared, holding out an empty hand. "Go Lightforce Sword!"

The blue-haired boy's last facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before shooting a sword out. The sword soared forth...and pierced the very card Spencer was just about to play...and slammed it nearby.

"W-What?!"

"My Quick-Play Spell card has successfully taken your Egyptian God out of play for at least three turns." explained Thomas. "Now that you have no monster to tribute summon for the effect of your Soul Exchange card, both of my monsters return to my side of the field."

Soul Exchange shorted out and both of Thomas's monsters returned to him.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, a bit concerned.

Queen's Knight and Alpha The Magnet Warrior both turned around and gave a quick nod. Meanwhile, Spencer was cross...but only briefly.

"Always caring about your monsters." The silver-haired boy remarked coolly. "But face it, Billinton! You'll have to face Obelisk sooner or later!"

"Before or after I summon Slifer?" asked Thomas in a cheeky way.

"Joke all you want, but know that I still have the upper hand!"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room of the blimp, all was quiet. Liz and Ryan were both still watching over Percy. Everyone else was watching over Duck and Lady. Finally, Henry spoke up...

"How long has it been?"

"Half an hour." said Gordon.

James was getting into a tizzy. "AUGH! When will Skiff come back with news on when a helicopter will come?!"

"Be patient, James." said Edward. "We're just as concerned about it as you are."

At this point, Ishizu left the room and walked down the hallway.

"It's too quiet." she thought. "Almost like silence before a huge storm."

Finally, the Egyptian woman arrived at an elevator.

"This is a battle between two Egyptian God card owners. The battle ahead will bound to get vicious." Once the door opened, Ishizu entered it. "What will happen once it starts?"

The door closes.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower...and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Emily was still watching the duel.

"Thomas was able to stop Spencer from summoning Obelisk." The dark green-haired girl thought to herself. "But Spencer does still have a point though - he currently has the upper hand. X-Head Cannon is stronger than either of Thomas's monsters. What will he do now?"

On the platform, Spencer looked to his right and glanced at the sealed Obelisk card.

"I almost had Billinton." he thought crossly. "With my God card sealed for three turns, I'll have to find a new way to summon Obelisk before he can summon Slifer!" The silver-haired boy then spoke up. "Billinton, it's your turn now!"

"Alright then!" Thomas stated, drawing his card. "Now!"

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 51  
 **Current Hand** (5): Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, Collected Power, Magical Hats, and Life Shaver

* * *

Now his hand consisted of Big Shield Gardna, Exchange, Collected Power, Magical Hats, and the drawn Life Shaver card.

"Since I've sealed off Obelisk-" thought Thomas. "-Spencer will no doubt try to take Slifer from my deck. I'd better be ready just in case he tries something like that." He then took one card from his hand. "Because my monsters are not strong enough to attack, I'll place one card facedown!"

A facedown card materialized.

"In addition, I'll leave my monsters in defense mode and end my turn!"

"Pah! If you keep staling like that, then your Lightforce Sword will fade away very quickly!" Spencer criticized, making Thomas scowl once again. The silver-haired boy, however, seemed to have a totally different plan in mind... "No... I won't even need three turns to defeat you with Obelisk."

Down below in the staircase, meanwhile, Dark Marik was on his way up the tower to watch the duel.

"Time to see what those fools are up to." he said to himself.

A few seconds later, the evil man emerged from the holographic wall of the coliseum stands. Emily, who was standing nearby, turned and immediately noticed him.

"It's Marik!" The dark green-haired girl gasped to herself. "What's he doing here?"

And unfortunately, Dark Marik immediately saw Emily and smirked darkly.

"Why, hello there, my dear." The evil man greeted smoothly. "Why do you look so surprised to see me?"

Emily was too scared to reply back, causing Dark Marik to chuckle darkly in response.

"Be lucky that I am only here to witness Thomas and Spencer's ' _friendly_ ' duel. I don't actually plan on hurting someone like you right now."

Emily felt rather relieved... yet remained very aware with Dark Marik's presence (for obvious reasons). The evil man then turned his attention towards the duel with interest...

"Oh? So Spencer's Obelisk the Tormentor has been pinned down by a sealing strategy, eh?" mused Dark Marik. "But Thomas can't get an attack off right now, either. I wonder which Egyptian God monster will be summoned first? And who will win the duel...and have the misfortune of being buried in the darkness by me?" His smile grew darker. "Either way, heh heh heh, I'll be the one who kills Thomas!"

Emily overheard that comment and grew quite angry—yet remained silent about it. Back on the platform...

"It's my turn!" announced Spencer, drawing a card. "Look out, you!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 51  
 **Current Hand** (4): Lullaby of Obedience, Power Balance, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, and Y-Dragon Head

 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : 3 turns

* * *

Immediately, he placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (beside the X-Head Cannon card).

"Behold the union monster Y-Dragon Head!"

Appearing to the field was the red, robotic dragon (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"I knew he was gonna do something like that sooner or later..." groaned Thomas to himself.

Unfortunately, he was right...

"Now I shall activate the effect of Y-Dragon Head and merge it with X-Head Cannon!" announced Spencer.

In a flash of light and electricity, X-Head Cannon was riding Y-Dragon Head (Level: 6/ATK: 2200).

"XY-Dragon Cannon!"

XY-Dragon Cannon gazed down at the two monsters on Thomas's side of the field.

"Just one more to go and I'll have XYZ-Dragon Cannon all summoned!" Spencer stated gleefully. "From there, nothing will be able to stop me from winning the duel!"

Thomas stood his ground, despite looking a bit agitated at the moment. Off of the platform, Emily silently watched her blue-haired friend in worry.

"Now attack Billinton's Magnet Warrior!" commanded Spencer. "Hyper Destruction!"

XY-Dragon Cannon obeyed, firing a twin blast from the cannons on X-Head Cannon's shoulders.

"Go down, you pathetic weaklings!"

Alpha The Magnet Warrior was hit by the blasts and got destroyed in an explosion. Thomas grimaced, but thankfully lost no life points (LP: 4000).

"Although my monster was destroyed, my life points were spared from damage." he thought. "But if Spencer summons Obelisk... its attack of 4000 can easily crush me into oblivion."

Meanwhile, Spencer had begun to laugh a little bit.

"Does it scare you that my sealed Obelisk will be freed in just three turns?" The silver-haired boy asked teasingly. "But what if I told you that I ' ** _don't_** ' have to wait? This is because the almighty Egyptian Gods only serve the ultimate duelist!"

Thomas raised an eyebrow in response. What on Earth was that silver-haired boy even talking about? Emily was curious about it, too. However...

"True indeed. That analysis is right on the mark." Dark Marik commented, arms folded. "However, that ' _strongest_ ' person isn't you, Spencer..."

Back on the platform...

"You may have stopped me from summoning Obelisk." Spencer continued, taking a card from his hand. "But thanks to this Spell card, I'll be able to take Slifer from you!" He held it out for Thomas to see. "I activate Lullaby of Obedience!"

Thomas gave a small gasp of worry.

"By giving up 1000 life points-" explained Spencer (LP: 2000). "-I can take a high level monster from your deck, and add it to my hand so long as I correctly guess the name of it. And I know you have it... Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Thomas grimaced over the fact his rival guessed his card correctly. Off the platform, Emily was more worried now.

"Oh no." she thought. "Now Spencer will have an even bigger advantage."

Spencer walked over to Thomas's side of the field as the blue-haired boy took his deck out.

"Since I guessed right, you have to give me Slifer the Sky Dragon."

As Thomas went through his deck, he discovered Slifer was near the bottom—much to Spencer's amusement.

"So you probably never would have drawn it." he snickered, taking the card. "That's too bad."

Thomas merely handed his card to his rival silently.

"So Spencer has gotten his hands on two God cards now." observed Dark Marik, sounding rather interested right now. "What a whirl of comedy!"

Back on the platform, Spencer arrived back at his spot and turned around to do some more gloating.

"How does it feel, Billinton-" The silver-haired boy asked. "-to lose your God card without me making too much of an effort?"

Suddenly, the blue-haired boy grinned with triumph. "I should really thank you for that... I had actually expected you to try and take it from me."

"Nonsense!"

"The moment you took Slifer the Sky Dragon from me-" continued Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "-you fell into a little trap of my own." The last set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Exchange!"

"No!" gasped Spencer. "Not Exchange!"

"You should remember this card, Spencer. I used this card against Percy when he was possessed by Marik."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Before long, the Exchange Spell card materialized face-up.

"I play the Spell card Exchange!"

"Exchange?" asked Percy (possessed).

"This Spell allows us to exchange one card in our hands," explained Thomas, as he started to walk over and show his current hand.

"Hmph! It does not matter what cards the fool has." thought Marik. "My mind slave cannot be beaten that easily."

As soon as he got close enough, Percy gasped at a certain card he saw in Thomas's hand.

"It...can't...be!"

The card in question was Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Red-Eyes?" asked Percy in his normal voice.

"Yes, Percy, it is your Red-Eyes." Thomas said softly.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"It was thanks to that card I was able to slowly break him free from Marik's control." Thomas continued. "And now, Spencer, you will HAVE to give Slifer back to me now!"

Spencer growled as he made his way back over towards Thomas's side.

"Here!" The silver-haired boy handed the God card back to Thomas, who took it without wasting a second.

"Now you choose a card." The blue-haired boy offered, showing his rival his current hand.

After a few moments, Spencer reached at Thomas's hand and took the Life Shaver Trap card.

"Thanks for the help, Spencer." teased Thomas. "Now I have Slifer the Sky Dragon added to my hand."

"Yeah, you do." muttered Spencer to himself.

Oh, but had the blue-haired boy even stopped right there...

"Actually, I'll let you in on a little secret; I had been secretly planning on taking Obelisk from you with Exchange from the very beginning of this duel before you made me use Lightforce Sword to seal the God card away for three turns. Had you not tried to summon your monster earlier, or used Lullaby of Obedience to try and take Slifer the Sky Dragon away, Obelisk the Tormentor would have been serving me right about now...and not you!"

An enraged Spencer arrived back at his spot on the field and merely cursed in response. The crowd in the stands soon began to chant ' _Thomas_!' instead of ' _Spencer_!'. Who will win in this great rematch? Who knows... it has only just begun!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	64. Sky Duel Coliseum (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"It has begun... my big rematch against Spencer. So far, he has been trying to summon forth his Egyptian God monster as quickly as possible...without any success."

"For my turn, I'll activate the Spell card Soul Exchange!" announced Spencer, taking and holding another card out.

The mentioned card materialized face-up, causing Thomas to scowl. Down below, however, Emily gave a gasp at what was about to happen...

"This allows me to use your own monsters in a tribute summon." explained Spencer, just before pointing forth at Thomas's side of the duel field. "Queen's Knight, Alpha The Magnet Warrior, come to me!"

Against their wills, both of Thomas's monsters were both taken directly to Spencer's side of the field.

"Now I have the monsters I need to sacrifice!"

"Oh no, you don't!" snapped Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate Change of Heart!"

The blue-haired boy's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before glowing all white.

"This Spell card allows me to take control of one of your monsters for the rest of this turn!" explained Thomas. "...like your own X-Head Cannon!"

X-Head Cannon went over to Thomas's side of the field.

"Sorry, Spencer, but I won't let you summon Obelisk that easily!"

Spencer looked stunned for a moment... but then he gave a small smile.

"Heh! So you've figured out my little strategy... but I'm afraid you're also greatly mistakened, Billinton." The silver-haired boy said slowly, just before motioning his hand to the nearby set card. "Facedown card, open!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Enemy Controller!"

"What?!" Thomas cried out.

"Now all I have to do is punch in the correct sequence and I can use the effect of my card to either gain control of one of your own monsters, or destroy it instead." said Spencer, taking a life point hit (LP: 3000). "All I have to do is give up 1000 life points! As for the code itself... Left! Right! A! B!"

A large video game-like controller immediately appeared out of the Enemy Controller Quick-Play Spell card and automatically put in the command Spencer gave it. Once it was done, a cable flew from it, connecting to X-Head Cannon. The monster then went back over to Spencer's side of the field.

"Now I possess three sacrifices once more."

Thomas grimaced in response. "Is he gonna summon Obelisk this soon?" he thought to himself.

"And now, I sacrifice Queen's Knight, Alpha The Magnet Warrior, and X-Head Cannon!" announced Spencer dramatically, holding up a card. "Come forth - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

A large arm of light shot from the Soul Exchange card, grasping all three monsters as the sacrificing process began. While both X-Head Cannon and Alpha The Magnet Warrior merely grimaced and/or flinched from being absorbed like this, Queen's Knight screamed in pain instead. Thomas couldn't stand to see any of his ' _own_ ' monsters hurting.

"I won't let you hurt my monsters like this!" he declared, holding out an empty hand. "Go Lightforce Sword!"

The blue-haired boy's last facedown card flipped up and revealed itself before shooting a sword out. The sword soared forth...and pierced the very card Spencer was just about to play...and slammed it nearby.

"W-What?!"

"My Quick-Play Spell card has successfully taken your Egyptian God out of play for at least three turns." explained Thomas. "Now that you have no monster to tribute summon for the effect of your Soul Exchange card, both of my monsters return to my side of the field."

Soul Exchange shorted out and both of Thomas's monsters returned to him.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, a bit concerned.

Queen's Knight and Alpha The Magnet Warrior both turned around and gave a quick nod. Meanwhile, Spencer was cross...but only briefly.

"Too bad Spencer didn't let up with his attempts to summon a God monster."

"You may have stopped me from summoning Obelisk." Spencer continued, taking a card from his hand. "But thanks to this Spell card, I'll be able to take Slifer from you! I activate Lullaby of Obedience!"

Thomas gave a small gasp of worry.

"By giving up 1000 life points-" explained Spencer (LP: 2000). "-I can take a high level monster from your deck, and add it to my hand so long as I correctly guess the name of it. And I know you have it... Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Thomas grimaced over the fact his rival guessed his card correctly. Off the platform, Emily was more worried now.

"Oh no." she thought. "Now Spencer will have an even bigger advantage."

Spencer walked over to Thomas's side of the field as the blue-haired boy took his deck out.

"Since I guessed right, you have to give me Slifer the Sky Dragon."

As Thomas went through his deck, he discovered Slifer was near the bottom—much to Spencer's amusement.

"So you probably never would have drawn it." he snickered, taking the card. "That's too bad."

Thomas merely handed his card to his rival silently. Spencer soon arrived back at his spot and turned around to do some more gloating.

"How does it feel, Billinton-" The silver-haired boy asked. "-to lose your God card without me making too much of an effort?"

"Thankfully, I foiled his sneaky plan just as quickly."

"The moment you took Slifer the Sky Dragon from me-" said Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "-you fell into a little trap of my own." The last set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Exchange!"

"No!" gasped Spencer. "Not Exchange!"

"And now, Spencer, you will HAVE to give Slifer back to me now!"

Spencer growled as he made his way back over towards Thomas's side.

"Here!" The silver-haired boy handed the God card back to Thomas, who took it without wasting a second.

"Now you choose a card." The blue-haired boy offered, showing his rival his current hand.

After a few moments, Spencer reached at Thomas's hand and took the Life Shaver Trap card.

"Thanks for the help, Spencer." teased Thomas. "Now I have Slifer the Sky Dragon added to my hand."

An enraged Spencer arrived back at his spot on the field and merely cursed in response. The crowd in the stands soon began to chant ' _Thomas_!' instead of ' _Spencer_!'. Who will win in this great rematch? Who knows... it has only just begun!

"Of course, I know it's far too soon to rejoice. I still have a long way to go if I want to win this duel and earn another God card."

* * *

 **Title: Sky Duel Coliseum, Part 2**

* * *

Over at the Duel Tower, lots of cheers were coming from the holographic Coliseum at the very top of the building. How come? That's easy. Thomas and Spencer were both engaged in their big rematch.

Inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Thomas had Queen's Knight on his side of the field, and Spencer had XY-Dragon Cannon on his side of the field.

"Thanks to Exchange, I've added Slifer the Sky Dragon to my hand." Thomas pointed out, holding up his card. "Obelisk will also still serve you for the time being."

Spencer merely glared in response... but then started smiling. "I'll return Slifer to you for now, Billinton." he thought. "But in the end, I'll win it from you, anyway!" The silver-haired boy then looked over to his sealed God card. "In a few more turns, Obelisk will be freed from your Lightforce Sword card." He then glanced over to his XY-Dragon Cannon monster. "In the meantime, I'll use my monster to wipe out any monsters you care to summon. Two turns is all I need to gather the sacrifices I'll need to summon Obelisk."

Thomas, however, began to worry about a new problem...

"Even though I got Slifer back-" he thought. "-Exchange helped Spencer, too. It helped him by letting him take my Life Shaver Trap card."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Spencer growled as he made his way back over to Thomas's side.

"Here!" The silver-haired boy handed the God card back to Thomas, who took it without wasting a second.

"Now you choose a card." The blue-haired boy offered, showing his rival his current hand.

After a few moments, Spencer reached at Thomas's hand and took the Life Shaver Trap card.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended. Looking at the card he had recently gotten, Spencer gave a sly grin and slipped it into his hand.

"Life Shaver is a dangerous Trap card that forces the opposing player to discard a number of cards from their hand depending on how long it has been set facedown by the user before activation. This makes it a ' _Hand Elimination_ ' card." Thomas thought some more. "To make matters even worse, Slifer's attack and defense stats both depend on how many cards I'm currently holding. If Life Shaver is set facedown for enough turns, Spencer could potentially wipe out my entire hand and make Slifer as good as useless." The blue-haired boy braced himself a bit. "I don't know if he'll set Life Shaver this turn, but it's a possibility."

Off the platform, Emily and Dark Marik were both watching the duel still.

"So Billinton's tricked Spencer into helping him get Slifer to his hand." said Dark Marik. "Impressive."

Emily, however, was not as reassured by the matter.

"Spencer must've gotten a strong card from Thomas." she thought. "Otherwise, Thomas wouldn't be looking so worried right now."

On the platform...

"Now, Billinton! It's your turn now!" announced Spencer.

"Very well!" said Thomas, drawing his card. "Here goes!"

Both duelists faced each other rigidly (LP: 2000)/(LP: 4000).

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 49  
 **Current Hand** (5): Big Shield Gardna, Collected Power, Magical Hats, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Soul Rope

* * *

Suddenly, Big Shield Gardna materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 100/DEF: 2600).

"Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" Thomas declared, just before slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Finally I'll place a card facedown and end my turn!"

A facedown card materialized. An image of the XY-Dragon Cannon monster was shown beside Thomas.

"All I can do for now is defend myself from Spencer's XY-Dragon Cannon." he thought. "My Big Shield Gardna's defense of 2600 should be enough to stall XY-Dragon Cannon for the time being."

"Hmph! Looks like all you can do is defend!" Spencer insulted. "I can defeat you even if my God card is sealed away!"

Off the duel platform, Dark Marik was amused with the situation.

"Two more turns." he commented loudly.

That remark caught Emily's attention and caused her to look towards the evil man curiously.

"Two turns?"

"Obelisk will return to Spencer's hand in just two more turns." explained Dark Marik. "From there, he will likely summon the God immediately. Once that happens, Thomas won't have a snowball's chance in the underworld in summoning Slifer...or of winning for that matter."

"Dream on, you lunatic!" snapped Emily.

"Oh, but I want him to win."

The dark green-haired girl gasped in surprise. "What?! Why?"

Dark Marik chuckled. "He must continue to grow... before I sacrifice him to the depths of darkness! It wouldn't be any fun for me if he's defeated in the semi-finals..."

The twisted psychopath then licked his lips while thinking all about the pain he would delightfully cause Thomas. Emily looked positively disgusted with the evil man, but said nothing about it.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the tower and inside the medical room of the blimp, everything was quiet...and Mavis didn't like it one bit.

"I'm getting worried." she commented aloud.

"Is something the matter, Mavis?" asked Molly.

"Oh, never mind." The blonde-haired girl insisted hastily. "Forget I said anything."

"If you're worried-" Ben spoke up. "-then you're not alone; I am, too."

"I just want all this trouble to just end." said Mavis in an upset tone. "And what about Discord and the others? We should have some news soon."

"We're pretty far from any nearby land." James pointed out. "Maybe the radio isn't able to contact any help."

"Does this mean a helicopter...won't be coming?" asked Liz, getting upset again. "No... My little brother...!"

The poor blonde-haired young woman began to cry once more as Ryan held her in his arms to comfort her.

"Nice going..." sighed Edward.

"Sorry." apologized James.

Ben looked over to the crying Liz. "Please don't cry, Liz." he said kindly. "I'm sure Percy will soon wake up."

"Yeah!" agreed Toby. "Just hang in there."

"Wake up? He could possibly be dead!" James blurted out without thinking...again.

"James!" scolded Molly.

Gordon quickly elbowed the red-haired boy in the stomach to shut him up.

"Do you WANT Liz to feel even worse than before?" The tall, blue-haired boy asked harshly.

James looked ashamed with himself for upsetting Liz like that. It was then Henry spoke up...

"We just have to believe Percy can pull through this. That's all we can do now."

Everyone continued to look after the coma induced Percy, as well as both Lady and Duck.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the cockpit, Skiff was still trying to use the radio and contact help from Boxford Corp.

"Come in Boxford Corp." The young boy said desperately. "Boxford Corp, can you read me?"

Still nothing happened.

"Nothing?" asked Discord.

"Nothing." sighed Skiff.

"Why don't we just fly them to the hospital ourselves?" demanded James R..

"I've already told you that we can't leave the island now." Skiff pointed out. "Spencer insists that the Battle City tournament will continue whether we like it or not."

(elsewhere...)

As the discussion went on, two people could be seen in the hallway overhearing the conversation going on. Those two someones were both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and they were deeply dismayed with what they were hearing.

"Spencer has gone too far this time." whispered Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"I know." agreed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "He's practically become the one person we vowed to never let him become."

"Our adopted Father."

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room, Odion was still in bed and in his coma when Ishizu finally returned to try and talk to her adopted brother.

"I wish you were awake to witness this moment." The Egyptian woman pleaded. "The Pharaoh's ancient struggle is playing itself out again. Everything is happening just as the ancient scriptures predicted almost 3000 years ago. Two of the three chosen ones are locked in combat, while their Gods are about to rise...and clash."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Ishizu had lead Skiff and Spencer both to a pair of stone carvings.

"Behold! These stone tablets depict the earliest known game played in Egypt—the origin of Duel Monsters." announced the woman.

Spencer and Skiff both took a took and gasped.

"Oh, wow!" breathed Skiff.

"It can't be!" came from Spencer.

The carvings on the stone looked like Duel Monsters cards. Ishizu's story was true!

"The ancients believed that natural disasters, war and suffering were caused by demons of the heart." said Ishizu. "The Pharaoh had his sorcerers carve the demons onto stone tablets and sealed them away."

"You must be joking." Spencer replied, shaking his head in denial. "This can't be true!"

"I don't know, Spencer." Skiff stated. "It sounds very true to me."

"If you don't believe my words, Spencer." said Ishizu. "Then I would suggest that you take a good look at the carvings up close."

Try as he could, Spencer could not deny what he was seeing.

"Take a look at the second carving." continued Ishizu, gesturing to the second carving. "This is the reason I've called you here. This carving depicts the Pharaoh and his greatest opponent. Perhaps this might give you inspiration, as it did Discord."

Spencer looked at the second carving and gasped when he saw that the Pharaoh looked incredibly familiar.

"Great balls of fire!" he cried. His eyes became bloodshot. "That's Thomas Billinton!"

"What?!" Skiff gawked, also taking a closer look. "It is Thomas! -but, who's that above him?"

"The Dark Magician." answered Ishizu.

"This is unbelievable." Spencer exclaimed. "Thomas being related to a Pharaoh?"

"The Pharaoh's opponent in this carving was a priest." said Ishizu, gesturing to the other side of the carving. "That priest was you, Spencer Gresley."

Another look of shock appeared on Spencer's face. Sure enough, the other person in the carving was someone who looked exactly like him.

"Again, if you don't trust my words, take a look at the monster the priest used." Ishizu continued. "It's the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Spencer was just stunned by this.

"Now take a look at the carvings at the top of the stone." Ishizu continued.

The two boys obeyed and did so, as the woman continued to explain.

"According to legends-" she began. "-there were three spirits that protected the people of Egypt. They are known as the Egyptian Gods."

One carving showed a huge, muscular creature.

"Obelisk the Tormentor."

The second showed a large serpent-like dragon with two mouths.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon."

And the third was a dragon too, but it looked like it had a more birdlike face.

"And The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Wow..." gasped Skiff.

"And now, I have something to give you." Ishizu continued, holding up a card. "One that I think you might like."

Spencer nodded and took the card. Once he saw what it was, he was shocked once again.

"This is Obelisk the Tormentor!" he cried. "How did this become a card?"

"Discord created the game Duel Monsters." said Ishizu. "While doing so, he also made the Egyptian Gods into cards."

"But why didn't he ever use them?" asked Spencer.

"Discord feared their power and worried he wouldn't be able to control them." explained Ishizu. "Whoever holds these cards can become the ultimate duelist. You may borrow Obelisk for the tournament, but I will expect it back."

"How do you know I'll return a powerful card like this?" asked Spencer smugly.

"Because I have complete trust in you."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Ishizu looked out the nearby window...towards the Duel Tower.

"It's Thomas and Spencer's connection to the past that allows them each to wield an Egyptian God card." she thought. "But no one now knows the outcome of their ancestors' ancient duel."

A vision ensured.

* * *

 **VISION**

A 15-year old Atem, wearing the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, gazed at the 18-year old Seto, who wielded the Millennium Rod.

"Why did it have to come to this?" asked Atem.

"Why else?" Seto replied. "Fate has decided to do this!"

(new scene...)

The vision warped into the duel between Thomas and Spencer inside the Sky Duel Coliseum.

"Why did it have to come to this?" asked Thomas.

"Why else?" Spencer replied. "Fate has decided to do this!"

 **END VISION**

* * *

The vision ended with Ishizu closing her eyes.

"What will happen after this?" she thought, before approaching and laying a soft hand onto Odion's forehead. "All we can do is watch silently...and hope for the best."

The Egyptian woman knelt before her brother's bed and began to pray for the safety of everyone aboard the ship.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, the cheers of ' _Thomas!_ ' and ' _Spencer!_ ' were as loud as ever. Thomas (LP: 4000) and Spencer (LP: 2000) were gazing at each other as the duel continued.

"Before he can even think of playing Slifer-" thought Spencer. "-my XY-Dragon Cannon will crush all of his weak monsters one-by-one. No matter exactly how I do it, Billinton won't ever get to summon his God monster! ...because ' _I_ ' will be the one to summon my own!"

Thomas merely gave a small grunt.

"It's my turn!" announced the silver-haired boy, drawing from his deck. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 50  
 **Current Hand** (4): Power Balance, Interdimensional Matter Transporter, Life Shaver, and Z-Metal Tank  
 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : 1 turn

* * *

Spencer snickered once he saw he had drawn his Z-Metal Tank monster card.

"Like strings to a puppet, everything is moving exactly the way I want them to!" The silver-haired boy thought to himself, just before adding his new card to his hand and taking another card and slotting it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I set a card facedown!"

A facedown card materialized. Thomas thought he knew exactly what it was.

"That facedown card HAS to be Life Shaver!" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "If not, then what else could it be?"

"Finally, I summon Z-Metal Tank in attack mode!" continued Spencer, slamming his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

The familiar z-tank monster appeared beside XY-Dragon Cannon (Level: 4/ATK: 1500).

"Oh no." muttered Thomas to himself. He knew what was coming next...

"Now I shall merge Z-Metal Tank with my XY-Dragon Cannon!" declared Spencer. "Begin combining, now!"

XY-Dragon Cannon transformed even further and combined with Z-Metal Tank. The ultimate form of the three monsters was now complete (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2600).

" ** _XYZ-Dragon Cannon_**!"

Now Thomas was more worried than ever before.

"Not that monster again." he groaned, briefly going into his thoughts. "And at the last time I faced it, I just barely beat it."

"That's right." smirked Spencer. "The same monster I used against you in our very first duel. But this time, you have no chance of winning! And with Obelisk about to be freed on my next turn... Well, I don't have to say anything about that."

Off the platform, Dark Marik yet again chuckled in amusement.

"Not too shabby, Spencer." The evil man thought to himself. "I'd expect nothing less from the guy who defeated my elder sister."

Back on the platform...

"At the moment, your Queen's Knight has the lowest defense." said Spencer arrogantly. "She would be an easy target for my Dragon Cannon."

Both Thomas and Queen's Knight glared at the silver-haired boy's remark.

"However-" Spencer went on. "-I'll let her live this turn. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack and blow away Billinton's Big Shield Gardna!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon obeyed and began to charge its cannons.

"Cannon Firestorm!"

Two blasts of plasma fired out and shattered Big Shield Gardna. Thomas winced from the force of the attack while Spencer laughed like a villain.

"And there was only one..." he said, eyeing Thomas's lone Queen's Knight. "Next turn, I'll get Obelisk back and...call him out!"

Thomas recovered and...gave a smile.

"Thank you very much, Spencer." The blue-haired boy said in a teasing tone. "You destroyed my Big Shield Gardna instead of Queen's Knight... and fell into my trap."

Spencer's eyes widened. "What are you-?!"

"Facedown card, open!" announced Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate a Trap card - Soul Rope!"

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"S-Soul Rope?" winced Spencer, looking aghast.

"That's right." confirmed Thomas, taking a life point hit (LP: 3000). "Since you've destroyed a monster on my field, I can give up 1000 life points to special summon a level 4 monster in its place." He took his deck out of the Duel Disk, selected and held a card out. "And I choose this one; King's Knight!"

The familiar male Poker Knight appeared beside Queen's Knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"No! Not King's Knight!" Spencer panicked, knowing where this was leading to.

"And when these two monsters are in play-" began Thomas, just as another card slid out of his deck. "-I can also special summon from my hand or deck their fellow comrade - Jack's Knight!"

"The Three Musketeers of Face Cards?!"

"Correct." Thomas confirmed once more. "Back when we first dueled, I never really got the chance to put them to good use against you, Spencer. But now...I can!" The blue-haired boy readied his card before placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Jack's Knight!"

The third Poker Knight appeared to the field and joined his two comrades (Level: 5/ATK: 1900).

"Now I have my three monsters to tribute!"

Spencer's eyes went bloodshot. "Even in this situation where I was completely on top of my game... Billinton still managed to stay ahead of me!" he thought.

"And now it's my turn!" Thomas declared, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 46  
 **Current Hand** (4): Collected Power, Magical Hats, Slifer the Sky Dragon, and Pot of Greed

* * *

Immediately, he began to make his big play.

"Alright, Spencer-" began Thomas. "-you wanted to face the power of Slifer, now you're getting your wish." He prepared to play the Egyptian God card from his hand. "I sacrifice my three knights to summon my Egyptian God... SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

The three Poker Knights faded away, while Thomas's body turned all purple - which gave him massive amounts of power. Finally, the purple left the blue-haired boy and shot out of the coliseum into the darkened sky. Spencer, Dark Marik, and even Emily all watched what was happening.

"Where is it?" Dark Marik demanded impatiently.

Suddenly, bolts of lightning cracked from the sky as a familiar serpent-shaped dragon began to descend from the darkened clouds.

"There it is..." whispered Emily.

Slifer the Sky Dragon had finally lowered into the stadium (Level: 10/ATK: 3000/DEF: 3000).

(elsewhere...)

Back on Sodor, Slifer's summon had just been shown. Lots of people were very shocked and surprised at the sight of the powerful monster. None more so than Thomas's own family...who were out for a family stroll in streets of Knapford city when they saw what was happening on a TV in a store.

"Hey, Mom!" called Annie. "Come over here quickly! Our big brother is on TV!"

Mrs. Billinton turned and approached her twin daughters...who were both staring at a playing TV inside a shop showing Thomas in his duel with Spencer Gresley.

"Really? Then he must be... OH, SWEET SODOR! WHAT IS THAT THING?!"

"Honey?" Mr. Billinton stopped walked, having heard his wife freak out over seeing something on the TV.

"Take a look at what's on the TV in the store, Dad." Clarabel suggested.

Mr. Billinton looked at the TV...and almost fainted from a heart attack when he saw Slifer the Sky Dragon seemingly roar at him in the face.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, Slifer the Sky Dragon had wrapped itself all around the walls of the Sky Duel Coliseum before letting off yet another thunder-like roar.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Molly was looking out the window when she saw the sky turn all dark.

"Guys, look at the weather." The black-haired girl called out.

James, Ben, Edward, and Toby all came running over.

"A storm is coming?" quizzed Ben.

Edward soon spotted the real answer to the dark clouds. "Um...not exactly!"

They all looked and saw Slifer the Sky Dragon coiled all-around the coliseum.

"Thomas had summoned his God card!" exclaimed Toby.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the stadium, Thomas jump and landed safely atop of Slifer's head. Down off the platform, Dark Marik was smiling big around here at seeing the first Egyptian God monster appearing.

"Now THAT was a surprise! To think that Thomas would be able to summon Slifer first in a situation like this! How fascinating..."

On the platform...

"Well, Spencer, it looks like I've turned the tables on you!" taunted Thomas. "You said you'd summon Obelisk before I called forth Slifer...well, it looks like you were wrong."

Suddenly, Spencer didn't look worried at all.

"You may have summoned your God monster first-" The silver-haired boy remarked. "-but just you wait! Soon, both of our Gods will clash... Besides, I'd like to ask you a little something."

"Yes?"

"How many cards are you holding in your current hand?" asked Spencer smugly.

"Three cards." Thomas answered, looking to his hand. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack and defense points are determined by the amount of cards you're currently holding. Right now, with three cards in your hand, it would give your mighty Egyptian God monster 3000 attack and defense points."

"Correct." nodded the blue-haired boy. "Your XYZ-Dragon Cannon only has 2800 attack points, making it much weaker compared to my own monster. And if I attack it this turn, you'll lose your only monster and be prevented from calling Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Spencer snickered. "Then... trying attacking me this turn!"

"So confident, even in his position." thought Thomas. "Spencer knows full well what will happen if I do destroy his XYZ-Dragon Cannon with Slifer the Sky Dragon... Does he have a backup plan in the scenario where something happens to his monster? There's only a 200 point difference between Slifer and XYZ-Dragon Cannon." He glanced towards Spencer's facedown card. "Then again, his facedown card might be Life Shaver. In attacking, I would risk my monster being destroyed... well, since it was set on his previous turn, I wouldn't have to discard anything from my hand... so Life Shaver would be useless right now, and not worth activating."

"Come on! What's the matter, Billinton?!" called Spencer. "Attack me now!"

Off the platform, Emily was worried about her friend.

"He might be bringing you into a trap, Thomas." she thought. "Don't attack now."

Dark Marik, however, had a different thought in mind...

"Is Spencer merely bluffing?" The evil man asked aloud. "Or maybe he has actually stopped Thomas from making a move with one little card." His evil smile grew wider. "Ha ha ha ha... You're not bad at all, Spencer!"

Emily gave Dark Marik a harsh glare before looking back over to watch the duel.

"Whether you attack or not-" Spencer taunted some more. "-you won't be able to stop me from winning the duel!"

"Suppose that facedown card is a card that can increase XYZ-Dragon Cannon's attack points." thought Thomas. "Slifer could get destroyed! But... if I don't attack, Spencer will go and summon Obelisk on his next turn! Then again, his card could just be a bluff... and end up being the Life Shaver card he took from me. Either way, I can't back down!"

At last, he gave the command.

"Slifer!" Thomas commanded. "Attack his XYZ-Dragon Cannon now!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and began charging its signature attack. Spencer had a grim look of triumph on his face.

"I knew you'd attack me!" The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "And I'm ready for it."

"THUNDER FORCE!"

The blast finally fired. The blast got closer and closer, but as expected...

"It's time to reveal my secret weapon!" announced Spencer, holding his hand out. "Open facedown card!"

The silver-haired boy's facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself. The sight of the activated card seemed to shock Thomas to the core...

"W-What?!" The blue-haired boy exclaimed in great surprise. "That's not Life Shaver!"

"Correct!" confirmed Spencer grandly. "It's Interdimensional Matter Transporter!"

A large machine materialized out of the Quick-Play Spell card.

"This card lets me remove my XYZ-Dragon Cannon from play for the remainder of the battle phase and keep it out of harms way." explained the silver-haired boy. "And since you've just declared an attack, your monster's Thunder Force attack will now miss and your own battle phase becomes wasted!"

The machine proceeded to unleash a colourful beam, striking XYZ-Dragon Cannon and teleporting it away from the field. To make matters all the more complicated, the Thunder Force attack, as Spencer pointed out, missed and ended up striking the darkened sky. Bolts of lightning were now raining all around Boxford Corp Island.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the cockpit, Discord and his adopted kids witnessed the bolts of lightning.

"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed the creator of Duel Monsters.

"Was that the power of Thomas's Egyptian God monster just now?" asked Carlie.

"No clue." Skiff answered.

Just then...

"This is Boxford Corp, we read you loud and clear!" came a voice from the radio. "Please respond!"

Feeling greatly relieved, Skiff grabbed the intercom again.

"This is Skiff." The younger boy called in response. "We need assistance right away!"

"Roger that. We're on our way!"

(elsewhere...)

At the main Boxford Corporation headquarters on the Island of Sodor, a helicopter was shown to be taking off.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the cockpit of the blimp, Skiff took off the headphones when his parents entered.

"Well?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Discord explained everything that had happened just now.

"Help is on the way." he soon finished.

"Thank goodness." sighed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Let's go tell the others!" suggested James R..

"Yeah!" agreed Carlie.

"Count me in!" added Zack.

With that, they all raced off to find the rest of the gang to let them know the good news.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Thomas was still recovering from his shock over Spencer's surprise Spell card (not Life Shaver).

"So your monster...vanished?"

Spencer started to snicker quietly before laughing wickedly as XYZ-Dragon Cannon began to reappear on the field due to Interdimensional Matter Transporter's effect finally wearing off.

"Your battle phase has been negated entirely, Billinton!"

Thomas scowled at the silver-haired boy, but then smirked right back.

"Now I see... you had a facedown card to protect your tributes for Obelisk." He then took a card from his hand and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "My turn isn't quite over yet, unfortunately... To officially finish my play, I'll set a card facedown myself!"

A facedown card materialized. Spencer's eyes went bloodshot from shock.

"What?! He's deliberately weakening his own Egyptian God monster?" The silver-haired boy thought.

"My turn is over." Thomas pointed out.

Because a card was played, Slifer's attack power dropped by 1000 attack points (ATK: 3000 - 2000).

"Absurd! Billinton now has only two cards left in his hand!" thought Spencer some more. "Does he not realize that I'll be summoning Obelisk on my coming turn?!"

"Come on, Spencer!" called Thomas teasingly. "It's your turn now! XYZ-Dragon Cannon is strong enough to destroy my God monster and also damage my life points badly without the need of Obelisk! ...will you or won't you attack me now?" He then laughed cheekily. "Now it's MY turn to test YOUR will, Spencer!"

"He's goading me." scowled Spencer, but then he smiled and spoke aloud. "Nice try, but I've already decided what I'm gonna do."

The silver-haired boy drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 49  
 **Current Hand** (3): Power Balance, Life Shaver, and Command Silencer  
 **TURN UNTIL (Lightforce Sword) finishes** : Now

* * *

Upon drawing his card, Spencer noticed that Lightforce Sword's effect was lifting from the sealed Obelisk card nearby.

"It has been three turns since you played Lightforce Sword, Billinton." The silver-haired boy grinned. "Now my Egyptian God card is freed and returns to my hand!"

The swords faded from the sealed God card, causing it to return to Spencer's hand.

"That maybe so, but you only have one monster." Thomas pointed out. "How can you summon Obelisk with only one monster?"

"Ha! You've clearly never heard of the one little rule that was added in for this event."

Thomas blinked. "What rule?"

"For the Battle City tournament only-" explained Spencer, looking rather smug to say the least. "-fusion monsters can be used as a full tribute for a high-level monster given the number of monsters used in the fusion summon."

Thomas grimaced. Down below the platform, Emily was also unhappy to hear about that little tournament rule.

"That's so unfair!" complained the dark green-haired girl. "It makes things so broken!"

"Unfair or fair, it sounds like fun to me!" commented Dark Marik, grinning in amusement.

On the platform, Spencer gave a sinister smile while readying his regained card.

"It's finally time..." he whispered. "I sacrifice my XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

The powerful machine vanished in a pillar of blue light, which rose into the sky. Spencer then held his card up as it gathered power.

"And now, it's time for the almighty God of the Obelisk to arise!" The silver-haired boy boomed in a very dramatic tone. "Bend to my will, and descend to my whim!"

(elsewhere...)

The dark clouds started swirling around before blue electricity started striking all around the island... but mainly all around the entire Duel Tower.

(elsewhere...)

"Shake the Earth with your unsurpassed power... and bring me victory!" Spencer finally placed his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Blue electricity crackled around his Duel Disk, but he merely gave an evil laugh over it. More blue electricity came from the darkened sky. Thomas, still atop of Slifer's head, was looking up to the sky in worry.

"Here it comes..." he thought to himself.

Down of the platform, Emily was particularly frightened of what was to come. After an impressive light show, the huge, blue Egyptian God finally landed behind Spencer and gave a booming roar (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"IT'S FINALLY HERE!" cackled Spencer. "THE GREAT GOD OF THE OBELISK!"

The silver-haired boy then, like what Thomas had done with Slifer, jumped into the air and landed on the head of his own Egyptian God monster.

"You've finally come, Obelisk!" said Dark Marik with evil excitement, while also laughing. "The battle of Egyptian God vs. Egyptian God has finally begun!"

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Emily in shock. "It's finally happening!"

"Obelisk the Tormentor..." thought Thomas with a look of fear on his face. "The power it possesses! I almost feel deathly afraid to face it!"

"Thomas Billinton..." began Spencer. "The clash of the titans has finally begun! I will defeat your Slifer... I will gather the remaining Egyptian God cards with my two hands... AND THE TITLE OF ' **DUEL KING** ' WILL FINALLY BE MINE!"

From there, he began to laugh maniacally. This is it, folks... The Battle of the Gods has begun. Who do you think will win it? That's another story, I'm afraid.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	65. Sky Duel Coliseum (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Emily began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Thomas and Spencer are both going at it with everything they've got. Apparently, Spencer's goal was to get Obelisk out first... But when that failed, he tried to get Slifer instead."

"I activate Lullaby of Obedience!" Spencer held a card out.

Thomas gave a small gasp of worry.

"By giving up 1000 life points-" explained Spencer (LP: 2000). "-I can take a high level monster from your deck, and add it to my hand so long as I correctly guess the name of it. And I know you have it... Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Thomas grimaced over the fact his rival guessed his card correctly.

Spencer walked over to Thomas's side of the field as the blue-haired boy took his deck out.

"Since I guessed right, you have to give me Slifer the Sky Dragon."

As Thomas went through his deck, he discovered Slifer was near the bottom—much to Spencer's amusement.

"So you probably never would have drawn it." he snickered, taking the card. "That's too bad."

Thomas merely handed his card to his rival silently.

"But Thomas wasn't gonna be licked that easily, of course."

"The moment you took Slifer the Sky Dragon from me-" said Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "-you fell into a little trap of my own." The last set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Exchange!"

"Now Thomas has his Egyptian God card safely back in his hand... From there, Spencer decided to just blow Thomas's monsters away with powerful monsters so that he would have no tributes to try and call forth Slifer."

"Now I shall merge Z-Metal Tank with my XY-Dragon Cannon!" declared Spencer. "Begin combining, now!"

XY-Dragon Cannon transformed even further and combined with Z-Metal Tank. The ultimate form of the three monsters was now complete (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2600).

" ** _XYZ-Dragon Cannon_**!"

Now Thomas was more worried than ever before.

"Not that monster again." he groaned, briefly going into his thoughts. "And at the time I faced it before, I just barely beat it."

"That's right." smirked Spencer. "The same monster I used against you in our very first duel. But this time, you have no chance of winning! And with Obelisk about to be freed on my next turn... Well, I don't have to say anything about that."

"Duh, Spencer! Your XYZ-Dragon Cannon happens to be the much stronger monster right now!"

"At the moment, your Queen's Knight has the lowest defense." said Spencer arrogantly. "She would be an easy target for my Dragon Cannon."

Both Thomas and Queen's Knight glared at the silver-haired boy's remark.

"However-" Spencer went on. "-I'll let her live this turn. XYZ-Dragon Cannon, attack and blow away Billinton's Big Shield Gardna!"

XYZ-Dragon Cannon obeyed and began to charge its cannons.

"Cannon Firestorm!"

Two blasts of plasma fired out and shattered Big Shield Gardna. Thomas winced from the force of the attack while Spencer laughed like a villain.

"And there was only one..." he said, eyeing Thomas's lone Queen's Knight. "Next turn, I'll get Obelisk back and...call him out!"

"However, Thomas used his Soul Rope Trap card to special summon King's Knight, and then used its effect to call forth Jack's Knight from the deck. That alone gave Thomas all the sacrifices he needed!"

"Since you've destroyed a monster on my field, I can give up 1000 life points to special summon a level 4 monster in its place." said Thomas. He then took his deck out of the Duel Disk, selected and held a card out. "And I choose this one; King's Knight!"

The familiar male Poker Knight appeared beside Queen's Knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"No! Not King's Knight!" Spencer panicked, knowing where this was leading to.

"And when these two monsters are in play-" began Thomas, just as another card slid out of his deck. "-I can also special summon from my hand or deck their fellow comrade - Jack's Knight!"

"The Three Musketeers of Face Cards?!"

"Correct." Thomas confirmed once more. "Back when we first dueled, I never really got the chance to put them to good use against you, Spencer. But now...I can!" The blue-haired boy readied his card before placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Jack's Knight!"

The third Poker Knight appeared to the field and joined his two comrades (Level: 5/ATK: 1900).

"Now I have my three monsters to tribute!"

Spencer's eyes went bloodshot. "Even in this situation where I was completely on top of my game... Billinton still managed to stay ahead of me!" he thought.

Immediately, the blue-haired boy began to make his big play.

"Alright, Spencer-" began Thomas. "-you wanted to face the power of Slifer, now you're getting your wish." He prepared to play the Egyptian God card from his hand. "I sacrifice my three knights to summon my Egyptian God... SLIFER THE SKY DRAGON!"

The three Poker Knights faded away, while Thomas's body turned all purple - which gave him massive amounts of power. Finally, the purple left the blue-haired boy and shot out of the coliseum into the darkened sky. Spencer, Dark Marik, and even Emily all watched what was happening.

"Where is it?" Dark Marik demanded impatiently.

Suddenly, bolts of lightning cracked from the sky as a familiar serpent-shaped dragon began to descend from the darkened clouds.

"There it is..." whispered Emily.

Slifer the Sky Dragon had finally lowered into the stadium

"Unfortunately, Spencer was able to defend XYZ-Dragon Cannon and himself for the battle phase with Interdimensional Matter Transporter, and quickly follow suit with summoning Obelisk the Torrmentor on his turn."

Spencer gave a sinister smile while readying his regained card.

"It's finally time..." he whispered. "I sacrifice my XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"

The powerful machine vanished in a pillar of blue light, which rose into the sky. Spencer then held his card up as it gathered power.

"And now, it's time for the almighty God of the Obelisk to arise!" The silver-haired boy boomed in a very dramatic tone. "Bend to my will, and descend to my whim!"

(elsewhere...)

The dark clouds started swirling around before blue electricity started striking all around the island... but mainly all around the entire Duel Tower.

(elsewhere...)

"Shake the Earth with your unsurpassed power... and bring me victory!" Spencer finally placed his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Come forth - Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Blue electricity crackled around his Duel Disk, but he merely gave an evil laugh over it. More blue electricity came from the darkened sky. Thomas, still atop of Slifer's head, was looking up to the sky in worry.

"Here it comes..." he thought to himself.

Down of the platform, Emily was particularly frightened of what was to come. After an impressive light show, the huge, blue Egyptian God finally landed behind Spencer and gave a booming roar (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"IT'S FINALLY HERE!" cackled Spencer. "THE GREAT GOD OF THE OBELISK!"

The silver-haired boy then jumped into the air and landed on the head of Obelisk the Tormentor. Thomas, following Spencer's example, jumped into the air and landed on the head of Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"You've finally come, Obelisk!" said Dark Marik with evil excitement, while also laughing. "The battle of Egyptian God vs. Egyptian God has finally begun!"

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Emily in shock. "It's finally happening!"

"I just hope Thomas is the one who will emerge triumphant in this great ' _ **Battle of Titans**_ '!"

* * *

 **Title: Sky Duel Coliseum, Part 3**

* * *

Thomas (LP: 3000) and Spencer (LP: 2000) both gazed at each other while standing atop of their respective Egyptian God monster's head. The current stands were:  
-Spencer: Obelisk the Tormentor (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).  
-Thomas: Slifer the Sky Dragon (Level: 10/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000).

"This is it, Billinton..." announced Spencer. "The Battle of the Gods has begun... May the best duelist win!"

"Yes, may the best duelist win..." Thomas muttered to himself nervously.

Just then, from the nearby wall near Dark Marik, both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) arrived.

"Spencer!" The two adults called at once.

Unfortunately, to their great shock, they saw that their son was standing atop of the head of Obelisk the Tormentor. What's more, they saw that Thomas was atop of Slifer the Sky Dragon's head also.

"What's...going on here?" Mr. Gresley (Boxford) asked, looking speechless.

Emily saw the two adults and started to explain everything.

"Thomas and Spencer have both summoned their Egyptian God monsters..." began the dark green-haired girl, before looking back towards the two rivaling Egyptian Gods about to clash. "This is a battle Spencer has been waiting for ever since the finals began."

"But how are they able to stand atop of holograms?" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"It's rather complicated to-" Emily started to say, but was cut off by someone else.

"I've got an answer!" remarked the voice of Dark Marik, sounding rather snide-like.

All three duel watchers looked over to the smirking evil man unhappily.

"Do you?" asked Emily, looking and sounding a bit cross. "Then go ahead and tell us, why don't you?"

Chuckling at the dark green-haired girl's anger towards him, Dark Marik eagerly complied to the demand...

"Their bloodlines tracing back 3000 years ago allows them to make physical contact with their monsters as if they were all real. Whether they be through holograms, or mere spirits, it matters not." The evil man cast an evil eye towards Emily. "As a matter of fact, you also seem to be able to make contact with them too, my dear."

"What?!" Emily reeled back, looking quite shocked. "How...?"

"Apparently, you have an ancestor that was very close to Thomas's ancestor." said Dark Marik, grinning teasingly. "Just like how you are very close to the present day Thomas Billinton!"

Indeed, Emily did remember from that flashback seeing a small glimpse of that peasant girl, Anzu, gazing at Atem with loving eyes.

"But perhaps I've said too much already." Dark Marik then looked to watch the duel. "Time to see who is the superior Egyptian God card wielder!"

(elsewhere...)

Back on the Island of Sodor and within Knapford City, lots and lots of people had gathered in the central square of town. They were looking at the big TV monitor on one of the big buildings.

"Look at those monsters!" cried Paxton. "I've never seen anything like them."

"Whatever they are-" came from Caitlin. "-they sure look big and scary."

"But the ones controlling them are Thomas and Spencer respectively." pointed out Conner.

"Such amazing beasts!" exclaimed Salty.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room aboard the blimp, all was quiet...until Discord, Zack, and James R. arrived.

"Great news, everyone!" announced James R. happily.

"Skiff managed to get through." Zack explained. "A helicopter is coming to pick up our injured friends!"

"Thank heaven!" sighed Molly.

Ryan looked over to the coma induced Percy with a smile. "You hear that, Percy? You're gonna be getting the help you need real soon, kiddo."

At that point, Mavis was heard giving an alarmed shriek.

"Mavis, what is it?!" Toby ran over and wrapped both his arms around the blonde-haired girl's waist in concern.

"L-Look out...at the top of-!" Mavis tried to speak, but was unable to finish.

Everyone looked out the window to see both Egyptian Gods atop the Duel Tower.

"Bubbling Sodas!" Henry cried out. "Slifer and Obelisk!"

"And judging from the way they're positioned on the tower-" began James, looking quite nervous per say.

"-they're about to fight." finished Discord grimly.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, the battle of Gods had begun.

"Billinton, my Obelisk will easily crush your Slifer now!" boasted Spencer. "You only have two cards in your hand, and Slifer's stats completely depend on the current amount of cards you're holding." He then pointed forth. "Currently, two cards gives Slifer a measly 2000 attack and defense points!"

Unfortunately for the silver-haired boy, Thomas grinned in response as soon as his shock disappeared.

"You've made a big mistake in summoning Obelisk like that!" The blue-haired boy said bluntly.

Spencer scowled. "What do you mean by that?" He then gasped upon realizing something important... "W-Wait a moment-!"

"By summon Obelisk the Tormentor, you've activated Slifer the Sky Dragon's special ability!" announced Thomas, cutting his opponent off. "Slifer, open your second mouth and attack! **Summon Thunder Bullet**!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and charged up and fired a small bolt of thunder from its top mouth towards Spencer, striking him as he attempted to block the force of the powerful attack of an Egyptian God. That wasn't all, Obelisk got a taste of the attack, too. The ' ** _Summon Thunder Bullet_** ' attack caused the giant blue God to roar in pain and take a step back.

"Thanks to Slifer's second mouth-" Thomas stated. "-Obelisk loses 2000 attack points for the remainder of your turn!"

Obelisk grew weaker (ATK: 4000 - 2000), while the way Slifer was roaring...almost made it seem like it was laughing at Spencer for failing to remember this ability.

"Good." thought Thomas. "Since Obelisk was weakened, I won't have to worry about being attacked this turn."

"So Billinton _knew_ I would summon Obelisk, just to use Slifer's effect to weaken my monster and prevent an attack." The silver-haired boy thought to himself angrily. "Especially since both Gods would just destroy each other if an attack was declared...! Curse you, Billinton!"

"You're so lucky, Spencer!" called Thomas teasingly. "...lucky that Slifer's effect only lasts one turn against another Egyptian God. Maybe when your next turn comes, you could try hitting me with all you've got."

"You'll pay for that!" snarled Spencer, taking two cards from his hand and slotting them into his Duel Disk. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Two facedown cards materialized (one of them being Life Shaver).

"And now-" Thomas began, drawing his card. "-it's my turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 45  
 **Current Hand** (3): Collected Power, Magical Hats, and Card Destruction

* * *

"And since I've drawn a card, Slifer gains another 1000 attack and defense points!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon grew stronger (ATK: 2000 - 3000).

"And don't forget that Obelisk's power returns to 4000 now also!" reminded Spencer. "Because of that, my God monster is now stronger than your God once again!"

On cue, Obelisk the Tormentor went back to its usual power level (ATK: 2000 - 4000).

"I haven't forgotten!" shouted Thomas. "Because I now reveal my facedown Spell card - Pot of Greed!"

His facedown card flipped up and revealed itself (Pot of Greed, that is). Spencer scowled as he watched Thomas draw two more cards from his deck.

"As you know, Pot of Greed lets me draw two more cards from my deck. By doing so, Slifer gains even more power! ...putting it at 5000 attack points!"

As the blue-haired boy had pointed out, Slifer the Sky Dragon grew stronger with more cards in the player's hand (ATK: 3000 - 5000), much to Spencer's frustration. Below the platform, the spectators continued to watch what was happening.

"Now Slifer is stronger than Obelisk!" exclaimed Emily.

"If Thomas attacks now, he can get rid of Spencer's monster!" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Atop the platform, Thomas overheard that comment and was gonna indeed take the chance at an attack.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon!" he commanded. "THUNDER FORCE!"

Slifer began charging its attack... But, as expected, Spencer was prepared for the attack...!

"Not smart enough, Billinton!" The silver-haired boy shouted, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I activate my facedown card - Command Silencer!"

"What?!"

Spencer's first set card flipped face-up and revealed itself... just before creating a large totem pole that started generating a loud screeching noise from two speakers around the pole.

"WHAT...IS...THAT?!" Thomas cried out.

Thomas and the spectators (except Dark Marik) were all covering their ears.

"THAT NOISE!" screeched Emily.

"I CAN'T BLOCK IT OUT!" came from Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Dark Marik, however, didn't mind the noise one bit, and merely chuckled in dark amusement from the pain everyone else was feeling from the played Spell card.

"This Spell card deafens your monster this turn, so it cannot attack." explained Spencer, being one of the only two humans who weren't unaffected by the loud noise (with Dark Marik being the other). "Meaning...your battle phase is cancelled out entirely."

Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack fizzled out and it immediately stood down, much to Thomas's disappointment. With the effect of the Spell card card finally used up, the totem pole shattered into pieces of glass.

"In addition to your failed attack, I get to draw one additional card from the top of my deck."

The blue-haired boy scowled as he watched Spencer draw a card from his deck, but quickly gave a smile at what he was going up against.

"So, I see..." Thomas commented again. "Attacking your Obelisk won't be all that easy." He then took two cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Disk. "But I have some leftover tricks up my sleeve, too... I'll place these two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Two facedown cards materialized! ...just as Slifer's attack went down in the process (ATK: 5000 - 3000).

"He deliberately weakened Slifer just to set two cards?" thought Spencer, frowning unhappily. "What are you up to now, Billinton?"

"We're going to finish this match in the next turn, Spencer!" declared Thomas.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the Island of Sodor and in Knapford City, the spectators in the town square continue to watch the battle ensure.

"Thomas set two cards!" exclaimed Marion.

"Weakening his own monster in the process!" added Timothy.

"Why would he do that?" asked Oliver. "That would give Obelisk a chance to destroy it."

"Perhaps he's trying to lay a trap for Spencer, Mr. Oliver." suggested Toad.

"Maybe..."

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum...

"Now it's my turn!" declared Spencer, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 47  
 **Current Hand** (3): Power Balance, Sword of Soul, and Blade Knight

* * *

Then Thomas spoke up. "Now... Let's finish this, Spencer!"

"Oh, I definitely plan to do just that!" agreed the silver-haired boy, clenching and motioning his empty fist. "You've made a big mistake in weakening Slifer like that. Now Obelisk is the stronger Egyptian God monster, and can easily destroy yours!"

"Not quite." The blue-haired boy retorted, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "I use the effect of Spell Sanctuary to activate the set Spell card Card Destruction!"

Thomas's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Why activate that card?" Spencer blinked in surprise.

"That's easy-" Thomas began, sending his hand to the graveyard. "-we both must now send whatever cards that remain in our hands to the graveyard and draw from our decks the same number of cards we had before discarding."

Spencer discarded his hand, and then he and Thomas both drew the same number of cards they had beforehand ( **Three** ).

"What was the point of doing something like that?" asked the silver-haired boy harshly. "There was no change in Slifer's attack power!"

"Because now I can now activate my other facedown card!" Thomas pointed out, just before motioning his right hand towards his last facedown card. "Open set card - Trap card Disgraceful Charity!"

The blue-haired boy's remaining facedown card flipped up and revealed itself, creating an undead-like fairy in the process. Both graveyards of the respective duelists began glowing all red.

"Now, since a Spell card was played, both players must now add every single card sent to the graveyard this turn back to their respective hands." explained Thomas, taking the three cards popping out of his graveyard.

"A ' **Hand Reinforcement** ' combo?!" exclaimed Spencer.

"Yes, that's correct!"

Spencer growled and took the cards he had discarded and added them back to his hand.

"Thomas has six cards in his hand... That means Slifer's attack stat is now at 6000!" said Emily with widened eyes.

She was right; Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack points rose up to its cap (ATK: 3000 - 6000).

"That was impressive, Billinton." Spencer admitted. "I'd really love to compliment you some more, but I have a duel to win! Your little card adding combo might have buffed your God's attack points, but it has also granted me access to more and better options."

"And how, dare I ask, can you do better?" questioned Thomas

"I'll show you right now." Spencer proceeded to take one of the new cards from his hand and hold it out for Thomas to see with his own eyes. "First I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell card Thirst for Compensation!"

The mentioned Quick-Play Spell card materialized face-up.

"I'm sure you remember this card, right? I played it when we both faced some Rare Hunters earlier in the tournament..."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Thomas and Spencer were both engaged in a duel against two Rare Hunters.

"I play the Trap card Jar of Greed!" called the first Rare Hunter, as his facedown card flipped up. "Now I draw an extra card from my deck!"

Spencer smirked. "Which is what I wanted you to do."

The two Rare Hunters looked puzzled.

"You've triggered this Quick-Play Spell card!" Spencer pressed a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Thirst for Compensation!"

"What's that?" cried both Rare Hunters.

"Since you've added a card to your hand by the use of a card effect-" said Spencer. "-I can special summon up to two level 4 or lower monsters from my hand in defense mode."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I remember it." admitted Thomas gravely, before reading the text on the card... "' _ **Whenever the opponent draws a card from the effect of either a Spell or Trap card, you can activate this card and special summon up to two monsters from your hand in defense position**_ '."

"Yes, and now you will feel its power!" declared Spencer, taking two more cards from his hand. "I summon both Sword of Soul and Blade Knight in defense mode!"

The familiar medieval knight (Level: 4/DEF: 1000) and a sword-like monster (Level: 4/DEF: 1900) both appeared in a defensive stance.

Thomas sighed in annoyance. "You're only wasting your time by doing that, Spencer." he remarked. "Slifer's effect will activate whenever you summon any monster. And if the stats of the monster that is summoned in either attack or defense position hits zero, they're automatically destroyed."

Slifer the Sky Dragon began to open its second mouth and charge a ball of thunder.

"Tell that to another Quick-Play Spell card of mine!" retorted Spencer, while slotting his next card into another Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Card Guard!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up and created a shield in front of both Blade Knight and Sword of Soul.

"What?!" Thomas gasped.

The thunder ball was fired... but the shield repelled the attack. Spencer chuckled coldly, discarding his Kaiser Sea Horse monster card to the graveyard.

"By sending one card from my hand to the graveyard, I can negate your monster's ' ** _Summon Thunder Bullet_** ' effect and save my summoned monsters from being destroyed!"

The shield then shattered into pieces.

"Bother!" groaned Thomas.

Suddenly, Obelisk the Tormentor started to lower down and grab hold of the two monsters.

"Billinton, this match is over!" announced Spencer. "Your Slifer may have 6000 attack points... but even it pales in comparison to Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"Oh no..." said Thomas to himself. He knew what was coming.

As Obelisk the Tormentor crushed the two monsters it was holding, its muscles began bulging and growing.

"I will now activate Obelisk's special ability! And it's activated by tributing two monsters on my side of the field. Once that's done, Obelisk will storm the field, destroy all of your monsters, AND dish out 4000 points of damage to your life points!"

"Can he really do that?" Emily asked, growing very frightened.

"Oh, yes!" teased Dark Marik. "He most certainly can!"

Finally, Obelisk the Tormentor rose up and gave a booming roar.

"You're done for, Billinton!" announced Spencer. His voice had became more booming than ever before. "I win!"

"No!" cried out Thomas in horror.

"FIST OF FATE!"

Obelisk the Tormentor charged its fist and fired a blast towards Thomas and Slifer the Sky Dragon. Quickly, Thomas slid a card from his hand to the graveyard as a wall of Kuribohs surrounded both him and Slifer the Sky Dragon. Soon, the attack had colided with Slifer the Sky Dragon...

"THOMAS!" screamed Emily in horror.

"I guess it's all over now! ...for that poor boy, that is." snickered Dark Marik.

An explosion rocked the whole coliseum... or even the whole island.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Matt, Michael, Toby, Mavis, and Carlie were all at the window when they witnessed the explosion atop the Duel Tower.

"G-Grease and oil!" panicked Mavis. "Was that the power of one of the Egyptian Gods just now?!"

"If it was, then what an explosion!" cried Carlie.

"Yeah..." agreed Michael.

"I just hope Thomas wasn't on the receiving end of it." Matt stated.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, smoke had covered all over Thomas's side of the field from the almighty attack. While back atop of Obelisk the Tormentor's head, Spencer was laughing in seeming victory.

"I am victorious!" The silver-haired boy exclaimed proudly. "I've finally defeated my rival!"

Below the duel platform, Emily looked very upset at the possible results.

"Thomas..." she whispered, looking like she was about to cry. "This can't be true...!"

"So, our son won the duel..." said Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"I don't know whether to be happy...or dismayed." admitted Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

The smoke cleared away...and the familiar roar of Slifer the Sky Dragon was heard... This was followed by the reveal that the God monster was...still standing.

"What?!" Spencer exclaimed in pure shock.

"Slifer is still standing?!" added Dark Marik, also looking very surprise.

Atop of Slifer the Sky Dragon's head, a hand could he seen gripping onto one of the scales. From there, another hand grabbed another scale and...Thomas pulled himself back up.

"Sorry, Spencer, but we're not done with the duel just yet."

"Thomas!" cried Emily happily. "You're okay!"

"That can't be possible!" Spencer exclaimed, feeling like someone had belted him in the stomach.

"Oh, what's the matter, Spencer?" taunted Thomas, making a little jab at his rival's expense. "Upset that the duel is not over just yet? Well, I'm afraid that's too bad. When you sent Obelisk to attack me and Slifer, I simply discarded the Kuriboh card from my hand to the graveyard and negated the damage I would have taken."

Spencer cursed in pure disgust, while Thomas smiled and looked towards his Duel Disk gratefully.

"Thank you, Kuriboh." he said aloud. "I would have been a goner without your help."

An image of Kuriboh briefly appeared and cooed happily in its ' _Kuriboh_ ' language. Unfortunately, a certain someone the blue-haired boy was dueling was now greatly enraged over failing to win with one attack...

"Damn you, Thomas Billinton!" Spencer snarled, shaking his clenched fist in fury. "How dare you use that piece of trash to stop the great Obelisk's attack?!"

"Spencer Gresley, you will NOT talk about my monsters like that!" threatened Thomas, growing quite angry. He especially hated it when people insulted his monsters. "Kuriboh has saved my life many times in the past, and you of all people should know that like when we last dueled in San Francisco-!"

" **SHUT UP**!"

Obelisk the Tormentor (ATK: 4000) and Slifer the Sky Dragon (ATK: 5000) both faced each other down. Growling a strong swear word to himself yet again, Spencer furiously took the last card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"I place my last card facedown and end my turn!"

"Spencer has no more cards in his hand." thought Thomas. "If things keep up in my favor, I can take Obelisk down right now!"

Spencer merely glared at the blue-haired boy spitefully.

"It's my turn!" Thomas announced aloud, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 41  
 **Current Hand** (6): Collected Power, Magical Hats, Electromagnetic Turtle, Chain Destruction, Necromancy, and Spell Textbook

* * *

"With a new card added to my hand, Slifer's attack rises back to 6000 points!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon grew stronger once more (ATK: 5000 - 6000).

"If Thomas attacks now-" said Mr. Gresley (Boxford) to his wife. "-Spencer will lose!"

"Slifer-" commanded Thomas. "-attack Obelisk the Tormentor now with Thunder Force!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and began to wrap its coiled body around Obelisk the Tormentor, causing it to give a roar of rage while struggling to break free.

"NOW this match is over and done with!" said Dark Marik to no one in particular.

With Obelisk the Tormentor all tied up and unable to break free, Slifer the Sky Dragon began to charge its Thunder Force attack in an attempt to finish the blue Egyptian God monster off for good... Unfortunately, Spencer had suddenly smiled at what was happening.

"Just what I was waiting for!" he declared. "Now I'll activate the Trap card that will allow me to triumph against your God monster!"

"Life Shaver!" thought Thomas. "That HAS to be it!"

He was wrong, I'm afraid. VERY wrong... The silver-haired boy's first set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be...

"Power Balance!" announced Spencer.

Back below the platform...

"Power Balance? What does that card do?" asked Emily, having never seen the card before.

"It's a handy little Trap card." explained Dark Marik, smirking widely like he knew what it was and did. "But it'd be best to just watch and learn, my dear."

Back on the platform, Obelisk the Tormentor had suddenly managed to get its arms freed and grab Slifer the Sky Dragon's long neck. After a struggle, Slifer the Sky Dragon was forced to back down from attacking.

"Slifer!" called Thomas. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"My Power Balance Trap card can only be activated when you declare an attack, hold an even number of cards in your hand, and I also have no cards in my hand." said Spencer. "Now you must send half of the cards in your hand to the graveyard. Then I get to draw until I have the same amount that you've discarded."

Thomas was dismayed to hear this. "Half of the cards in my hand?! No way!"

"Yes! You currently have six cards in your hand, meaning you must send three of those cards to the graveyard... In addition, I get to draw three cards from my deck, and you're left with only three cards in your hand! ...but that's not even the worst part."

Thomas looked to his hand. It consisted of Magical Hats, Chain Destruction, Collected Power, Spell Textbook, Electromagnetic Turtle, and Necromancy. Finally, he discarded Electromagnetic Turtle, Collected Power, and Chain Destruction. However, like Spencer had just mentioned; with three less cards in the blue-haired boy's hand, Slifer the Sky Dragon had become 3000 attack points weaker (ATK: 6000 - 3000). And thanks to his Power Balance's other effect, Spencer drew three more cards from his deck.

"The tide has shifted to my favor once more, Billinton... Obelisk the Tormentor is now the stronger monster on the field again, is all ready to finish you off for good, and ready to win me the duel and title of ' _Duel King_ '!" thundered Spencer. "Get ready to lose your Egyptian God monster here and now! Obelisk, go forth and repay Slifer the Sky Dragon's ' _earlier kindness_ '!"

"Slow down there, Spencer... Don't go thinking you'll win with one attack." retorted Thomas. "Even if you manage to destroy Slifer, you won't reduce my life points to zero."

"That doesn't matter!" argued the silver-haired boy, sweeping his free hand about dramatically. "As I've said once before, only one Egyptian God monster will be left standing in this fight to the finish! ...and it will be mine!"

"Then allow me to show you something." Thomas interrupted, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "It's a Spell card called Necromancy!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack dropped by another 1000 points (ATK: 3000 - 2000). All of a sudden, there was a glowing light coming from Spencer's graveyard.

"W-What's going on?" he asked in concern.

"Hey, Spencer!" called Thomas cheekily. "I bet you're eager to use Obelisk's effect again, aren't you? Then let me help you out with summoning the monsters!"

Suddenly, out of Spencer's Graveyard came the following previously destroyed monsters; Blade Knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000), Sword of Soul (Level: 4/ATK: 0/DEF: 1900), Kaiser Sea Horse (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 1600), and, rather surprisingly, X-Head Cannon (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1500). All of them were placed in defense mode...

"Wait a minute... I thought you banished X-Head Cannon from the game?" Thomas questioned.

"That's easy." Spencer remarked somewhat bitterly. "When you fusion summon any of the XYZ fusion monsters, you could choose to either banish the parts used to summon the monster, or merely send them to the graveyard... and I've chosen to just send the parts to the graveyard instead of removing them from the game like I usually do."

"I see..." muttered Thomas, before resuming his explanation. "Anyway, Necromancy special summons four random monsters from your graveyard to the field and puts them in defense mode."

Spencer's eyes widened. "Impossible...! Why would you special summon four monsters onto my side of the field?"

"To activate Slifer's special ability." Thomas pointed out. "And when a monster brought back by Necromancy is destroyed, one monster on the field loses 600 attack points until the end of the turn!" He narrowed his eyes and gave the command... "So now... go forth, my Egyptian God! ... **SUMMON THUNDER BULLET**!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon's second mouth charged up and fired four balls of thunder at the four summoned monsters, striking and destroying them at once. Spencer cried out as the force of the attack nearly pushed him off the edge of Obelisk the Tormentor's head.

"My monsters were destroyed!"

"Because four monsters were destroyed, 600 times 4 equals 2400." explained Thomas, holding four fingers up briefly. "With those results, Obelisk will lose a total of 2400 attack points for this turn!"

"Why, you...!" growled Spencer, angered at being made a fool again. "Destroy my monsters just to take a jab at my God monster? I'll make you regret doing that!"

Obelisk the Tormentor's attack dropped significantly (ATK: 4000 - 1600).

"Now Slifer is the stronger of the two again." said Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Back on the duel platform...

"It looks like I've just reversed the situation once more." Thomas remarked, just before going on the offensive... "Go forth, Slifer! Attack Obelisk the Tormentor, now!"

Suddenly, just as Slifer the Sky Dragon began to charge up its Thunder Force attack a second time, Obelisk the Tormentor's fists began crackling with bluish energy as it grew a good 1000 attack points stronger (ATK: 1600 - 2600).

"Hey! Did Obelisk's attack points just increase!?" Thomas demanded, looking surprised over what just happened.

"It did..." grinned Spencer. "When Sword of Soul is destroyed at any time... Be it by battle or a monster effect, its effect increases one of my monster's attack points by 1000 until the end of the turn!"

Obelisk the Tormentor was ready to go and beat the living tar out of Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"And right now, it's too late to call off your attack! Counterattack now, Obelisk!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Torrmentor both prepared to attack each other... All of a sudden, a zap of electricity halted them in their tracks and caused them both to back off.

"Both Egyptian Gods were stopped in their tracks?!" Spencer asked in surprised.

Down below the platform...

"How did THAT happen?" Emily questioned.

Thomas grinned confidently. "That's too bad for you, Spencer. Your battle phase has come to an end by the looks of it. I'll admit that your usage of Sword of Soul did catch me off-guard for a brief moment... but in the end, it still wasn't enough to help you win!"

Spencer was confused over what happened. "But how did-?" he began, but was cut off.

"When you forced me to discard half of my hand from Power Balance, you've also made me discard a special monster card in the process." As Thomas continued to talk, a card had slipped out of his graveyard. From there, the blue-haired boy took hold of it and showed it to everyone. "It's called Electromagnetic Turtle. When it enters my graveyard by any means—destruction by battle or being discarded—it creates a special electrical discharge that affects all monsters currently on the field. From there, I can choose to end the battle phase at any given time."

Spencer grimaced. "So you've paralyzed Obelisk and Slifer just to end the battle phase!"

"Yes, that's correct. Now I place one more card facedown and end my turn!"

Thomas slotted another card into his Duel Disk, causing a facedown card to materialize.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the Island of Sodor and in Knapford City, everyone in the town square was still watching the duel progress.

"It's been close call after close call." said BoCo. "With apparently no end in sight."

"Both of those monsters can't seem to destroy each other." Annie added, talking about the Egyptian God monsters.

"It's almost like they're invincible or something." put in Clarabel innocently.

"Thomas..." whispered Mrs. Billinton, worried about her only son.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor both gave booming roars at each other. In addition, the holographic audience in the stands continued to chant either ' ** _Thomas_** ' or ' ** _Spencer_** ', while the spectators below the platform watched on quietly. From that point, while still standing atop his own Egyptian God monster's head, Spencer began to laugh joyously.

"I think he's lost his marbles." commented Emily in a deadpan tone.

Back atop of Obelisk the Tormentor, Spencer...wasn't go crazy at all. His fist was shaking, almost like he was excited right now.

"I'm excited... so excited!" The silver-haired boy said aloud. "Billinton, whenever we duel like this, I get this great feeling in my heart!"

"What feeling?" Thomas quizzed, still standing atop Slifer the Sky Dragon's head.

"When fighting with you-" explained Spencer, still smiling. "-my spirit and strength are both pushed to the limit! Your existence in the world of Duel Monsters excites and thrills me to no end!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

XYZ-Dragon Cannon destroying Thomas's set Mirror Force Trap card was shown.

(new scene...)

Spencer summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon for the first time was shown.

(new scene...)

Thomas summoning Dark Paladin for the first time was shown.

(new scene...)

Dark Paladin slammed his scepter onto the ground, causing a shockwave of magical energy to fire forth to Spencer's side of the field. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons gave a roar before the shockwaves cut into their white scales and they shattered into dust, while the Maiden with Eyes of Blue just gave a shriek before being shattered into pieces. Spencer, on the other hand, could only watch and scream in horror as the last of his life points finally reached zero.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Spencer was now scowling from the last flashback (his first loss).

"But we don't need two kings in this open world." The silver-haired boy sneered, clenching and sweeping his fist about. "I'm going to defeat you with my own hands!"

With that said, he drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 43  
 **Current Hand** (4): Cloning, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Card of Demise

* * *

"Billinton, your hand has been reduced to one lonely card. Meaning that Slifer the Sky Dragon now has only 1000 attack points remaining! There isn't anything left you can do to stop me now!"

Thomas grimaced in worry as his opponent entered the battle phase.

"This time, without a doubt, I WILL defeat your Egyptian God monster! It's the end of you!" Spencer then held his glowing card up to the sky. "Obelisk the Tormentor, you shall stand at the top of all Gods! Strike down Slifer the Sky Dragon with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk the Tormentor obeyed, charging up its fist before lunging it towards the weakened Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"I activate my facedown Quick-Play Spell card!" announced Thomas, as he quicky poked a button on his Duel Disk. This caused the lone set card to flip face-up and reveal itself to be... "Spell Textbook!"

Spencer raised an eyebrow as his attack stopped.

"By discarding every remaining card in my hand to the graveyard, I must draw one card from my deck. If that drawn card is either a monster card or Trap card... it is discarded to the graveyard and nothing more can be done. But if it's a Spell card, I can activate it immediately."

Thomas discarded his last card to the graveyard, and Slifer's attack stat lowered all the way to nothing (ATK: 1000 - 0).

"You fool!" insulted Spencer. "By doing that, you've left yourself completely open to being defeated once Slifer is struck and destroyed!"

Thomas ignored that remark and prepared to draw his final card.

"I need to draw the right card." he thought to himself. "Otherwise, it will be all over for me. Percy... Heart of the Cards... please guide me to victory..."

Thomas finally drew his card, slashing a colourful wave from his deck in the process (Destiny Draw). He took a quick look at his drawn card, and gave a weak smile at what it was. The card drawn was a...

"I activate the Spell card!"

"What?!" Spencer gasped, just as his eyes went bloodshot from shock.

The Spell card soon materialized face-up. It was shown to be...

"Card of Sanctity!" announced Thomas. "Its effect allows both players to draw from their respective decks until they hold six cards in their hands!"

Six orbs of light rained down from the sky until they entered the blue-haired boy's deck.

"This can't be!" Spencer mumbled in horror. "In this hopeless situation, he was able to draw the one card needed to turn things around!"

Thomas drew his six cards, and Spencer drew two cards.

"And now Slifer's attack goes BACK to 6000 points!" Thomas pointed out, holding his new hand out.. "Meaning Obelisk is about to be counterattacked and defeated!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon grew stronger and stronger until it hit the cap (ATK: 0 - 6000), and then began charging up its Thunder Force attack in response as Obelisk the Tormentor got closer and closer to try and strike. However...

"Reveal Trap card!" shouted Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Life Shaver!"

The silver-haired boy's final set flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"I knew he'd use it eventually!" thought Thomas, now looking worried.

"It has been set for two of my turns! Now you are forced to discard two cards from your newly drawn hand!"

The blue-haired boy complied, sending two of his new cards to the graveyard. Slifer the Sky Dragon's attack then dropped by 2000 points (ATK: 6000 - 4000).

"Now they're tied!" exclaimed Emily.

The attacks of the two Egyptian Gods collided with each other! ...but not in a way anyone was expecting.

"What's going on?!" Thomas cried out.

"This wasn't suppose to happen!" Even Spencer was stunned to see what was happening.

A blinding light was beginning to cover the whole Duel Tower and Sky Duel Coliseum.

(elsewhere...)

Back on the Island of Sodor and in the middle of Knapford City, the light and power of the Egyptian Gods was so strong that...it caused all of the TVs and monitors playing the duel to explode! ...luckily, no one got hurt from the falling debris.

"Oh man!" said Charlie with widened eyes. "T-That was so intense!"

"GAH! Now we'll never know who will win that epic duel!" whined Diesel, not realizing the potential danger that was ahead for the duelists.

"Thomas..." whispered Mrs. Billinton. She hoped that her son would be alright wherever he was.

"Please be safe..." added Mr. Billinton.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, the light was getting pretty noticeable by the rest of the gang.

"Check out that light!" called out Henry.

"Something must be seriously wrong up there." came from Edward.

"Thomas and Emily are also both up the tower along with Spencer!" added Zack. "I really hope they'll be okay."

Everyone else in the room hoped for the exact same thing.

(elsewhere...)

Ishizu could see the bright light from her room, too.

(elsewhere...)

The light atop the Duel Tower was growing brighter and brighter and brighter... What could all of this mean? Well, you will all find out...next time!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	66. Sky Duel Coliseum (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

The top of the Duel Tower was engulfed with light... The answer was very simple - it was coming from two of the Egyptian God monsters themselves... Inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, the battle between Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon began to grow more and more dangerous.

"Neither of them are giving up!" cried Thomas.

"What?!" Spencer exclaimed, while looking extremely shocked.

Slowly, but surely, Slifer the Sky Dragon's body began to crack from the growing ball of light. But that wasn't all... Obelisk the Tormentor's body began to crack soon after.

"T-This light...!" thought Spencer. "Are Obelisk and Slifer's powers reacting to one another?"

"Obelisk...!" whispered Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "Slifer...!"

"Egyptian God vs. Egyptian God..." Dark Marik thought to himself, looking a bit worried (a rather rare moment for him). "A life and death battle of wills! ...will they both perish now?"

The orb between the two Egyptian Gods began to grow and overwhelm them. Thomas watched on silently, but also in shock. It was the same with Spencer - he was just as shocked about it.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, everyone watching was both amazed and frightened at the same time.

"Unreal!" exclaimed James R..

"I've never seen anything like it!" came from Michael.

"The Gods..." whispered Discord. "It would seem they're evenly match in power!"

"Don't tell me the tower is gonna explode!" James cried out in shock. "Because that is something we DON'T need right now!"

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the glowing top off the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Dark Marik was watching the chaos some more and continued displaying genuine shock over over it.

"The power of the Gods is relentless." he thought only to himself. "They could end up taking out the whole island at this rate!"

"We have to end this duel!" Emily said to Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "Before something even worse happens!"

"I agree!" nodded Mr. Gresley (Boxford), and proceeded to call out something to his son. "Spencer! You must stop this duel at once before we are all consumed by this power!"

Unfortunately, the light had grown so much that it consumed both Spencer and Thomas entirely (it didn't help that the two duelists were still atop of their respective Egyptian God monster's head), which meant the former didn't hear his Father. What's more, Dark Marik suddenly felt, on his side, the Millennium Rod beginning to glow.

"What's going on!?" The evil man demanded, while once again displaying genuine shock. "My Millennium Rod is acting on its own again!"

Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) turned around. "What are you doing?!"

"It's not me!" protested Dark Marik, holding up the glowing Millennium Item. "My Millennium Item is activating on its own, and I don't know why!"

Finally, the two Egyptian Gods shattered into pieces as the light absorbed the two duelists fully. Suddenly, Emily felt herself being lifted off the ground.

"What's happening to me?" she cried. "Someone get me down!"

"Emily?!" The two adults gawked, and tried to attempt a rescue...but were unsuccessful.

Before long, the dark green-haired girl was absorbed into the giant orb of light in the sky as well.

* * *

 **Title: Sky Duel Coliseum, Part 4**

* * *

All was quiet as everything faded to white. However, while it was quiet, it was not unoccupied; Thomas, Spencer, and Emily were each floating around wondering what had happened.

"What's going on?" asked Emily.

"Emily?" Thomas was surprised to see his friend. "You're here, too?"

"Yeah. That light pulled me in."

"Is this Marik's doing?" Spencer demanded.

"He said it wasn't him." Emily replied. "When the light got stronger, his Millennium Rod activated on its own."

Thomas's Millennium Puzzle began to glow as well.

"What's...?"

"Trembling Tracks!" exclaimed Emily. "Your Millennium Puzzle!"

Before anything more could be said, the three teenagers screamed as they were sucked further into the void.

(new location...)

After what seemed like forever, Thomas, Spencer, and Emily found themselves in a new area that resembled an Egyptian desert.

"We're in Egypt now?" asked Thomas in surprise.

Unfortunately, it was dark, and lots of ruins and buildings were damaged and smoking from being caught on fire.

"Look at all the destruction." whispered Emily in shock. "What could have done this?"

All of a sudden, the Millennium Eye symbol appeared Thomas's forehead as he spotted something in the distance.

"Over there!" he exclaimed, pointing forth.

Spencer and Emily both looked in the direction Thomas was pointing...and gasped.

"What the-?!" gawked the silver-haired boy.

In the distance were familiar body shapes of two certain monsters. Just to be certain, the three teenagers soared over to check it out. When they got there... their fears were confirmed.

"Are those...?" began Thomas.

"They are!" confirmed Spencer.

It was Slifer and Obelisk, and they had been turned to stone.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor...!" Emily pointed out. "...but they've been turned to stone."

Suddenly, the whole destroyed town began to pulse in a sort.

"What's going on? demanded Spencer.

The ruined town continued to pulse of some sort. Thomas looked around until his eyes were locked on the tallest building in the city.

"The Royal Palace!"

"Is that where this pulsing is coming from?" asked Emily hopefully.

"Let's hope so." muttered Spencer.

Suddenly, the three teenagers faded away in orange streaks.

(elsewhere...)

In an instant, Thomas, Spencer, and Emily each appeared from the same orange streaks and found themselves inside the palace.

"Well, now that we're inside-" Spencer grumbled. "-where do we even start?"

"Look down there!" cried Emily, pointing downwards.

Several figures were shown to be down in the middle of the throne room. The first one was a silver-haired, 18-year old, boy wearing blue priest clothing and wielding the Millennium Rod (shockingly). The second figure was a blue-haired, 15-year old, boy wearing royal clothing and the Millennium Puzzle around his neck.

"Are those...you two?!" Emily asked with widened eyes.

"It's our ancestors!" cried Thomas.

In addition, in another corner of the throne room were additional civilians:  
-The first was a green-haired, 15-year old, boy wearing white male villager clothing.  
-The second was a blue-haired, 17-year old, boy wearing white robes.  
-The third was a red-haired, 16-year old boy, wearing only white male villager pants (he was shirtless).  
-The fourth was a dark green-haired (long in length), 16-year old, girl wearing white female villager clothing.  
-The fifth was a black-haired (with yellow streaks ,and was shoulder length), 16-year old, girl wearing white priest robes.  
-Finally, there was a bald, 50+ year old, man with a slightly tubby appearance and wearing white priest robes.

"Some of our friends and Sir Topham Hatt!" came from Emily.

"This has to be from 3000 years ago!" added Spencer.

Down below, the silver-haired Priest began to speak to the Pharaoh.

"Your kingdom has fallen, Atem!" he declared with pride. "And now you and your friends will join together in the afterlife!"

"Seto..." said Atem slowly. "It never should have come to this... Why have you sided with our enemy? We're supposed to be family. We are destined to fight the darkness together as allies, not fight each other!"

"Be silent!" shouted Seto, raising the Millennium Rod and firing a blast at his ' _former'_ cousin. "Now die!"

"Atem!" cried the dark green-haired Egyptian girl, activating her psychic powers.

A gold shield covered the Pharaoh and protected him from the blast.

"Anzu?" Atem looked to see his closest friend running over to him.

Once she reached the Pharaoh, Anzu gazed at the traitor with anger in her heart.

"I won't let him hurt you!" The dark green-haired Egyptian girl insisted bravely, speaking directly to Atem. To further prove her point, a large stone tablet of a familiar monster materialized. "Come forth, Wingweaver!"

The powerful winged fairy appeared. The three teenagers, in spirit form, watched on with interest.

"Is that...my Wingweaver?" Emily asked, looking positively surprised.

"It is." Thomas confirmed.

Down below, Seto smirked confidently to himself. This peasant girl was no match for him...and he knew it full well.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" The traitor remarked coolly, just as a stone tablet of his own emerged from behind. "Behold the Battle Ox!"

Appearing out of it was the large armored minotaur.

"The Battle Ox?" gasped Spencer.

"Wingweaver!" called Anzu. "Light Rain!"

Wingweaver obeyed, raising her hands in the air and summoning rays of light. The rays of light struck and destroyed the Battle Ox.

"You've lost, traitor!" declared Anzu. "Nothing you do will stop us from punishing you!"

Suddenly, Seto snickered quietly before laughing loud and long.

"I applaud your efforts." he said, just as another tablet began to appear behind him. "But I see now that I have to call in the true fighting power. Come forth - Almighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Thomas, Emily, and especially Spencer each gawked at what they've just heard.

" **The Blue-Eyes White Dragon**?!" They exclaimed at once.

Down below, the familiar blue eyed and white scaled dragon materialized with a roar.

"How do you like my new spirit monster?" asked Seto gleefully, before it turned into anger and hate. "It was given to me by my lost love... whom you helped conspire to kill, Atem!"

"I did no such thing!" protested Atem. "You have been deceived, Seto!"

"Lies!" snarled Seto. "Destroy the Pharaoh with White Lightning attack!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed, firing a blast of white lightning at Atem.

"ATEM!" screamed the Pharaoh's friends.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed Shimon.

Atem braced himself for the impact. Just before the attack could hit him...

"Wingweaver, intercept the attack!" called Anzu.

The winged fairy got in front of the Pharaoh and was ready to take the hit.

"You can't!" called Jono (green-haired boy). "Anzu, Wingweaver is the only spirit monster you have!"

"If she dies, then so do you!" put in Mia (black-haired girl).

"Don't do it!" finished Honda (red-haired boy).

It was too late... Wingweaver was hit by the blast of white lightning and disintegrated in an instant. Anzu collapsed to her knees while clutching her chest in severe pain.

"Wing-wea-ver..." she spluttered, coughing up some blood before falling facedown onto the ground.

The bystanders watched in horror at the impending doom of the dark green-haired Egyptian girl. Atem ran over and caught his longtime friend, holding her in his arms.

"Why?" he asked sadly. "Why did it have to be you?"

Thomas, Emily and Spencer each watched the scene with surprise.

"I... I couldn't let him hurt you, Atem." said Anzu weakly, reaching up to gentle touch her friend's face. "I... I love you..."

Tears welled up in poor Atem's eyes. Before long, Anzu, despite giving a kind smile and accepting her fate, closed her eyes and her body went limb. The blue-haired Egyptian boy shook the girl gently in hopes of getting a response of a sort! ...but there was none.

"Anzu? Anzu?! ANZU!" screamed the Pharaoh, starting to cry.

The rest of the Egyptian people grieved for the fallen girl. Meanwhile, Thomas and Emily both began to get teary-eyed at watching this heartbreaking scene.

"The poor Pharaoh..." sobbed Emily.

"I can't believe it..." thought Spencer, looking a bit sorry for the Pharaoh.

Now looking positively furious, Atem stood back up. "Have you no sense of loyalty?! Or did the Dark One order you to kill everyone in this land?!"

"You're mistaken; my minions and I have no allegiance to the Dark One..." dismissed Seto. "Unfortunately, we have no allegiance to you, either. This is all about the strongest, and that shall be me!"

"Your hatred, greed, and thoughtless actions have resulted in the death of a kind, caring soul - who was also my oldest and dearest friend." Atem seethed, as his eyes became filled with great anger and murder. As he cast a glance of fury at his so-called ' _cousin_ ', a stone tablet began to rise up from behind him. "For that, I will not forgive you, traitor! Now, I summon my dear friend; the Dark Magician!"

Appearing from a stone slab was the purple haired and robe wearing male spellcaster.

"That's your Dark Magician, Billinton!" Spencer pointed out.

"You're right..." Thomas agreed, before realizing something big. "Cinders and Ashes! This has to be the ancient conflict that Ishizu spoke of—and these really are ancient versions of ourselves from Egypt 3000 years ago."

"And it's just like how it looked on the tablet at the museum." added Emily.

The two monsters belonging to the Pharaoh and Priest respectively stared each other down. Before anything more could be shown, Thomas, Emily, and Spencer were each absorbed into the sky and out of sight.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the Sky Duel Coliseum, Dark Marik was still holding onto his glowing Millennium Rod, and was becoming greatly infuriated over it.

"Why aren't you obeying me?" The evil man demanded angrily. "What was it you showed those three fools?!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, everyone started to notice the orb of light beginning to dim.

"Hey, the light's starting to dim." said Carlie.

"Thank goodness." sighed Molly.

"Still, what do you think that was all about?" asked Matt.

"I don't know." Gordon answered, frowning.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Thomas and Spencer were both lying on the duel platform. Off the platform, Emily was lying on the ground near both Mr and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Are you alright, dear?" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), helping Emily up.

"What happened to you three up there?" questioned Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Their memories had awoken, that's what!" snapped Dark Marik suddenly, looking very angry. "And my Millennium Rod was the one that did this!" He then proceeded to grab the dark green-haired girl by her shirt collar and lift her up in fury. "What the hell did you three see in that vision?! Tell me, right this second!"

"We saw Thomas and Spencer's ancestors fighting!" said Emily, gagging from being choked. "And the latter also had the Millennium Rod!"

The evil man, once he got his answer, immediately dropped the girl onto the ground and angrily looked at the Millennium Rod.

"So, Spencer's ancestor DID wield this Millennium Item." Dark Marik thought to himself. "Regardless, he'll never get his hands on it. The Millennium Rod is mine, and always will be mine!"

Back on the arena, Thomas and Spencer both got back up as well.

"That scene... flashing through my mind." thought Spencer, with his eyes still bloodshot. "Was it all an illusion? ...or was it all real?" He gripped the side of his head. "The battle between the Pharaoh and Priest was almost...like it was between me and Billinton! ...only it looked much more realistic. The intense fighting spirit surging from them, like a pulse of fire! It... it was no illusion!"

Over with Thomas...

"The Pharaoh and the Priest both looked just like me and Spencer." he thought. "The 3000-year-old battle recorded on the stone tablet represents our lasting rivalry! ...all this is part of destiny."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The flashback showed Seto calling forth the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Atem calling forth the Dark Magician.

"Just as the Pharaoh and the Priest did in the past-" thought Thomas. "-Spencer and I are destined to fight each other. This is one of the answers I was seeking!"

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, just as Thomas and Spencer both finally regained their concentration.

"Thomas, don't tell me you and Emily both had the same vision that I did!" called Spencer.

"I'm afraid we did, Spencer." admitted Thomas. "And I'm beginning to understand, too... This duel is a fated battle we've been fighting for the past 3000 years!"

"A duel of destiny that has surpassed time itself!" agreed the silver-haired boy.

"Battle City is a test to become a True Duelist" The blue-haired boy continued speaking. "As well as a battle to help me seek out the answers to all my questions."

Spencer didn't say anything back (LP: 2000). Thomas then got back into a dueling stance, aiming to finish the match (LP: 3000). Below the platform, Dark Marik spat on the ground in disgust, for he was still a bit miffed over what had happened.

"Tch! Without the Egyptian God monsters, the duel's now back to square one!" The evil man complained, and then looked back towards his Millennium Rod in anger. "Once again, no one but me can wield the Millennium Rod. I will make absolute sure of that...!"

"I'm certain now, Spencer." Thomas spoke up. "My duel with you will continue to give me more answers that I'm seeking to my questions."

Spencer laughed. "I couldn't care less about that rubbish. All I just want to do now... is to defeat you here and now! Whether that vision was fake or not, it changes nothing with the duel. My destiny is to defeat you and become the Duel King! We no longer need the Egyptian God cards to decide the winner."

Thomas nodded. "Then show me what you've got!" he dared. "And last time I checked, it's still your turn!"

"I place one card facedown and end my turn!" The silver-haired boy declared, slotting a card into is Duel Disk. He then began to think... "I don't need Obelisk to win. I've got a more reliable card in my hand now—my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Spencer's current hand (thanks to Card of Sanctity) consisted of Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Final Attack Orders, Polymerization, and Magical Trick Mirror.

"Then it looks like it's my turn now!" Thomas announced, drawing a card from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (5): Magic Formula, Spellbinding Circle, Magician's Selection, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Magician's Valkyria

* * *

Unfortunately, the blue-haired boy was dismayed at what he drew.

"While Magician's Valkyria is strong-" he thought. "-it won't be enough to finish Spencer off in one turn." He then looked at the rest of his hand. "Even if I combine her with Magic Formula to boost her strength, Spencer's facedown card could be a deadly Trap that could destroy her and deal significant damage to my life points."

The blue-haired boy's current hand consisted of Magic Formula, Spellbinding Circle, Magician's Selection, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and the just added Magician's Valkyria.

"I...guess I'll have to play defense for a little bit longer until I draw the correct card."

Off the platform, Dark Marik was feeling pleased once more.

"Spencer has but one facedown card." The evil man remarked to only himself. "But Thomas still needs to be wary of an attack." He then laughed mentally to himself. "What're you gonna do now, ' _Your Highness_ '?"

At last, Thomas placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"I summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode!" The blue-haired boy announced.

The teal armored female spellcaster appeared in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1800). Unfortunately, Spencer gave a laugh of triumph.

"I was hoping you'd do that, Billinton!" he declared. "Trap card, open - Cloning!"

The silver-haired boy's facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself... before fading away and creating a replica of Magician's Valkyria (Level: 4/ATK: 1600).

"Cloning?!" Thomas gasped.

"That's right." confirmed Spencer. "This Trap card creates a clone of your monster on my side of the field."

Thomas scowled in defiance. The real Magician's Valkyria glared at the clone, but the doppelganger just gave a cocky grin. It was as if the clone was insulting the original, and this angered the real Magician's Valkyria quite a bit.

"I place one card facedown!" The blue-haired boy growled, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

A facedown card materialized.

"My turn is over!"

"Oh, what's the matter, Billinton?" taunted Spencer. "Being cautious are we? How quaint! That path will only lead to your defeat!"

Back below the platform, Emily was looking a bit cross over Spencer taunting her blue-haired friend like that.

"That Spencer...!" she thought bitterly. "He makes me so mad sometimes!"

Back on the platform...

"It's my turn!" announced Spencer, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (6): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Final Attack Orders, Polymerization, Magical Trick Mirror, and Pot of Greed

* * *

On cue, the Pot of Greed Spell card materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two more cards..."

The silver-haired boy saw that he had drawn both Cost Down and Ring of Defense... He smirked and slotted the former card into his Duel Disk...

"Alright, Billinton-" Spencer began. "-it's time to show you my ace monster! But first, I'll activate the Spell card Cost Down!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up.

"By discarding one card-" explained Spencer, sending the Ring of Defense Spell card to the graveyard. "-I can downgrade all monsters in my hand by two levels!"

"What?!" cried Thomas.

"A level reduction card?!" came from Emily.

"That means he'll be able to summon his monster with just one tribute!" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"And now I'll sacrifice my Magician's Valkyria clone! Begone, you worthless copy!"

The clone Magician's Valkyria vanished in a blue light as Spencer held up another card.

"This card represents my pride and soul as a duelist." he said proudly. "I summon my almighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The card was then placed onto a monster field slot on Spencer's Duel Disk. The card materialized facedown before flipping up and revealing itself...before the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged from the card with a fierce roar. The dragon landed near its master and glared at Thomas fiercely (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"So Spencer's Blue-Eyes has finally appeared!" Mr. Gresley (Boxford) gasped.

"I hope Thomas is careful." added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Thomas..." whispered Emily.

"Heh! This match is as good as done!" scoffed Dark Marik.

Back on the duel platform...

"You've lost to me in ancient times, Billinton!" thundered Spencer. "And now you'll lose yet again. Blue-Eyes, attack his Magician's Valkyria with White Lighting!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed, firing a blast of white lightning towards Magician's Valkyria. The female spellcaster tried her absolute best to hold the blast back with her scepter, but instead gave a scream as the weapon broke and she got vaporized by the powerful attack.

"Magician's Valkyria!" cried Thomas (LP: 3000).

Spencer cackled wickedly. "My turn ends here! Now, Billinton... bring it on! But know that all of your monsters with less than 3000 attack or defense points will be blown away by the might of my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon seemed to roar in agreement.

"I only have one chance to win." thought Thomas. "If I can draw the right card now, I'll be able to call forth MY ace monster. From there, I'll have to trust the vision we have seen—where the Pharaoh called his ultimate servant and lead him to victory. I have to rely on this very draw."

Finally, the blue-haired boy drew his card...

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 33  
 **Current Hand** (4): Spellbinding Circle, Magician's Selection, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Monster Reborn

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, Thomas gave a small smile.

"Alright, Spencer." he said bravely. "It's time to fight ace vs. ace! Based on the battle our ancestors fought 3000 years ago, that spirit has now been passed onto both of us!" Thomas slotted the card into his Duel Disk. "I activate Monster Reborn!"

A card slipped out of Thomas's graveyard! ...a familiar one, too.

"Come forth! My dear friend, Dark Magician!"

The purple-haired spellcaster materialized (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).

"That can't be!" Spencer reacted in horror. "I've never sent the Dark Magician to your graveyard!"

"No, but I did." corrected Thomas. "He was one of the cards I had to discard when you played Life Shaver not long ago."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Thanks to Card of Sanctity, Slifer the Sky Dragon grew stronger and stronger until it hit the cap (ATK: 0 - 6000), and then began charging up its Thunder Force attack in response as Obelisk the Tormentor got closer and closer to try and strike. However...

"Reveal Trap card!" shouted Spencer, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Life Shaver!"

The silver-haired boy's final set flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"I knew he'd use it eventually!" thought Thomas, now looking worried.

"It has been set for two of my turns! Now you are forced to discard two cards from your newly drawn hand!"

The blue-haired boy complied, looking to his hand. It contained the following cards; Magic Formula, Berfomet, Spellbinding Circle, Magician's Selection, Dark Magician, and Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Finally, Thomas took and sent his newly drawn Berfomet and Dark Magician monster cards both to the graveyard.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"A very smart play..." thought Spencer bitterly, before speaking aloud. "But even with your Dark Magician, it can't stop my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Dark Magician then turned to face Thomas to try and speak with him mentally.

"It looks like fate has played its hand once again."

"Indeed." said Thomas mentally. "The ancient battle is being reenacted."

Dark Magician nodded. "And I won't let you down in this fight, my Pharaoh."

With both Dark Magician and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon out, Thomas and Spencer both seemed to resemble Atem and Seto respectively. The carving from the museum seemed to pop up as well.

"From that point..." began Spencer.

"...our destines began to unfold." finished Thomas, taking a defensive stance. "Spencer, I will defeat you! The power of my Dark Magician will triumph over your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Unfortunately, the stone carvings never showed a winner." Spencer pointed out. "However, I have a good idea on who won... it was my ancestor! And since I happen to be his decedent, I'll continue his legacy by defeating you here and now!"

"We shall see." The blue-haired boy then took another card from his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized.

"Blue-Eyes is much stronger than Dark Magician." Thomas thought only to himself. "But with both my facedown cards, I should be able to make my monster stronger and weaken Blue-Eyes. The first card I set was Magic Formula - it raises a spellcaster's attack strength by 500 points. The second facedown card is Spellbinding Circle - that Trap card stops the opponent's monster from attacking and lowers their attack power by 700 points."

"Hmph! Do you really think those facedown cards of yours frighten me?" snorted Spencer. "Well, I'm afraid you're mistaken! Besides, there is no light for those who are shackled to the past! If you turn your back on the future, you'd tread down the road of nostalgia and defeat! And I'll prove it to you!"

The silver-haired boy drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (5): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Final Attack Orders, Polymerization, Magical Trick Mirror, and Card of Demise

* * *

A facedown card immediately materialized.

"First I'll set one card facedown!" Spencer then held out another card. "Now watch as I activate the Spell card Card of Demise!"

"Card of Demise?!" Thomas recoiled, know about that card.

"This lets me draw until I have five cards in my hand." explained Spencer, drawing only two cards from his deck. "But after five standby phases, I have to discard my entire hand to the graveyard."

"I know what the card does, Spencer."

Spencer didn't listen; he was much too busy gazing at his opponent's two facedown cards.

"I have a theory on what Billinton's planning to do." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "He plans to use one of those set cards to weaken my Blue-Eyes while using the second card to make his Dark Magician even stronger. Spellbinding Circle to target Blue-Eyes, and Magic Formula to buff up Dark Magician's attack."

Thomas raised an eyebrow, thinking that Spencer figured out what he planned to do if the silver-haired boy decided to attack.

"Nice try, Billinton." Spencer finally said aloud. "But I know what you have facedown."

"You do?" Thomas gasped.

"That's right." answered Spencer smugly, taking yet another card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "You plan to weaken my Blue-Eyes while making your Dark Magician stronger. Well, to keep that from happening, I summon the Lord of Dragons!"

The dragon armored monster appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1100).

"Lord of Dragons?!"

"With that monster out, all of Spencer's dragon-type monsters are now unaffected by the opponent's card effects!" Emily said in shock.

"How right you are, Emily." smirked Spencer. "Now my Blue-Eyes is safe and sound from all of your Spells, Traps, and monster effects. However, your Dark Magician is stronger than Lord of Dragons, Billinton. The smartest thing to do would be to attack and defeat it now."

Thomas was surprised to hear this. Spencer could have sent Blue-Eyes White Dragon to attack and destroy Dark Magician! ...yet he decided not to attack this turn.

"He predicted my strategy—yet didn't attack." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "I don't know what Spencer is up to, but I can't let him get ahead of me!"

"I've planned much further than that, Billinton." Spencer said mentally and gleefully. "Once you declare an attack, my little surprise will be triggered!"

Finally, Thomas drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Nineteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 31  
 **Current Hand** (3): Magician's Selection, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Beta The Magnet Warrior

* * *

The blue-haired boy placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

"I summon Beta The Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" he announced.

The yellow magnet/rock-type monster materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 1600).

"So... will you attack me or not?" Spencer thought snidely.

Thomas stared at Spencer with studying eyes. Was he trying to lure him into a trap?

"He must be baiting me." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "But...right now, I have no other choice but to attack. If Lord of Dragons remains on the field for too much longer, my card effects will not affect any of Spencer's dragon-type monsters!"

Below the duel platform, Dark Marik was snickering to himself.

"So Spencer has gotten Thomas in a pickle." The evil man thought only to himself. "So much stress... so much tension... I absolutely love it!"

Back on the platform, Thomas finally gave the command as he entered his battle phase...

"Dark Magician! Attack Lord of Dragons! Dark Magic Attack!"

Dark Magician obeyed, beginning to charge up a blast of black magic from his scepter to fire at Lord of Dragons. Unfortunately, this was what Spencer had been waiting for.

"You're so naive, Billinton!" The silver-haired boy called out. "And now you're about to be punished for your fatal mistake!" He then motioned his right hand towards the facedown card. "Reveal Trap card!" Spencer's facedown card flipped up on command, and revealed itself to be... "Magical Trick Mirror!"

"Oh no!" exclaimed Thomas.

"I'm sure you remember what this card does." said Spencer. "It allows me to use one Spell card in your graveyard."

The mechanic monster with mirrors materialized from the Trap card.

"And this is the Spell card I wish to copy...!" Spencer's eyes widened with glee as the mirrors made a reflection of... "Monster Reborn!"

"Monster Reborn did you say?!" Thomas asked with widened eyes.

The ground started to rumble, and the sky turned dark once more.

"That's right!" boomed Spencer. "And I choose to revive this one monster!"

In a pillar of blue light behind the silver-haired boy came...

"OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!"

"Oh no!" gasped Emily. "Not Obelisk again!"

"As you know, Egyptian God monsters can only remain on the field when revived with a certain Spell or Trap card like Monster Reborn for one turn." explained Spencer. "However, despite that setback, Obelisk defending me will be all I need!"

As expected, Obelisk was brought back to the field in defense mode. (Level: 10/DEF: 4000).

"And while in defense mode-" grinned Spencer. "-Obelisk can intercept your attack!"

Dark Magician finally fired off the black magic attack towards Lord of Dragons... But just before the attack could connect, Obelisk the Tormentor's right hand blocked the blast.

"How is that even possible?!" Thomas demanded in horror.

"It's an effect shared by all three God cards." said Spencer, and began to explain another lore written on Obelisk. "' _ **If this card is Special Summoned when your opponent has attacked with a monster, you may switch the attack target to this card**_ '."

Suddenly, Obelisk the Tormentor threw the blast of black magic right back at Dark Magician, striking him and causing him to fly back across the platform.

"Dark Magician!" cried Thomas.

"And now you're dealt damage since your attack was weaker than my monster's defense!" reminded Spencer.

Thomas winced as he took heavy damage (LP: 1500).

"Thomas!" cried out Emily, worried for her friend.

"This is it, Billinton!" shouted Spencer. "Prepare to be buried in the past while I soar to greater heights of the future!"

With that said, be began to laugh loudly and menacingly. Can Thomas be able to get back into the game? ...or is Spencer right, and it's all over for him? Wait until next time, I guess.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	67. Sky Duel Coliseum (5)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Spencer began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"The ' ** _Battle of the Gods_** ' has ensured! It was Obelisk the Tormentor vs. Slifer the Sky Dragon, and I was absolutely certain my own God monster would be victorious! ...especially when I used its special effect!"

"Billinton, this match is over!" announced Spencer. "Your Slifer may have 6000 attack points... but even it pales in comparison to Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"Oh no..." said Thomas to himself. He knew what was coming.

As Obelisk the Tormentor crushed the two monsters it was holding, its muscles began bulging and growing.

"I will now activate Obelisk's special ability! And it's activated by tributing two monsters on my side of the field. Once that's done, Obelisk will storm the field, destroy all of your monsters, AND dish out 4000 points of damage to your life points!"

"Can he really do that?" Emily asked, growing very frightened.

"Oh, yes!" teased Dark Marik. "He most certainly can!"

Finally, Obelisk the Tormentor rose up and gave a booming roar.

"You're done for, Billinton!" announced Spencer. His voice had became more booming than ever before. "I win!"

"No!" cried out Thomas in horror.

"FIST OF FATE!"

Obelisk the Tormentor charged its fist and fired a blast towards Thomas and Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"...well, I would have won the match right there and then had Billinton not chosen that moment to discard that stupid Kuriboh card of his. Now all of the damage he would have taken by Obelisk the Tormentor has been reduced to zero!"

Spencer was enraged. "How dare you use that piece of trash to stop the great Obelisk's attack?!"

"Eventually, both Obelisk and Slifer ended up with equal attack strengths, and something happened when they attacked each other..."

The battle between Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon began to grow more and more dangerous.

"Neither of them are giving up!" cried Thomas.

"What?!" Spencer exclaimed, while looking extremely shocked.

Slowly, but surely, Slifer the Sky Dragon's body began to crack from the growing ball of light. But that was not all... Obelisk the Tormentor's body began to crack soon after.

"T-This light...!" thought Spencer. "Are Obelisk and Slifer's powers reacting to one another?"

The orb between the two Egyptian Gods began to grow and overwhelm them. Thomas watched on silently, but also in shock. It was the same with Spencer - he was just as shocked about it.

"From there, we, along and Emily, were sucked into a figment of 3000 years ago, where the Pharaoh and the Priest were about to do battle! ...almost in a way similar to the match Billinton and I were currently in the middle of!"

"But I see now that I have to call in the true fighting power." remarked Seto, as a stone slab rose up behind him. "Come forth - Almighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Down below, the familiar blue-eyed and white scaled dragon materialized with a roar.

"Now, I summon my dear friend; the Dark Magician!" announced Atem, just as a stone tablet rose behind him.

Appearing from a stone slab was the purple-haired and robe wearing, male spellcaster.

"When we returned to the present, our God monsterss were both destroyed... From there, Billinton and I both resorted to summoning our respective ace monsters - Dark Magician and Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"And now I sacrifice my Magician's Valkyria clone!" declared Spencer. "Begone, you worthless copy!"

The clone Magician's Valkyria vanished in a blue light as Spencer held up another card.

"This card represents my pride and soul as a duelist." he said proudly. "I summon my almighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The card was placed onto a monster field slot on Spencer's Duel Disk. The card materialized facedown before flipping up and revealing itself...before the Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged from the card with a fierce roar. The dragon landed near its master and glared at Thomas fiercely (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"I activate Monster Reborn!" Thomas announced, slotting a card into his Duel Disk.

A card slipped out of Thomas's graveyard! ...a familiar one, too.

"Come forth! My dear friend, Dark Magician!"

The purple-haired spellcaster materialized (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).

"And so the true battle begin! ...but not before my Egyptian God monster gives one final performance."

"I'm sure you remember what this card does." said Spencer, having activated Magical Trick Mirror. "It allows me to use one Spell card in your graveyard."

The mechanic monster with mirrors materialized from the Trap card.

"And this is the Spell card I wish to copy...!" Spencer's eyes widened with glee as the mirrors made a reflection of... "Monster Reborn!"

"Monster Reborn did you say?!" Thomas asked with widened eyes.

The ground started to rumble, and the sky turned dark once more.

"That's right!" boomed Spencer. "And I choose to revive this one monster!"

In a pillar of blue light behind the silver-haired boy came...

"OBELISK THE TORMENTOR!"

"Oh no!" gasped Emily. "Not Obelisk again!"

"As you know, Egyptian God monsters can only remain on the field when revived with a certain Spell or Trap card like Monster Reborn for one turn." explained Spencer. "However, despite that setback, Obelisk defending me will be all I need!"

As expected, Obelisk the Tormentor was brought back to the field in defense mode. (Level: 10/DEF: 4000).

"And while in defense mode-" grinned Spencer. "-Obelisk can intercept your attack!"

Dark Magician finally fired off the black magic attack towards Lord of Dragons... But just before the attack could connect, Obelisk the Tormentor's right hand blocked the blast.

"How is that even possible?!" Thomas demanded in horror.

"It's an effect shared by all three God cards." said Spencer, and began to explain another lore written on Obelisk. "' _ **If this card is Special Summoned when your opponent has attacked with a monster, you may switch the attack target to this card**_ '."

Suddenly, Obelisk the Tormentor threw the blast of black magic right back at Dark Magician, striking him and causing him to fly back across the platform.

"Dark Magician!" cried Thomas.

"And now you're dealt damage since your attack was weaker than my monster's defense!" reminded Spencer.

Thomas winced as he took heavy damage (LP: 1500).

"This is it, Billinton!" shouted Spencer. "Prepare to be buried in the past while I soar to greater heights of the future!"

With that said, be began to laugh loudly and menacingly. Can Thomas be able to get back into the game? ...or is Spencer right, and it's all over for him?

"Oh yes... this duel is as good as won! Prepare for total defeat and ruination, Thomas Billinton!"

* * *

 **Title: Sky Duel Coliseum, Part 5**

* * *

Inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Dark Magician was still lying on the ground, while Obelisk the Tormentor stood triumphantly.

"That's right, Billinton!" cackled Spencer. "You stand no chance against me and Obelisk!"

"Dark Magician!" called Thomas pleadingly. "Are you okay?!"

Slowly, the male spellcaster-type monster started to get back up onto his feet despite being injured by the reflected attack.

"I'll...be okay!" Dark Magician replied mentally. He was not gonna let his master/friend down in this important duel.

Unfortunately, Thomas and the small audience in the Duel Tower weren't the only ones who had seen Obelisk the Tormentor once again...

(elsewhere...)

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Gordon, Henry, and James were each looking out the window when they saw, to their shock, Obelisk the Tormentor looming over the top of the Duel Tower.

"Oh man!" exclaimed Gordon. "Obelisk has come back!"

"And Thomas doesn't even have Slifer out to counter it!" wailed Henry.

By this point, James was so fed up with Percy being unconscious that he turned to the bed where Percy was in his coma, walked over, and grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"James?!" Liz was shocked.

"What are you doing!?" demanded Ryan, also looking shocked.

"Trying a new way to get Percy to wake up!" answered James, unhooking the connectors from the green-haired boy's body. "Now you darn well better listen to me now, Percy Avonside! Thomas is in a big duel and in big trouble, and he desperately needs your help!"

"Stop this right now, James Hughes!" Molly demanded angrily.

"You could cause irreparable damage to the patient!" added the doctor.

"Just shut up!" snapped James. He then dragged Percy out of his bed and propped him up against the window. "Percy, just look up there! Like it or not, Thomas needs your help right now!"

Trying as he might, the red-haired boy just couldn't get Percy to wake up.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Spencer was looking down at Thomas.

"Well, Billinton..." The silver-haired boy said coolly. "Your little weakness has been shown... and that weakness is finding out the answers to the questions you have about your ancestor and the Millennium Items!"

Thomas scowled, but then remembered that it was still his turn... With no other choice, he slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Spencer huffed slightly. "Because Monster Reborn only keeps Obelisk on the field for one turn, it has served its purpose and must leave now! Return to the graveyard, my Egyptian God monster!"

Obelisk the Tormentor obeyed, turning in particles of blue light and sinking into the ground (thus returning to Spencer's graveyard).

"It's useless to resist, Billinton, I'm going to defeat you this time! My future lies beyond this battle... and that one future is to become the Duel King!"

With that said, Spencer drew his card and began his turn. Thomas only watched on grimly...

"I may be down-" thought Thomas, remembering the Millennium Necklace. "-but I still believe in that vision the Millennium Necklace showed me. If I want to make that promise a reality, I can't let myself lose here...!"

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, the helicopter that Skiff contacted earlier was now flying over the ocean on its way to Boxford Corp Island.

"This is Boxford Corp Copter 7. Come in Duel Blimp... over!"

Inside the copter, the radio's emitted Skiff's voice.

"This is Duel Blimp!" replied Skiff. "We read you loud and clear."

"We shall be arriving within the hour." said the pilot. "Please standby with the patients at that time."

"Will do." The young boy agreed. "Thank you so much."

The radio then turned off, and the helicopter flew off into the distance...hopefully to the rescue.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, the cheering from the holographic crowd didn't let up. On the platform, Thomas and Spencer were both staring at each other with such fire. Off the platform, Emily and both Mr and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) watched on silently...while Dark Marik was chuckling to himself.

"This duel is heating up rather fast." The evil man said to himself. "...though it looks like Spencer will be my opponent after all! ...of course, it doesn't matter who faces me... I've planned to kill both players, anyway."

* * *

 **Turn Twenty** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2000)  
 **Deck** : 34  
 **Current Hand** (6): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Final Attack Orders, Polymerization, Monster Reborn, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and The Flute of Summoning Dragon  
 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 4 Standby Phases Left

* * *

Spencer looked at his drawn card and smiled to himself with glee.

"And so the Egyptian Gods smile upon me once again..."

The silver-haired boy's card was the Spell card The Flute of Summoning Dragon. From there, Spencer spoke aloud to Thomas...

"This is where the duel ends with my victory, Billinton." The silver-haired boy announced. "Prepare to be buried in the rubble of shame and ruination... I activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon!"

"What?!" gasped Thomas.

Spencer took the drawn card and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. From there, the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Since I have Lord of Dragons on my side of the field-" explained Spencer. "-I am allowed to special summon up to two dragon-type monsters from my hand!"

The flute materialized to the field. Lord of Dragons immediately picked it up, and blew into it.

"From what I know, Spencer likely has ' _them_ ' in his hand!" thought Thomas to himself.

"Come forth, my two remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" announced the silver-haired boy, holding two more cards up.

On cue, two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons appeared besides the third. As his three beloved dragons hovered around him while giving off a menacing roar, Spencer laughed with glee as he was about to win the duel.

Thomas could only watch in shock. "Three Blue-Eyes...!"

"Our son can win on this very turn!" came from a shocked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"This can't be the end!" thought Emily in horror. "It just can't be!"

"I have four very powerful monsters on my side of the field." commented Spencer. "Three of which have more than enough attack points to finish you off right away. While all you have protecting you, Billinton, is Dark Magician and that weak Magnet Warrior."

Thomas scowled in frustration at the situation.

"This turn-" The silver-haired boy continued. "-you have no hope of surviving the attacks of all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons gave off another roar in response.

"Thomas Billinton, you lose!"

"We'll see about that!" retorted Thomas with bravery.

Yes, we shall see...

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room aboard the blimp, the rest of the gang was still looking out the window at the Duel Tower's top level.

"Obelisk is gone now." sighed Mavis.

"But for how long?" Toby questioned.

"Hopefully long enough for Thomas to win." said Edward.

"I just want this nightmare to end!" Liz commented unhappily.

"Me too." agreed Ryan.

"I believe all of us do." Discord spoke up. "But until Marik's evil half is defeated, it likely won't be happening anytime soon."

"Come on, Percy!" mumbled James, shaking his coma induced green-haired friend some more. "You gotta wake up!"

But Percy STILL would not wake up.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum...

"Get ready, Billinton!" shouted Spencer. "Once I attack, you will be defeated!"

Thomas, despite wanting to protest on the matter, knew his opponent had a point.

"Once he wipes out my monsters-" he thought to himself. "-I'll be wide open for a direct attack! All I have is Dark Magician and Beta The Magnet Warrior. They can't withstand the power of those Blue-Eyes...!"

Off of the platform, Dark Marik was looking pleased with how things were going...

"Looks like the endgame to me." The evil man thought to himself. "That's too bad, really... I actually wanted it to extend out a bit more for my personal amusement."

"It's all over for you, Billinton!" announced Spencer, pointing forth. "Now, my Blue-Eyes White Dragons! Destroy him and his monsters!"

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons began to charge a blast of White Lightning apiece. Thomas closed his eyes as he felt everything around him darken.

"I'm sorry, Percy." he said quietly. "I tried my best, but it was no good. I've let you down. I've let everybody down."

"Hey, Thomas...?" called a familiar male voice.

Thomas opened his eyes and looked to his right. Talking to him was...

"Percy?"

"Something the matter?" Percy asked in a good-natured tone.

The blue-haired boy looked to his best friend. "I'm about to lose the duel!"

Percy chuckled. "Are you? Or are you forgetting your options?"

"My options?" asked Thomas.

"There is always a possibility in your cards." said the green-haired boy seriously. "Show me the spirit of a True Duelist."

With that, Percy began to fade away.

"WAIT!" The blue-haired boy called out desperately.

Too late, Percy was gone.

"My...options?"

Thomas decided to look at his hand, and upon doing so came to realize what Percy had meant... Outside of the black void, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were still charging their attacks.

"You have no hope left!" cackled Spencer. Just then, his face displayed shock. "What in the-?!"

Appearing to Thomas's side of the field in a ball of fire was none other than the Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000)!

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon?!"

Off of the platform...

"Rumble my legs!" gasped Emily, upon seeing the dragon appearing and roaring.

"Wasn't that Percy's card?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Back on the platform...

"Apparently, Spencer, you forgot one thing; The Flute of Summoning Dragon has the ability to affect me as well." Thomas pointed out. "The moment you played that card to summon two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons... I was able to summon a dragon of my own - the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"But my card doesn't say that at all!" protested Spencer crossly. "You've clearly cheated!"

"It's true, Spencer!" called the voice Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), causing the silver-haired boy to freeze a bit.

Below the platform...

"Just before the tournament began, Discord went and modified that card to work for both players!" added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "The reason you don't know is because you're still holding onto an old copy of the card!"

"What?!" cried Spencer in outrage.

Thomas gave a smirk. "So now you know the truth. Thanks to the Flute of Summoning Dragon, I was able to summon Red-Eyes... which is the soul of my best friend, Percy Avonside!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon roared as if in agreement.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the medical room aboard the blimp, the others were still looking out the window at the top of the Duel Tower when...

"Did you guys hear something?" Henry asked all of a sudden.

"No..." replied Gordon, like he hadn't heard anything.

"I heard it, too." Carlie spoke up.

"What is it?" asked Mavis.

"I don't know." Edward answered. "But it sounds very...familiar."

Unknowingly, it was affecting a certain green-haired boy...

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, an enraged Spencer prepared to order an attack...

"It doesn't matter that you have another monster out!" he screamed. "My Blue-Eyes White Dragons will destroy them with no effort! Go, my Blue-Eyes! End the duel! Triple White Lightning attack!"

The three dragons finally open fired with their attacks. One blast was aimed straight for Dark Magician.

"The first to go down will be your Dark Magician!"

"I don't think so!" exclaimed Thomas, holding his right hand out. "Reveal Trap card - Magician's Selection!"

The blue-haired boy's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Magician's Selection?!" Spencer gasped, just as his eyes went bloodshot from shock. "You can only activate that Trap card if you control a spellcaster-type monster! ...and you do control one in the Dark Magician!"

"That's right!" nodded Thomas. "This lets me negate your attack and destroy one monster with the lowest attack! ...like your Lord of Dragons!"

Dark Magician deflected the White Lightning with his staff and redirected it towards Lord of Dragons, striking and destroying it, much to Spencer's further fury.

"You may have stopped one Blue-Eyes-" The silver-haired boy roared. "-but I still have attacks ready from the other two dragons!"

One burst of White Lightning struck and destroyed Beta The Magnet Warrior in an instant.

"Your Beta The Magnet Warrior has met its end! And now for your pathetic excuse for a dragon!"

The third blast came towards Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Your best friend's soul is about to meet its end!" exclaimed Spencer in pure hatred.

"Oh no, it's not!" retorted Thomas, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Go Spellbinding Circle!"

The blue-haired boy's second facedown card flipped up and revealed itself. The third Blue-Eyes White Dragon got surrounded by a hexagon as it got weaker (ATK: 3000 - 2300). Seeing as Lord of Dragons was gone, nothing was to stop card effects from effecting dragons.

"Now your Blue-Eyes is paralyzed along with a 700 attack point deduction!"

"No!" shouted Spencer in horror.

"It's time for Red-Eyes to fight back!" declared Thomas. "Red-Eyes, destroy his Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Inferno Fire Blast!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon obeyed, charging a ball of fire and firing it forth. The trapped Blue-Eyes White Dragon was hit and destroyed in an instant.

"Damn you...!" seethed Spencer quietly (LP: 1900).

"Percy..." thought Thomas, just as an image of Percy reappeared. "That attack was for you..."

The image of Percy smiled and gave a thumbs up before fading away.

(elsewhere...)

Back in the medical room aboard the blimp, a slight moan came from Percy as his eyes slowly began to open—although they still remained all dull.

"Oh..."

Ryan was the first to notice this. "Percy?"

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Spencer's moment of anger had worn off, and he was now smiling smugly.

"So my plans have been interfered thanks to Red-Eyes's appearance?" The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "No matter, I'm still gonna win!"

"Just two Blue-Eyes White Dragons left." Thomas also thought to himself. "The answers I seek... The promise made to my best friend... To grasp that light, I must win!"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Percy's eyes were still dull, but his vision soon became more and more clear.

"Guys?" he asked quietly.

All eyes were to the green-haired boy.

"Percy...?" Liz blinked.

"What happened to me?"

Silence... at least until...

"He's alright!" cried Molly happily.

It became a joyous reunion for everyone. Percy was practically crushed by the girls' (Mavis, Molly, Carlie, and especially Liz) hugs.

"Oh, Percy..." sobbed Liz. "Thank heaven! We all thought you were... were..."

"We thought you were never gonna wake up." came from Ryan.

Suddenly, upon getting freed from the girls' grasp, Percy was punched in the face by an upset looking James, knocking the green-haired boy to the floor.

"You jerk!" snapped the red-haired boy. "Never, EVER scare us like that again!" He suddenly started crying. "You... you had us all so worried!"

"Gee, thanks for the sympathy, James." said Percy sarcastically, rubbing his sore cheek. From there, he remembered something important while getting back onto his feet. "Wait a minute... Where am I, anyway?"

"You're in the medical room." explained a doctor. "But it's still unbelievable that you're back on your feet!"

"Tell me something I don't know." The green-haired boy muttered to himself, but then remembered yet another very big something. "Lady!"

He saw that his girlfriend was lying in bed...and unknowingly still in her coma.

"Lady! Wake up! I've won the duel against Marik!"

Alas, the beautiful blonde-haired girl would not wake up. Percy, while trying to wake his girlfriend up, started to get more and more upset.

"Why won't she wake up?" he asked in desperation. "I won that duel!"

Everyone fell into silence as the atmosphere of joy turned into sadness.

"I...did win... didn't I?"

Finally, Liz spoke up. "No, Percy... you didn't win." she admitted sadly.

"What?!" Percy was speechless. "Please tell me that was a sick joke!"

"It's not a joke, Percy!" insisted Ryan, sounding just as upset. "You lost that duel..."

"You passed out before you could attack." said Henry slowly. "Because of that, Marik won the duel by default."

Percy's voice could barely contain a whisper. "No...!"

"Although you summoned something strong enough to win-" Liz explained, unable to hold back her tears any longer. "-the Shadow Game affected you way too much by that point, and you collapsed before you could order an attack."

Finally unable to contain his emotions any longer, Percy ran over to the bed Lady was in and started to cry over her lifeless body.

"Lady!" he sobbed. "You were counting on me to save you, but I've let you down! Please forgive me...!"

Everyone else could only sadly watch their friend (brother in Liz's case) release his hurt emotions. They sent their hearts out for the two teenagers (Percy and Lady).

(elsewhere...)

Outside the blimp, the helicopter that Skiff sent for had finally arrived. Upon landing, a hatch opened and out came a medical team with a few stretchers.

"Let's get those patients!" cried one of the men.

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, the duel between Thomas and Spencer continued to get hotter and hotter as it started to reach its peak:  
-Spencer(LP: 1900): Had two Blue-Eyes White Dragons on his side of the field, having lost Lord of Dragons and one Blue-Eyes White Dragon just now.  
-Thomas (LP: 1500): Had Dark Magician, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and a facedown card on his side of the field, having used two facedown Spell/Trap cards up and lost Beta The Magnet Warrior earlier.

"Against my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Billinton-" said the silver-haired boy. "-your two monsters can only defend."

Thomas didn't say anything back. At that point, two facedown cards materialized.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Spencer began to think about one of his two set cards...

"Thanks to my facedown Final Attack Orders card-" he thought to himself. "-Billinton won't be able to defend himself with wall monsters. All he needs to do is play at least one monster in defense mode, and my ultimate trap will be sprung."

"What's Spencer going to do now?" Thomas also thought to himself. "What is his plan? Unfortunately, I'll have to worry about it later." He then spoke aloud before drawing his card. "It's my turn, Spencer!"

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-One** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : 30  
 **Current Hand** (1): Spell Duplication(!)

* * *

Seeing as the blue-haired boy drew a handy Spell card, he decided to go on the defense until he could find another way to turn things around into his favor.

"No matter what facedown cards he has-" Thomas thought some more. "-so long as my life points don't drop to zero, I can still win the match. But, for now, I'll have to play defensive until I can get back in the game."

A facedown card suddenly materialized.

"I place one card facedown." Thomas began, placing two fingers on the Red-Eyes card and switching it sideways on his Duel Disk. "Next, I switch both of my monsters into defense mode."

Both Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon went into defensive stances. At that point...

"That was a bad move on your part." commented Spencer bluntly.

"What's that suppose to mean, Spencer?!" demanded Thomas.

"I'll show you _**exactly**_ what I mean!" announced the silver-haired boy, poking a button on his Duel Disk and causing his first facedown card to flip up and reveal itself to be... "Continuous Trap - Final Attack Orders!"

Suddenly, Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Dark Magician both found themselves being forced back into attack mode against their wills.

"My monsters!" cried Thomas. "What is happening to them?!"

"As long as this Continuous Trap card is on the field-" explained Spencer. "-all monsters we control are forced to remain in attack mode. And that's not all it does!"

"You mean there's more?"

Spencer then took his deck out of his Duel Disk. "Yes... Now we're to select any three cards from our deck and send all the others to the graveyard."

"Three cards?!" Thomas winced from hearing that info.

Below the platform, Emily was now worried about what would happen from there on...

"Only three cards?!" she cried out, echoing almost word-for-word the same sentence Thomas just used while also adding... "That'll leave both duelists with practically a three turn showdown!"

Just then...

"What did I miss?" came a young boy's voice.

Emily, along with both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), turned and saw Skiff running into the area.

"Skiff!" came from Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"What's going on?" asked Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"A helicopter is on its way to take Percy, Lady, and Duck to the hospital." explained Skiff. "They're going to be okay now!"

"Oh, thank goodness..." whispered Emily to herself.

"From there, I decided to come up and watch my brother win the duel!"

On the platform, Thomas had his whole deck in his hand. Some of the cards shown were to be Dark Magician Girl, Diffusion Wave-Motion, Archfiend of Gilfer, Cyber Jar, Giant Soldier of Stone, Black Luster Soldier, Magic Jammer, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Magical Dimension, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, Shift, Cursebreaker, Time Travel, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, Premature Burial, Soul Taker, Dark Magic Curtain, etc..

"Which cards do I choose to keep?" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "And which ones do I discard? Which ones...?"

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Percy, after he had managed to calm down from his heartbreak, immediately turned to look at Discord.

"What about the next match?"

"Thomas-boy and Spencer-boy are in the middle of their fated match." answered Discord.

"What?! I can't be here then!" shouted Percy. "I gotta get out there and cheer Thomas on!"

With that said, the green-haired boy slipped his shoes on and started to leave when...

"Stop right there, Percy!" ordered the voice of Liz.

Percy froze in place when he heard his big sister's firm tone, and turned to see that Liz was looking upset.

"L-Liz?" The green-haired boy managed to say.

"What's the matter, honey?" Ryan asked.

"You can't go!" said Liz sternly, addressing Percy. " We nearly lost you to Marik just now... You have to stay in bed and rest some more."

"Exactly!" agreed the doctor. "We still have to make sure that you're well enough to start walking around!"

"But Thomas needs me!" argued Percy.

But Liz wasn't going to budge. "Do you know how many lives have been affected by this tournament, Percy?! Mom and Dad would never forgive me if anything bad were to happen to you! ...I wouldn't even forgive myself!"

"I'm really sorry for worrying everyone." apologized Percy. "But I have to go and be there for Thomas! We've promised to duel each other. Our Battle City is not over. In order to become a True Duelist, Thomas and I came here to this tournament. No matter what happens in Thomas's duel, it's related to our future. I have to go and watch it..."

Before anything more could be said, the door opened and revealed one of the paramedics sent by Boxford Corp to get the wounded passengers.

"We've arrived to collect the wounded patients!" announced a paramedic. "...where's the patient?"

The doctor pointed to Percy almost immediately. "B-But he was in critical condition just moments ago!" he protested in bewilderment.

"It was more like five minutes ago." said Percy rhetorically. "But now I'm fine!"

After minutes of mass confusion and discussion, the doctor finally gave up and allowed Percy to leave.

"Just...go on ahead now." he sighed in frustration.

Percy nodded and turned to look at his sister and brother-in-law.

"Liz and Ryan, look after both Lady and Duck."

The two adults nodded. From there, Percy dashed down the hallway. He was followed by James, Gordon, Henry, Matt, Ben, Carlie, Michael, Zack, Edward, Mavis, Toby, James R., and Discord. Molly, meanwhile, took a moment to look back to the doctor and paramedics and give an apologetic bow.

"We're so sorry!" The black-haired girl said, and ran off.

"Kids these days..." groaned the doctor. "They could be on their deathbeds and still have the strength to run around."

"Hang in there, Thomas." thought Percy, while running down another hallway towards the blimp exit.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Sky Duel Coliseum, Thomas was still looking at the remains of his deck while thinking on which cards to choose from.

"I know Spencer has a strategy ready." he thought to himself, as images of cards like Monster Reborn, Polymerization, and Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon flashed before him. "I can bet that he plans to first use his unused Monster Reborn Spell card to bring back his previously destroyed Blue-Eyes, and then use the also unused Polymerization card to fuse it with the other two dragons on the field into the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Since it has greater attack than anything else I have, that's what he'll likely do now..."

Finally, the blue-haired boy chose his three cards.

"I guess I'll pick these three cards and hope for the best."

Thomas slid the three chosen cards into his deck, and sent the rest of the cards to the graveyard.

"So, you've finally made a decision, eh?" asked Spencer, with little-to-no interest. "But, regardless of the cards you've chosen, they won't be of any help to you!"

From there, he drew his card and smirked widely upon seeing what the drawn card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Two** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 2  
 **Current Hand** (2): Ancient Lamp and Monster Reborn  
 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 3 Standby Phases Left

* * *

"It's all over for you... I'm about to call upon your worst nightmare!"

Thomas awaited the coming, and dreaded, move silently.

"I activate the Spell card Monster Reborn!" announced Spencer, as the mentioned card materialized face-up and began shining brightly. "Come forth - Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

The third Blue-Eyes White Dragon returned to the field... The three powerful dragons roared menacingly at the blue-haired boy, but he kept his ground.

"And now, I'll reveal my set Spell card!" The silver-haired boy's last facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself. "Polymerization!"

Thomas recoiled. "So Spencer had Polymerization set facedown all along! But if that's the case, what were the other cards he chose?"

He didn't have time to think about it—Polymerization began to activate.

"I shall use Polymerization to fuse my three beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragons into one!" announced Spencer in a dramatic tone.

The sky then darkened with black clouds once more. Before long, one bolt of lightning had struck the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. Below the platform, Emily could only watch the scene with horror, while Dark Marik only chuckled softly. Once the smoke had cleared and fusion was done, there it was...

" _ **Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon**_!"

The mighty three-headed dragon roared powerfully, fiercely, and proudly (Level: 12/ATK: 4500/DEF: 3800)! It then gazed at the blue-haired boy rather hungrily.

"Spencer's strongest monster..." thought Thomas in horror. "Even stronger than Obelisk the Tormentor, and more than powerful enough to wipe out my life points right here and now!"

"Do you see now?" boasted Spencer. "This is the ultimate monster that will clear the path to my future!"

Thomas merely grimaced in response. After a moment of silence, minus some loud roars from the three-headed Blue-Eyes White Dragon and some cheers from the holographic audience, Spencer finally spoke up once again...

"And now, Billinton-" he began. "-I will finally defeat you, take your Egyptian God card, and regain my former glory! ...but it's not for something as simple as revenge."

"Huh?" Thomas looked up with a puzzled look on his face.

"Why am I so obsessed with fighting you?" continued Spencer. "I've been fighting in Battle City to find the answer, and now I have found it..."

The blue-haired boy remained silent.

"It's because I'm doing this so that not only will I be able to be the Island of Sodor's greatest duelist once again, but everybody will see me as a hero when I defeat Marik! But more importantly... this is so I can finally move my family away from ' _his_ ' presence forever."

Below the platform...

"' _His presence_...'" whispered Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "You don't think he means..."

"Yes." sighed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "Spencer is referring to his Grandfather, and our long dead adopted Father, Gozaburo."

Back atop the duel platform, Spencer continued to speak about his late Grandfather.

"Gozaburo Gresley was a selfish, cruel man. He ran a weapons company and tried to start a war just for the sake of making money and causing all sorts of misery! He forced my Mother and Father in an accelerated learning program as though they were but mere machines! It was a living hell for both of them..."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Young Jim and Leslie were both forced upon schoolwork after schoolwork with little-to-no break, and if any signs of weakness was shown...well, discipline would ensure. How brutal of discipline? Well, we'd rather not show it right now.

"It was all nothing but complete misery to both of them!" Spencer narrated bitterly. "Regardless, they just endured it and obeyed him without question."

(new scene...)

The time were Gozaburo was forced out, and he committed suicide by jumping out the window on the top floot of the building, was then shown.

"Eventually, they, along with Gordon's parents, wrestled power from him. They ousted my Grandfather from his position as corporation President."

(new scene...)

Now adults, Jim and Leslie both reworked Boxford Corp into what it was today; a ' _ **Gaming Company**_ '.

"Boxford Corp had died... but was also reborn as something entirely new." Spencer narrated still. "When I learned of their tragic past, I was filled with anger, sorrow, and hatred for that man."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Spencer went on some more...

"Unfortunately, my parents had recurring nightmares of Gozaburo from that point onward. That past has filled me with nothing but anger, hatred, and sorrow! It's not like your stupid fantasy world!"

"Spencer..." whispered Thomas, feeling somewhat sorry for his friend/rival.

"I only care about the future now. I will trample anything related to the past. It means nothing to me!" Spencer ranted. "You, Billinton, are a creature of that past. Once I've defeated you, I'll defeat Marik, and once I've become the Duel King of all of Sodor, my parents can finally rest in peace from that monster of a Grandfather I used to actually have!"

Down off the platform, Mr. and Mrs Gresley (Boxford) as well as Skiff listened to their son/brother rant about everything related to Gozaburo.

"Oh, wow..." Skiff was speechless beyond words.

"Spencer..." said Mr. Gresley (Boxford) quietly.

"I never knew he was so bitter over learning about our adopted Father, honey." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) sobbed. "He has always wanted to become the best, I know that... but this is for all of the wrong reasons. Maybe... maybe our lives would have been better if we never left the orphanage those years ago."

Mr. Gresley (Boxford) held his wife close to him as Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) cried softly. Back on the platform...

"This island is so far the only thing that remains of my Grandfather's legacy." said Spencer coldly. "Once this tournament is finished up, I am going to destroy it and rein as the number one duelist on the Island of Sodor once more! The time has finally come for me to rise!"

Thomas, having heard the whole story, merely closed his eyes with a soft chuckle. The sight of it caused Spencer to scoff dismissively.

"Well now, I'm surprised you can even laugh."

"Spencer..." began Thomas. "You are one of the very few, beside my friends, who I can consider a great duelist... But at the same time, you disappoint me a bit."

Spencer scowled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Despite you saying you're looking to the future, you're still holding onto the past on becoming the greatest once again." thundered Thomas. "And most importantly; hatred, anger, sorrow! Those will never allow you to triumph over me!"

"I don't believe you." The silver-haired boy whispered.

"Your mind is like this Duel Tower standing tall in the rubble. You can pile hate top of hate to reach the top, but you'll never find true victory! You'll wander forever... seeking the next thing to hate... the next target... As me for, I fight for those who believe. For my friend, for myself, and to become a True Duelist!"

Spencer growled, but said nothing. This allowed Thomas to continue speaking.

"You have to let your anger and hatred go now, Spencer." The blue-haired boy said as calmly as possible. "Or else you'll likely do something you'll regret for the rest of your life."

"Hmph! You're not one to tell me what to do." retorted Spencer harshly. "Besides, I pity you for trying to coerce me with such trash talk..."

"Well then, I guess it's time that I showed your the future." smirked Thomas, before motioning his left hand out to a nearby set card. "I reveal my facedown card!"

One of Thomas's facedown cards flipped face-up and revealed itself, which was a powerful Quick-Play Spell card (which had the artwork of Double Spell) called...

"Go, Spell Duplication!"

"What?! Spell Duplication?" gasped Spencer.

"That's right!" confirmed Thomas. "This allows my to activate any number of Spell cards used by you at anytime during the duel! And there are two cards I'd like to activate right about now..."

One Spell card was Monster Reborn.

"First is Monster Reborn, and the other is Polymerization!"

The other Spell card was shown to be Polymerization. Spencer scowled from the sight of Spell Duplication taking effect.

"First I will use Monster Reborn to bring back Buster Blader." began Thomas.

The familiar warrior with the dragon slaying sword rose from the ground. From there, the blue-haired boy pointed forth to Spencer's face-up Polymerization.

"And now... I'll activate the effect of Polymerization!"

The Polymerization card on Spencer's field activated, much to his shock.

"Go, Dark Magician and Buster Blader!" commanded Thomas. "Combine your powers into one!"

Dark Magician and Buster Blader both soared into the darkened sky and began to combine in a great shining light.

"Go ahead and fuse them!" shouted Spencer in denial. "My Ultimate Dragon cannot be stopped! Your Spell card didn't help you at all!"

But truthfully, he was scared. Scared because what his friend/rival was about to summon was the same monster that resulted in the silver-haired boy's first defeat.

"On the contrary, this new monster will be a good match for your monster." Thomas rebuffed. "This monster, while very similar to one I've used several times before, has a much weaker effect. It merely functions as a stronger form of Buster Blader; gaining 500 attack points for every dragon-type monster on either player's field."

And, currently, there were two dragons on the field; Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (Spencer) and Red-Eyes Black Dragon (Thomas).

"Currently, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Red-Eyes Black Dragon are present on the field!"

Spencer grimaced when he heard that, just as the light in the sky grew brighter and brighter.

"Now behold my new monster - Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman!" shouted Thomas, raising his right hand into the sky.

When the fusion finished, a new monster emerged from the fading light and gave a battle cry while leaping into the sky. This new monster completely resembled the Dark Paladin fusion monster Thomas had used a few times in his first couple of duels—yet it seemed to still be different somehow. Soon, the new Dark Paladin gave a second battle cry and posed with his weapon for battle (Level: 8/ATK: 2900 - 3900/DEF: 2400).

"That monster of yours doesn't scare me!" growled Spencer, and then went into his thoughts... "I could just attack now and win... but a part of me still wants to see what Billinton will do with his new monster."

"Well, Spencer?" asked Thomas. "Will you attack or not?"

After a full minute of thinking things over, Spencer finally spoke up with an answer...

"I...end my turn!"

That was all Thomas needed to hear. "My turn!"

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Three** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : 2  
 **Current Hand** (1): De-Fusion

* * *

Looking at his drawn card (De-Fusion) briefly, the blue-haired boy looked at Spencer with studying eyes.

"His Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is still stronger right now." thought Thomas. "My facedown Magic Formula will help me a little, but I'll need extra help to trump over it. This card will help me with that." He then narrowed his eyes. "Spencer... Your hatred... Your anger... This will dispose of it all!"

"Well, Billinton?" taunted Spencer. "I'm waiting for your ' _so-called_ ' big play!"

Thomas ignored the remark. "It's all up to fate now... Either I win...or lose it all."

He took his drawn card and slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"So, I guess that's it?" asked Spencer, not looking all that impressed at the facedown card that was appearing beside the first. "Then it's now my turn!"

Below the duel platform, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both watched their son draw his card.

"It looks like Spencer's going to win." said Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), who had finally calmed down.

"So far... unless Thomas can do something about it." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"You can do it, big brother!" cheered Skiff.

"Thomas..." whispered Emily.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Four** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1900)  
 **Deck** : 1  
 **Current Hand** (2): Ancient Lamp and Absorb Spell  
 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 2 Standby Phases Left

* * *

On the duel platform, Spencer looked at his drawn Spell card (Absorb Spell) before looking back at his friend/rival with a scornful laugh.

"It's time, Billinton! I will defeat you, and bury the past for good... Make peace with yourself!" The silver-haired boy shouted, slotting a card into his Duel Disk before going into his thoughts. "I will surpass everything! I will become the Duel King... and rise to a higher plane of being!"

A facedown card materialized beside the face-up Final Attack Orders card.

"Spencer..." Thomas spoke up. "Even if you do win this match, you will only find an endless chain of hate. I've tried to tell you time and time again, but until you finally listen to reason, you will never escape from the darkness!"

"Hmph! Did it ever occur to you that hatred and anger give me power?!" demanded Spencer. "The power to dominate everything! They've always have, and always will!"

"Then hit me with all your hatred!" shouted Thomas. "If you think you can defeat me with that alone, then show me right now!"

Spencer frowned, but said nothing. This allowed the blue-haired boy to speak on some more...

"But no matter how much hatred and anger you may have-" he continued. "-if you didn't have your company and money, you would have nothing left in your sad life! Spencer Gresley, I will defeat you. I will free you from your hated past, not only as a rival who walked the path of battle with me, but also...as a friend!"

"Heh! Say whatever you want-" snorted Spencer. "-but I'm still going to win right now!"

Below the platform, Emily, Skiff, and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) all overheard Thomas's vow.

"Thomas..." said Skiff quietly.

"I know you can win this duel, ' **Tommy** ', I just know it..." Emily added to herself quietly, calling her friend a nickname she thought was cute.

Back on the platform...

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" called Spencer, motioning out his right hand. "Get ready to attack now!"

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon obeyed, charging powerful multi-coloured blasts from the mouths of its three heads.

"NEUTRON BLAST!"

"I have to make this play count!" thought Thomas, just before talking aloud. "I activate my facedown Magic Formula!"

The first facedown card flipped up... but Spencer was immediately ready for it.

"How pathetic!" he remarked, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Set card, open - Absorb Spell!"

The mentioned Spell card flipped face-up and revealed itself, causing Magic Formula to short out on Thomas's side and instead go to Spencer's side.

"This handy Quick-Play Spell card lets me use your Equip Spell as my own!" explained Spencer. "...even if it isn't suppose to work on a type other than its own! And thanks to Spell Sanctuary, I can play a set Spell Card immediately after laying it facedown."

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon grew stronger (ATK: 4500 - 5000).

"He read through my strategy like a book!" thought Thomas worriedly. "This just can't be the end for me!"

"Now, you're history!" laughed Spencer. "Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Dark Paladin are both about to meet their ends! Farewell."

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon finally unleashed its Neutron Blast attack, and it looked like it was the end for Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Dark Paladin, and Thomas Billinton. Dark Marik, with his arms folded, was cackling over the duel's end results.

"It's game over for Thomas Billinton!" The evil man declared gleefully.

Emily could only watch in horror, while Skiff was happy his brother had seemingly won. It was right around then Percy and the rest of the gang ran into the arena.

"Thomas!" cried Percy.

Light filled the platform, and Spencer was smiling gleefully at his seeming victory.

"I've won!"

"I wouldn't be so sure!" said a familiar voice.

Spencer gasped at the voice. On the otherside of the field, Thomas narrowed his eyes fiercely.

"You can pile hatred on hatred, but it's...fragile!"

"W-What do you mean by that?" Spencer demanded.

And so, Thomas immediately cut to the chase. "Did you honestly believe you could win the duel while bearing a burden of hatred and anger?!"

"Shut up!" cried Spencer in anger. "You have nothing that can defeat me or my Ultimate Dragon!"

"You still won't listen to reason? Then I want you to observe my next facedown card!" ordered Thomas, as he motioned his right hand to his last set card as it flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "De-Fusion!"

"No!" gasped the silver-haired boy, his eyes going bloodshot once more. "Not De-Fusion! NOT THAT CARD!"

"That's right!" confirmed Thomas. "Now your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon shall split back to three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!"

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, struggling to resist as it could, found itself splitting back into the three original monsters that were used to summon it! ...in other words; the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"No! I need my Ultimate Dragon to win the duel!" thought Spencer furiously, before exclaiming something aloud... "This can't be happening to me AGAIN!"

"I'm afraid it is!" insisted Thomas. "Now my new monster gains an additional 1500 attack points!"

Dark Paladin grew even stronger (ATK: 3900 - 4900).

"Now Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman is the strongest monster on the field!" declared Thomas. "And now it's time for me to make the final move that will win me the match!"

"Just go!" Spencer growled. He was very unhappy that he had to end his turn right now.

Thomas drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Twenty-Five** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1500)  
 **Deck** : 1  
 **Current Hand** (1): Diffusion Wave-Motion

* * *

"And now I play my final card!" he said, slotting the card into his Duel Disk and making it materialize face-up. "Diffusion Wave-Motion!"

"No... not that card!" wailed Spencer.

"You're done! As you know, this enhances my Dark Paladin's attacking capabilities, allowing it to attack everyone monster on your side of the field...all for the cost of 1000 life points!"

"His Dark Paladin has enough attack points to wipe out my dragons and my life points!" thought Spencer in horror.

"This duel is over!" shouted Thomas (LP: 500).

Dark Paladin started charging his scepter. The power boost from the four dragons and from Diffusion Wave-Motion made him so strong that his staff started crackling with great power.

"BILLINTON!" screamed Spencer. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AT MY OWN TOURNAMENT!"

"Spencer, you're too late!" Thomas retorted, before giving the final command. "Dark Paladin, attack!"

Dark Paladin slammed his scepter onto the ground, causing a shockwave of magical energy to fire forth to Spencer's side of the field. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons each gave a roar before the shockwaves cut into their white scales and they shattered into dust. Spencer, on the other hand, could only watch in horror as his life points finally reached zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

The light and debris soon ceased as Spencer looked on in unexplained shock. Down below the platform, Skiff fell to his knees in disbelief, while everyone else (especially both Percy and Emily) cheered! ...all except for Dark Marik, who instead sneered in wicked delight.

"You lose, Spencer! I told you your anger and hatred would never prevail!" said Thomas firmly. "If you truly wish to defeat me, you must first defeat your own anger and hatred. Until you successfully do so, you will never prevail against me!"

And now... the final battle laid straight ahead for our young hero...


	68. Rematch! Percy vs Spencer (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

The second and final duel of the Battle City semi-finals was over and done with. Spencer Gresley's three prized Blue-Eyes White Dragons each gave a final roar before shattering/collapsing into pieces/dust. Spencer himself was stunned beyond belief over his defeat.

"Not again!" Spencer thought to himself in shock (LP: 0).

And on the other end of the platform with both his monsters (Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman and Red-Eyes Black Dragon) standing triumphantly was Thomas Billinton.

"The duel is over!" Thomas announced victoriously (LP: 500). "I've won!"

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

The entire Sky Duel Coliseum faded away as the referee announced the victor of the duel.

"And the winner is Thomas Billinton!" The suit announced, feeling bad that his boss had lost. "He will go on to face Marik Ishtar for the Battle City crown!"

The platform began to lower back own as the nearby spectators watched with joy.

"He did it!" cried Emily happily.

"That's taking it to him!" came from Percy.

"That's our friend!" cheered Gordon.

The moment the platform lowered down enough Thomas turned around and saw much of his friends watching...but the one person there made him smile the most.

"Percy!"

"We saw you wipe the floor with Spencer!" said Percy proudly, giving a thumbs up. "...of course, I knew you'd be able to win! You beat him once before, and I knew you'd be able to do it again."

It was a joyous reunion for the friends... Meanwhile, Spencer still couldn't believe everything he worked so hard to obtain was now all for nothing.

"My Battle City..." he thought. "My hatred for that man Gozaburo... Standing atop of this tower, I was suppose to become the Duel King and rid my family of his curse forever... but now..."

He envisioned Thomas standing atop of the Duel Tower in triumph.

"Billinton... all I ever wanted was to defeat you fairly..."

The poor silver-haired boy tried reaching out to the tower, but it faded away before he could touch it. Before long, the ground beneath his feet collapsed and suddenly caused him to snap out of his vision.

"I-I've lost... everything..." Spencer muttered in complete defeat.

* * *

 **Title: Rematch! Percy vs. Spencer, Part 1**

* * *

Below the platform, Skiff was very disappointed that his brother had lost. Mr and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both didn't know whether to feel happy or sad, however.

"Spencer..." said Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) quietly.

"So, he lost." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "Maybe this could be the wake-up call he needs?"

On the platform...

"My deck... my unstoppable, improved Seto Kaiba deck..." Spencer ranted, looking to his Duel Disk. "There weren't any flaws in my carefully planned strategies... it should have been perfect! ...but I still lost to him!"

It was then Thomas, Emily, and Percy each walked over to the shocked silver-haired boy.

"Spencer..." said Thomas. "You fought like a True Duelist. You should be proud... but now, I'll be taking Obelisk as my prize."

"I'll admit you've put up a great fight today." Emily added. "But in the end you lost to Thomas because of one thing."

Spencer grew furious. "And what's that?!" he demanded.

"It was your own rage and ego that did you in."

That did it for Spencer; who was practically shaking with anger as he had finally felt something inside snapped.

"Are you..." Spencer whispered before raising his voice. "ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?!"

Without warning, the silver-haired boy immediately went and slugged Emily hard across the face. Upon being hit, the dark green-haired girl flew back a small distance before landing and lying on the ground (while still remaining on the platform) as everyone else watched on in shock.

"All my life I've wanted to help my parents forget their blasted past!" shouted Spencer. "The past where they were raised by that monster of a man named Gozaburo! Now that I'm out of the tournament, that will never happen!"

Rather than become very angry with Spencer for hitting Emily like that, Thomas gave a very disappointed sigh instead.

"You didn't learn anything from our duel, did you?" he asked firmly.

Spencer turned to face Thomas and scowled, but didn't say anything back.

"I told you that anger will get you no where in life." continued Thomas. "Once again, I truly do recognize your skill as a duelist...but like I've also said; you will need to defeat the one true monster inside your heart; 'Hatred'."

Spencer gave a harsh laugh to hearing that. "Hatred? What nonsense!"

That didn't deter Thomas the slightest as he continued to speak and reason with his friend/rival.

"Hatred is what is clouding your judgement, Spencer." The blue-haired boy calmly pointed out. "It's turning you into the very thing you said you absolutely despise."

Emily got back up and stared long and hard at Spencer.

"He's right." she agreed. "The monster cards we duelists wield in battle aren't the only demon in a duel! The anger in our hearts... Hatred... Greed... Our own worst enemies are often inside us! Only when you overcome all of that...can you walk the road to becoming a True Duelist!"

"True Duelist!?" spat Spencer.

Thomas continued to speak for his friend. "Like for me... my goal to become a True Duelist...is Battle City! Percy, for instance, is still fighting to find that very place."

He cast a quick glance to his green-haired best friend, who looked a bit puzzled at first, but quickly flashed a smile. The blue-haired boy then took a quick glance down to his Duel Disk. He picked up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and held it up.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is no ordinary card-" said Thomas. " -its strength comes from the bond of my friendship with Percy, and it means that I never duel alone. To be frank, I would have lost to you if I didn't have it in my hand when you played your Flute of Summoning Dragon Spell card."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The duel was still going on, and Spencer was about to declare an attack with his three monsters.

"Now, my Blue-Eyes White Dragons! Destroy him and his monsters!" commanded the silver-haired boy.

The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons began to charge a blast of White Lightning apiece. Thomas closed his eyes as he felt everything around him darken.

"I'm sorry, Percy." he said quietly. "I tried my best, but it was no good. I've let you down. I've let everybody down."

"Hey, Thomas...?" called a familiar male voice.

Thomas opened his eyes and looked to his right. Talking to him was...

"Percy?"

"Something the matter?" Percy asked in a good-natured tone.

The blue-haired boy looked to his best friend. "I'm about to lose the duel!"

Percy chuckled. "Are you? Or are you forgetting your options?"

"My options?" asked Thomas.

"There is always a possibility in your cards." said the green-haired boy seriously. "Show me the spirit of a True Duelist."

With that, Percy began to fade away.

"WAIT!" The blue-haired boy called out desperately.

Too late, Percy was gone.

"My...options?"

Thomas decided to look at his hand, and upon doing so came to realize what Percy had meant... Outside of the black void, the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons were still charging their attacks.

"You have no hope left!" cackled Spencer. Just then, his face displayed shock. "What in the-?!"

Appearing to Thomas's side of the field in a ball of fire was none other than the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon?!"

Off of the platform...

"Rumble my legs!" gasped Emily, upon seeing the dragon appearing and roaring.

"Wasn't that Percy's card?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

Back on the platform...

"Apparently, Spencer, you forgot one thing; The Flute of Summoning Dragon has the ability to affect me as well." Thomas pointed out. "The moment you played that card to summon two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons... I was able to summon a dragon of my own - the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Red-Eyes roared as if in agreement.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"That is why I won." Thomas continued. "Because I had the support of my friends, along with the belief in the Heart of the Cards."

"Thomas..." thought Percy.

Unfortunately, Spencer clenched his fist in anger from hearing what Thomas had just told him.

"The power of friendship?! What rubbish!" he snapped stubbornly. "Every single person is alone in this cruel world! I've never asked anybody for help."

"But aren't we friends?" Emily asked. "If I remember correctly you did join us when we all went out for ice cream months before this tournament began."

"That's different." The silver-haired boy insisted. "I owed you guys for rescuing my parents from Sailor John."

"Spencer..." thought Thomas. "I was able to get this far in my dueling career because I have you as a rival. Striving for a higher place... I know deep down you feel the same. Not only as my rival, but also as my friend."

Spencer then sneered. "The power of friendship, you say?" he spat hatefully. "I'll never officially accept any of that! I'll grasp the glory of the future I believe in with my own power! No... it will all be meaningless unless I can! On my road of battle, I don't need anyone else's strength!"

"Not even your own parents or brother?" put in Thomas.

"Keep quiet!" snapped the silver-haired boy, just before calming down a little bit. "Besides, my Battle City is over and done with." A card suddenly slipped out from his graveyard, and he took hold of it with a look of disgust on his face. "As per the rules of the tournament, I...hereby surrender this card to you."

From there, Spencer tossed his card over to Thomas, who caught it and looked at it with a neutral expression.

"Obelisk the Tormentor..." he thought to himself. "Now I have two Egyptian Gods."

From there, both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) approached their son, along with Skiff.

"My Battle City is over." Spencer simply said. "Come! We're leaving."

With that said, he began to walk away.

"Spencer!" called Skiff.

As Spencer walked past the rest of the group, Ben could see a certain look on Percy's face.

"Umm, what's up with the look on your face, Percy?" he asked curiously.

Toby, however, knew what was up. "Oh, Percy... you're not thinking of-!"

Too late...

"Hey, Spencer!" called Percy.

The silver-haired boy stopped walking. He remained in a bad mood regardless.

"Yeah?" Spencer grunted.

"Why don't we have ourselves a duel to see who deserves to win the bronze medal?" asked Percy. "Thomas and Marik both already have the gold and silver lined up for grabs!"

Spencer snorted and started to walk away again, much to Percy's annoyance.

"H-Hey!"

Skiff spoke more politely to the green-haired boy.

"Sorry, Percy." he said calmly. "It might be best to just leave him alone for a little bit."

Did that stop Percy? Not at all. He immediately ran up until he was standing before the silver-haired boy.

"Spencer!" snapped Percy. "Duel me, you coward!"

"This had better be a joke." Spencer sighed. "Why would I waste my time dueling you, Percy?"

"Thomas has helped me many times before." Percy remarked. "And I've stuck my neck out for him in return. Yet he helps you, yet you almost don't even thank him! Take away your money, your machines, your flunkies, and you have nothing left!"

"Percy..." whispered Thomas, while his nest friend continued to speak.

"I'm going to defeat Thomas in a fair duel to prove my friendship to him." The green-haired boy explained. "That's what a True Duelist would do! It's also how 'I' duel! Unlike you, here you seem to duel almost exclusively for selfish reasons!"

Spencer rolled his eyes. "Please tell me you're done." he groaned. "Your talk of friendship is really getting on my nerves."

"He's right, Percy." said Skiff, not trying to annoy or anger anyone. "The last thing he needs is a lecture after losing. Please, just let it go before something bad happens."

"Sorry, Skiff." replied Percy. "But Spencer here needs a wake-up call. A big wake-up call FROM me!"

"Wake-up call?" The younger boy quizzed.

"Please explain, Percy dear." suggested Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"If Spencer's really happy being alone-" said Percy. "-then why would he still be with you three? I thought Spencer was a better man than this."

Skiff and his parents were left speechless. Spencer, however, was getting upset with Percy seemingly insulting his parents and adopted brother like that.

"I'm warning you, Avonside." he growled. "Say anything more, and I'll make you regret it!"

"Well, then it would seem I got your attention now!" The green-haired boy smirked. "Face me in a duel, and you can try your luck in shutting me up!"

"Dueling you now would do nothing but waste my time! Especially since I've completely thrashed you back when the game was first released on the Island of Sodor!"

"I've gotten much stronger since then!" insisted Percy. "Otherwise I never would have gotten this far. You're just scared that you'd actually lose to me!"

"I'm not afraid of you!" Spencer exclaimed. His anger had reached its breaking point once more. "Especially since I never back down from a challenge! I'll annihilate you so fast that you'll NEVER play Duel Monsters ever again!"

"But, Spencer..." began Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"All the friendship in the world won't save you from the thrashing I'm about to lay down onto you!" interrupted Spencer hotly.

"Bring it on!"

"Spencer!" Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) spoke up.

"Sorry, Mom, but Percy needs to be taught a lesson!" Spencer stated seriously.

Over with the rest of the gang.

"Percy vs. Spencer..." commented James R..

"A rematch Percy's been waiting for." added Henry.

"But is he ready for it?" asked Mavis.

"I hope so." Edward answered. "Percy may have gotten better, but I don't know if he can match Spencer's level."

With that, the group left the duel stage and made their way to staircase leading down the tower.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Ishizu's room aboard the blimp, the woman had heard that Thomas will face Dark Marik in the final duel of the tournament. How? Likely from overhearing an announcement of a sort.

"The final battle will feature Thomas against my brother's dark side." she said to herself. "The moment of destiny is approaching."

Nearby, Odion was still in bed and in a coma. Just then, a knock came on Ishizu's door.

"Who is it?"

The voice on the other side spoke. "It's Liz, Ms. Ishizu."

The door opened... and there was Liz along with Ryan.

"What brings you both here?" asked Ishizu.

"Could you look after Duck and Lady in the medical room for a little bit longer, please?" asked Liz politely. "My husband and I got a call from Emily..."

"Percy is about to face Spencer in a exhibition duel." Ryan added. "And we'd like to go and support him."

"Of course." said Ishizu, giving a kind smile. "Wish him luck for me."

"We will!" Liz agreed, leaving.

"Wait for me!" called Ryan, following behind.

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, somewhere on the island, some voices were heard coming from near the Duel Tower.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Percy?" asked the voice of Henry.

Over near the tower grounds, Percy and Spencer were facing each other..

"I sure do." Percy answered.

"I don't need an Egyptian God card to crush the likes of you, Percy!" called Spencer.

"We'll see about that." said Percy. "I won't let you beat me so easily."

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000).

"Let's duel!" They both said at once.

"Here they go." Michael commented.

"Hey, are we late?" called a voice.

Coming over was Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) along with Skiff.

"You're just in time." answered Emily, before looking over to the duel field. "They've just started."

Over with Spencer, he was looking over his starting hand.

"Avonside stands no chance." The silver-haired boy grinned to himself. "I've already gotten my game winning combo on my first draw."

His opening hand consisted of Crush Card Virus, Ryu-Kishin Powered, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blade Knight, and Shrink.

"Well?" called Percy. "I'm waaaaiting!"

* * *

 **Turn One** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 55  
 **Current Hand** (5): Crush Card Virus, Ryu-Kishin Powered, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blade Knight, and Shrink

* * *

"You'll regret giving me the first move!" Spencer teased, taking a card from his hand. "I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered in attack mode!"

The reddish gargoyle appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1600). This was followed by two facedown cards materializing beind the fiend-type monster.

"Then I'll place these two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Percy gave a bored yawn. "Is that all? Lame! I'll show you something better!"

With that said, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Percy Avonside (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (6): Jinzo, Swordsman of Landstar, Polymerization, Alligator's Sword, Graceful Dice, and Gearfried the Iron Knight

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, Percy grinned widely.

"You're in for it now, Spencer." The green-haired boy declared. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode!"

Spencer merely watched on emotionlessly as the iron knight himself appeared ready for battle (Level: 4/ATK: 1800). Thomas, however, had a sinking feeling about what Spencer was going to do with his facedown cards.

"Is it...THAT combo?!"

"Gearfried!" called Percy recklessly. "Attack Ryu-Kishin Powered now!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight obeyed, charging towards Spencer's monster.

"Percy, stop!" cried Thomas, but was too late.

Spencer gave a laugh. "You idiot! You've fallen into the exact same trap I had used against Ishizu!"

"W-What!?" Percy exclaimed in shock. His eyes became wide as plates.

"Reveal facedown cards!" announced the silver-haired boy, poking two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Shrink and Crush Card Virus!"

Both of the silver-haired boy's set cards flipped face-up and revealed themselves.

"First up is my Shrink Spell card! It'll go and halved my Ryu-Kishin Powered's attack down to 800 points!"

Ryu-Kishin Powered grew much weaker thanks to Shrink (ATK: 1600 - 800). Percy knew exactly where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit.

"And now comes my favorite part!" smirked Spencer. "...the effect of my Crush Card Virus Trap card activates!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight thrust its left arm forth and impaled Ryu-Kishin Powered through the chest.

"Not good..." moaned Percy, watching in shock.

Spencer winced as he took 1000 points of damage (LP: 3000), but grinned afterward as he knew it was well worth it.

"Now, I bet you know what will happen next!"

Ryu-Kishin Powered shattered into dust! ...purple spores, that is. Gearfried the Iron Knight immediately gripped his neck in agony before fading away.

"Gearfried!" called Percy, but then looked his deck and hand - purple smoke was coming from many of his cards as they became infected. "Oh no! No!"

"All of your monsters with 1500 or more attack points have been infected!" laughed Spencer.

"Ooh, not off to a good start, is he?" winced James.

"Sadly, no." agreed Discord.

Just then, another new, but familiar, voice was heard...

"Is Percy winning?"

The audience turned and saw both Ryan and Liz running in to join them.

"Liz! Ryan!" exclaimed Mavis.

Toby shook his head. "Just look over there."

The two young adults looked over and saw Percy's current predicament.

"What...happened?" Liz asked, fearing for the worst.

"A deadly combo." explained Edward gravely. "A virus combo."

Ryan and Liz were both dismayed. Unhappily, Percy took and slid all of his infected monsters (well over 15 monster cards) into his graveyard.

"Jinzo... Gilford..." he muttered in disbelief. "Many of my powerful monsters... all gone!"

"Now all you have are a deck full of weaklings!" taunted Spencer. "Looks to me like I'll be destroying you just as badly as I did when we first faced each other!"

Percy glared at Spencer angrily. "I end my turn."

"Oh, Percy..." whispered Liz sadly.

"It's my turn!" announced Spencer, drawing.

Over with the crowd, Emily suddenly looked over to the others.

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" asked Molly.

"I just need some water." The dark green-haired girl answered.

With that said, Emily turned and set off towards the blimp.

"Emily..." thought Thomas.

Back with Spencer, he had just begun his next turn.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 54  
 **Current Hand** (3): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Blade Knight, and Pot of Greed

* * *

"I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed!" declared the silver-haired boy, while holding out his drawn card. "Now I draw two more cards from my deck!"

With that said, Spencer drew two more cards. Percy watched on in worry.

"With my deck already low on cards, I'll have to play extra carefully." he thought, seeing Spencer take another card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"And now I shall summon Blade Knight in attack mode!"

The medieval knight wielding a sword and shield materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000). Back with the crowd, Toby finally noticed that someone else had just disappeared.

"Huh? Where did Mavis go?"

Everyone else noticed that their friend was gone.

"We didn't see her go anywhere." replied Gordon. "I wouldn't worry about her, though."

"Yeah." agreed James. "Mavis is a tough girl. She can take care of herself."

(elsewhere...)

Back outside the blimp, Ishizu had just stepped outside for a quick breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, that was when she was met upon by Mavis.

"Mavis?" Ishizu blinked. "Why aren't you with your friends?"

Mavis didn't answer...although the dullness in her eyes were a vital clue as to what was wrong with her.

"Marik?"

"Yes, sister." confirmed Mavis (possessed). It was then an image of regular Marik showed up beside his host. "It's me!"

"What is it?" asked Ishizu.

"I have very little time to explain." said Marik slowly. "So you'll need to listen carefully."

The Egyptian woman listened carefully as to what her younger brother was about to tell her.

(elsewhere...)

Back where Percy and Spencer were dueling, Blade Knight was charging towards Percy in a direct attack attempt.

"Blade Knight!" commanded Spencer. "Direct attack, now!"

Blade Knight obeyed, slashing Percy with his blade, causing the green-haired boy to yell from the damage (LP: 2400).

"Percy!" cried out Liz.

"Hang in there!" added Zack.

Percy grunted as he stood back up. "I'm still in." The green-haired boy pointed out.

"So you are." Spencer sighed, folding his arms. "Just enough for me to knock you down some more!"

"In your dreams, Spencer!" retorted the green-haired boy. "I swear I'll beat you this time. My turn!"

He then drew his card.

"That deadbeat..." muttered the silver-haired boy in irritation.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2400)  
 **Deck** : 23  
 **Current Hand** (4): Swordsman of Landstar, Polymerization, Graceful Dice, and Battle Warrior

* * *

Unfortunately for Percy, he didn't draw a good card.

"Darn it!" he thought. "Not a good draw!" Suddenly, the green-haired boy spotted two cards in his hand that were worth playing. "On the other hand..."

The Swordsman of Landstar monster card materialized face-up before causing the little warrior to materialize (Level: 3/ATK: 500).

"I summon Swordsman of Landstar in attack mode!"

"Attack mode?" Skiff quizzed. "Why would he go and do something like that?"

"Now I activate the Spell card Graceful Dice!" continued Percy, slotting another card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"A good move!" Thomas exclaimed to the others. "Since Percy can't use any monster he owns that have a default attack of 1500 or higher...!"

"He can make his weaker monsters stronger!" finished James.

"But Swordsman of Landstar only has 500 attack points!" protested James R.. "And Blade Knight has 1600 attack points."

"So Percy will need to roll at least a four if he wants to beat it." added Carlie.

On cue, from the Graceful Dice Spell card came the little man with a large blue die.

"Go Dice Roll!" ordered Percy.

The man threw the dice. Percy panicked when it looked like the die would land on a one...but it didn't. It instead landed on a four.

"OH YEAH!" cheered Percy. "It's a four! Meaning my Swordsman of Landstar's attack is multiplied by that much!"

Swordsman of Landstar became stronger (ATK: 500 - 2000).

"Now attack his Blade Knight!"

Swordsman of Landstar obeyed and lunged forth, slashing Blade Knight with his smaller sword. Blade Knight fell onto the ground and shattered into pieces of glass.

"There goes your Blade Knight!" taunted Percy.

Spencer scowled (LP: 2600). "You're someone who depends so much on luck to win duels!"

"Oh, boo hoo! You're just mad because I found a way around your little Crush Card Virus!"

The duel was gonna get much hotter from there on.

(elsewhere...)

Inside Thomas's room aboard the blimp, Emily finished filling a glass full of ice cold water.

"There we go." she said quietly. "Some nice ice water."

The dark green-haired girl took her glass and approached the exit.

"I'd better go back to the duel." thought Emily. "Percy likely needs all the support he can get."

The door opened, and Emily stepped out... only to bump into someone, spilling the glass of water onto her shirt.

"Watch it!" snapped Emily. "You made me spill my water!"

"My apologies... dear!" said a familiar voice.

Emily started to gaze angrily at the person who bumped into her! ...but froze in immense fear at who it was.

"Y-You...!"

Who was it, you're asking? We'll find out another time.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the blimp, Ishizu and the possessed Mavis were both talking.

"Odion is safe and sound, Marik." Ishizu remarked. "But last night, while you apologized for your actions, you've never told me why you've been hiding inside Mavis the entire time."

"I placed a portion of my soul in Mavis's mind just in case something were to happen to me." explained Marik. "But, now, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" The Egyptian woman asked, having a dreadful feeling that she knew what was about to be asked.

"Did the Millennium Necklace show you my destiny? How I gave birth to my dark half... how it then murdered our Father... about Battle City... about the Pharaoh's descendant... about the Ishtars... everything?!"

"Yes...it did." sighed Ishizu.

"Why?" Marik demanded. "Why did you keep the truth from me all of these years?"

Ishizu remained silent, and ashamed, over the matter. Oh, if only she told him the truth over what had happened as soon as she was able to. Then, maybe all of these events could have been avoided.

"I was too afraid." she said quietly.

"Afraid?" snapped Marik. "Why be afraid?! I wanted to know the truth!"

"Would that have changed your attitude towards the Pharaoh?" Ishizu questioned. "Or prevent you from eventually attempting revenge?"

"The fact remains that my heart has been shadowed with more darkness ever since." pointed out Marik. "I'm just not a strong human being! If Odion wasn't there for me, I... I..."

"Marik..." Ishizu whispered.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

'Marik' had taken hold of the Millennium Rod on the tray to the left.

"From now on, we're going by my rules." he remarked.

Mr. Ishtar was even more furious. "Marik! I order you to put down that Millennium Item! You are not ready to use them!"

The Millennium Rod glowed all gold and 'Marik' laughed quietly to himself.

"Well now, this item seems to accept me." The possessed boy said snidely.

"Put it down!" command Mr. Ishtar. "I command you!"

'Marik' turned and glared at his Father in anger.

"Shut up!"

"Marik, you-!" snarled Mr. Ishtar.

'Marik' responded by turning and aiming the Millennium Rod at his Father. Suddenly, Mr. Ishtar was thrown by the Rod's power into a wall.

"My son..." he groaned weakly.

'Marik' snickered before turning his attention back to Mr. Ishtar. "And now, 'Father', it's time for you to meet your fate."

Suddenly, he removed the handle of the Rod and revealed a terrible secret about the item... The Millennium Rod was actually half rod—half dagger. 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar and readied the weapon.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"The incident was because of my dark side." said Marik. "And I blamed it on the Pharaoh!"

Mavis (possessed) then turned towards the Duel Tower.

"M-Marik! Where are you going!?" Ishizu asked in alarm.

"I have to stop my dark side before he causes any more danger!" yelled Marik.

With that said, the possessed blonde-haired girl started making a run towards the Duel Tower.

"Marik!" cried Ishizu, reaching out in protest.

Mavis (possessed) did not stop running, however, and got closer and closer to the Duel Tower. Oh boy, this can't be a good sign, can it?

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	69. Rematch! Percy vs Spencer (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. This chapter also contains a scene of near rape. While chapter 56 had a moment of near rape as well, the scene of near rape in this chapter is a smidge more explicit. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Percy began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Well, it sorta went like this... I was dueling against Marik, and I got hit by his Egyptian God monster's Phoenix form. Luckily, I managed to survive the bombarding attack and even managed to summon Gearfried the Iron Knight to finish him off! ...but I ended up falling into a brief coma before attacking."

"Gearfried..." began Percy weakly, yet was smiling. "Attack his life points..."

Suddenly, before he could finish, the green-haired boy began to fall onto the ground.

"M-my...brother..." Liz whimpered. Her eyes were welling with tears.

It was too late. Percy had finally collapsed onto the platform as Gearfried the Iron Knight shattered apart.

"PERCY!" cried out the green-haired boy's friends.

"NOOO!" screamed the Crawford kids.

Dark Marik scoffed. "Resistant to the very end." he muttered wearily.

The Shadow Realm fog faded away as the referee announced the results of the duel...

"Percy Avonside is unable to continue the duel!" The suit announced, sounding very uncaring that a duelist had collapsed. "Therefore, Marik Ishtar wins by default!"

"Percy!" cried out Thomas in despair, being the first to approach the duel platform.

All of Percy's friends and loved ones immediately climbed onto the platform to reach the fallen green-haired boy.

"Percy!" came from both Toby and Edward.

"My little brother!" Liz sobbed.

"Everyone, especially my sister, were despairing over what had happened to me. Luckily, I woke up before Thomas's big rematch against Spencer had finished."

Percy's eyes were still dull, but his vision soon became more and more clear.

"Guys?" he asked quietly.

All eyes were to the green-haired boy.

"Percy...?" Liz blinked.

"What happened to me?"

Silence... at least until...

"He's alright!" cried Molly happily.

It became a joyous reunion for everyone. Percy was practically crushed by the girls' (Mavis, Molly, Carlie, and especially Liz) hugs.

"Oh, Percy..." sobbed Liz. "Thank heaven! We all thought you were... were..."

"We thought you were never gonna wake up." came from Ryan.

"From there, we arrived atop the Duel Tower in time to watch Thomas kick Spencer's butt with his Dark Paladin."

Dark Paladin started charging his scepter. The power boost from the four dragons and from Diffusion Wave-Motion made him so strong that his staff started crackling with great power.

"BILLINTON!" screamed Spencer. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED AT MY OWN TOURNAMENT!"

"Spencer, you're too late!" Thomas retorted, before giving the final command. "Dark Paladin, attack!"

Dark Paladin slammed his scepter onto the ground, causing a shockwave of magical energy to fire forth to Spencer's side of the field. Spencer Gresley's three prized Blue-Eyes White Dragons each gave a final roar before shattering/collapsing into pieces/dust. Spencer himself was stunned beyond belief over his defeat.

"Not again!" Spencer thought in shock (LP: 0).

And on the other end of the platform with both his monsters (Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman and Red-Eyes Black Dragon) standing triumphantly was Thomas Billinton.

"The duel is over!" Thomas announced victoriously (LP: 500). "I've won!"

"After some much needed words were said by Thomas and Emily to rich boy, Thomas received Obelisk the Tormentor, his second Egyptian God monster. From there, I challenged Spencer to a duel. The first one ever since I got crushed by him months ago."

Meanwhile, somewhere on the island, some voices were heard coming from near the Duel Tower.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Percy?" asked the voice of Henry.

Over near the tower grounds, Percy and Spencer were facing each other..

"I sure do." Percy answered.

"I don't need an Egyptian God card to crush the likes of you, Percy!" called Spencer.

"We'll see about that." said Percy. "I won't let you beat me so easily."

"...and I stepped into one of Spencer's deadly virus traps early into the match."

Spencer gave a laugh. "You idiot! You've fallen into the exact same trap I had used against Ishizu!"

"W-What!?" Percy exclaimed in shock. His eyes became wide as plates.

"Reveal facedown cards!" announced the silver-haired boy, poking two buttons on his Duel Disk. "Shrink and Crush Card Virus!"

Both of the silver-haired boy's set cards flipped face-up and revealed themselves.

"First up is my Shrink Spell card! It'll go and halved my Ryu-Kishin Powered's attack down to 800 points!"

Ryu-Kishin Powered grew much weaker thanks to Shrink (ATK: 1600 - 800). Percy knew exactly where this was going, and he didn't like it one bit.

"And now comes my favorite part!" smirked Spencer. "...the effect of my Crush Card Virus Trap card activates!"

Gearfried the Iron Knight thrust its left arm forth and impaled Ryu-Kishin Powered through the chest.

"Not good..." moaned Percy, watching in shock.

Spencer winced as he took 1000 points of damage (LP: 3000), but grinned afterward as he knew it was well worth it.

"Now, I bet you know what will happen next!"

Ryu-Kishin Powered shattered into dust! ...purple spores, that is. Gearfried the Iron Knight immediately gripped his neck in agony before fading away.

"Gearfried!" called Percy, but then looked his deck and hand - purple smoke was coming from many of his cards as they became infected. "Oh no! No!"

"All of your monsters with 1500 or more attack points have been infected!" laughed Spencer.

"Ooh, not off to a good start, is he?" winced James.

"Sadly, no." agreed Discord.

"Here's hoping I CAN stand up to him this time."

* * *

 **Title: Rematch! Percy vs. Spencer, Part 2**

* * *

The duel between Percy and Spencer was going on strong. Percy was stuck with monsters that have low attack points because of the Crush Card Virus Spencer used early on! ...although Percy used a combo to make his Swordsman of Landstar more powerful than before...even though it wouldn't last for much longer.

"Hey, Spencer!" called Percy (LP: 2400). "I didn't get this far in Battle City for nothing, y'know?"

Spencer (LP: 2600) kept himself calm. The crowd, meanwhile, was happy Percy managed a brief comeback.

"Good move, Percy!" called Ryan.

"You can do it, man!" added James R..

Thomas smiled. "You've become a much better duelist, Percy. If only Marik hadn't set that duel in that semi-finals match as a Shadow Game...you'd be the one I would face in the finals instead."

"Thanks, Thomas." Percy smiled back. "I promise to mop the floor with this guy."

"It would seem you have gained some level of skill through out this tournament." Spencer remarked. "But even if you did, it won't be enough to beat me!"

"Oh yeah? Care to tell me why, hotshot?"

"Because I am one of the best duelists in the world!" answered Spencer arrogantly. "I will not lose to someone like you! Furthermore, all you have left in your deck are weak monsters thanks to my Crush Card Virus infecting your stronger ones!"

Percy grimaced at being reminded of that detail and gazed down at his Duel Disk.

"It's true... I can't use my stronger monsters thanks to his Trap card." he thought. "But I can't give up. Spencer would never let me live it down." The green-haired boy then spoke aloud... "No matter what, I'm going to defeat you and get the respect I deserve! Just you wait!"

"Go for it, Percy!" called Michael.

"Teach that jerk some manners!" added Carlie.

Percy nodded, while Spencer gave a light snort in amusement.

"I'd like to see you try and defeat me like this." The silver-haired boy dared, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : 51  
 **Current Hand** (4): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, White Dragon Ritual, Paladin of White Dragon, and Vorse Raider

* * *

"Now watch as I activate a Ritual Spell card!"

With that said, Spencer slotted a card into his Duel Disk. On cue, the White Dragon Ritual Spell card materialized face-up.

"White Dragon Ritual?!" cried Percy.

"That's right." confirmed Spencer, holding out his Vorse Raider monster card. "I shall offer my level 4 Vorse Raider in order to ritual summon from my hand Paladin of White Dragon!"

On cue, the knight riding the white dragon materialized (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200).

"Destroy Swordsman of Landstar!"

Paladin of White Dragon obeyed, charging forth and thrusting his lace into the weaker monster and destroying it. Percy grimaced from taking big damage (LP: 1000).

"And now I'll summon your worst nightmare!" Spencer continued. "I activate my monster's effect!"

With that, Paladin of White Dragon vanished, and in its place was the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"By tributing my Paladin of White Dragon I can special summon from my hand or deck the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"I know how it works." protested Percy. "I've seen it in action once before!"

Spencer smirked. "Then you'll also be happy to know that by summoning my Blue-Eyes like that prevents me from using it to attack you for the remainder of the turn."

"Then he's safe." Toby sighed in relief.

"But for how long?" asked Molly.

"Hopefully long enough to find a way to counter that dragon." said Edward.

Percy just watched on defiantly.

(elsewhere...)

Atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik was there waiting for the rest of the group to arrive so the final duel of Thomas's life could begin. He had been to the blimp earlier for something... but right now, the evil man was more focused on his Millennium Rod.

"This Millennium Rod should not have responded to Thomas, Emily, and Spencer." Dark Marik grumbled. "It is mine and mine alone!" He then looked directly at the Millennium Item in anger. "I demand to see for myself the same vision Thomas Billinton, Emily Sterling, Spencer Gresley each saw!"

The Millennium Rod did not obey the command. Growing highly infuriated, Dark Marik shook the Rod roughly for a response... but nothing happened. Swearing aloud, he tossed the Rod aside like it was useless.

"Stupid piece of garbage!"

The Millennium Rod slid across the platform...until it stopped by the feet of a familiar blonde-haired girl. It was Mavis. Dark Marik noticed her and gave an almost flirting-like smile.

"Well, well, well." said Dark Marik with slight amusement. "And what would bring someone like you up here all alone without protection? Perhaps you're here just to see me?"

Mavis silently bent over...and picked up the Millennium Rod.

"Oh? I wouldn't pick that up if I were you." The evil man teased. "You don't know where it has been."

But Mavis did not listen. She then raised her head and showed her dull eyes.

"Hmm?" Dark Marik raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the Millennium Rod started glowing. Dark Marik gasped before a blast struck him and sent him soaring back until he hit the wall.

"Not you!" Dark Marik growled, managing to recover.

Mavis (possessed) just glared.

(elsewhere...)

Back outside the Duel Tower, Thomas felt his Millennium Puzzle beginning to glow.

"What's going on?" he asked himself.

Matt was the first to notice his younger friend looking surprised.

"What's wrong?" The dirty blonde-haired boy asked.

"My puzzle is reacting to something nearby." Thomas answered. "I have to go check it out!"

With that said, the blue-haired boy raced off towards the Duel Tower.

"H-Hey!" cried Percy. "Come back!"

"If you're a True Duelist like you say you are-" said Spencer. "-then finish the duel without the support of Billinton!"

Percy scowled, but decided to comply wih a quick nod.

"Good. Now make your move!"

"Gladly!" The green-haired boy complied, drawing his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 22  
 **Current Hand** (3): Polymerization, Battle Warrior, and Baby Dragon

* * *

Yet again, he got a bad draw.

"I summon Battle Warrior in defense mode." said Percy unhappily, taking another card from his hand.

The monk-like fighter materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 3/DEF: 1000).

"Not too good." groaned Henry.

"Is that your best?" laughed Spencer. "If so, then this duel is as good as mine."

He drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : 50  
 **Current Hand** (1): Graceful Charity

* * *

The silver-haired boy immediately held his drawn card out.

"I activate Graceful Charity!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. Spencer drew three cards from his deck.

"Now that I have drawn three cards-" The silver-haired boy stated. "-I must discard two."

Two cards Spencer sent to the graveyard were Spell cards (Enemy Controller and The Flute of Summoning Dragon). The silver-haired boy kept the drawn Blue-Eyes White Dragon in his hand.

"Blue-Eyes! Wipe Battle Warrior off the face of the Earth!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed, firing a blast of White Lightning at Percy's monster.

(elsewhere...)

Atop the Duel Tower, Mavis (possessed) was threatening Dark Marik with the Millennium Rod, while the latter gave a chuckle of a sort.

"So, you're using this pretty young girl to do your bidding, my weaker self?" The evil man questioned.

"Yes." Mavis (possessed) confirmed in Light Marik's voice. "I came here to put an end to you permanently. If I have to kill in order to do so...then I will!"

"You fool!" snapped Dark Marik. "If you destroy me, then in the process, you will destroy your own body."

"At this point, I don't care! Everything I've done has been unforgivable, so I'm willing to die to ensure you're gone forever!"

Dark Marik gave a sadistic smile. "Then let me ask you one thing... if you do destroy us both, what will happen to ' ** _our_** ' dear older sister?"

Mavis (possessed) halted, as the image of Light Marik gave a small gasp. Oh, but Dark Marik didn't let up his verbal assault...

"You promised her that you would make a better future for you two and Odion. But how will you be able to keep that promise if you kill yourself?"

The image of Light Marik stammered...yet Dark Marik still didn't stop...

"And what about poor Odion?" The evil man taunted. "If you're gone, what would he do if ever learned that he had failed to protect you?"

The image of Light Marik nearly broke down from being told of this. "O-Odion..."

While Mavis (possessed) was distracted, Dark Marik used this as a chance to take back his Millennium Rod. He seized her by the wrist with his left hand and gave a very tight squeeze which caused the possessed blonde-haired girl, while crying out in pain, to drop the Millennium Rod into the evil man's right hand. Quickly, with the item back in his possession, Dark Marik aimed the tip of the Rod at the face of Mavis (possessed).

"You're too soft." Dark Marik said coldly. "No wonder I'm so much better than you as a personality."

He then attempted to push Mavis (possessed) off the edge of the tower. Dark Marik chuckled evilly, while the possessed blonde-haired girl grimaced. All of a sudden, the girl grabbed the railing and leaped up until she was balancing herself on it. Dark Marik attempted knock her off with a swipe from the Millennium Rod, but missed when Mavis (possessed), much like an athlete, managed to flip herself over the evil man's head and land on her feet skillfully.

"My, oh my, what an agile body you have!" commented Dark Marik. He then readied his Millennium Rod once more. "But still...!"

The evil man used the Millennium Item's power to pin Mavis to the middle of the floor with no escape.

"What...are you going to do with me?" Mavis (possessed) asked in Light Marik's voice.

A sinister snicker came from Dark Marik as his Millennium Rod began glowing once more. "I'd like some alone time with this girl. For now, I'll just temporary get rid of you."

The image of Light Marik faded away as he cried out in pain and surprise, thus freeing Mavis from his control. The blonde-haired girl's eyes began to open.

"W-Where...?"

Mavis then gasped when, as soon as her vision came back, she saw Dark Marik smirking sadistically and lecherous at her.

"Y-You!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed in alarm, while also finding herself unable to move a muscle.

"Surprise!" The evil man cackled in welcome. "I'm rather glad you're awake now."

"How did I get here?"

"My little secret." teased Dark Marik, while kneeling down until he was barely sitting atop of Mavis and they were seeing eye-to-eye. His voice was also growing more and more repulsive and sick sounding. "However, know that I have you now, my pretty... All for my personal amusement until the big duel."

Mavis, upon those very words, immediately realized what that man was planning on doing to her and grew incredibly terrified as a result.

"Get away from me, you creep!" she shrieked, beginning to struggle as her mouth started to glow all gold. It immediately closed itself to prevent her from screaming.

Dark Marik started to laugh like a deranged rapist as he took off the handle from the Millennium Rod, unsheathing the dagger. Once that was done, he slid the dagger under Mavis's shirt in an attempt to tear it open and expose a bit of her womanhood (so to speak). But before Dark Marik could even proceed to tear open the shirt of the muffled screaming teenage girl and have his way with her...

"Stop this at once!" came a voice.

Dark Marik stopped laughing, frowned, carefully pulled the dagger out of Mavis's shirt, and looked to the doorway leading to the staircase. It was Ishizu, and she was not looking happy in the slightest.

"Well, well..." Dark Marik commented, as he stood back up. "If it isn't my ' _beloved_ ' older sister... How nice to see you."

"I will not stand by while you threaten innocent people like this." said Ishizu firmly.

"I think you're messing with the wrong person here." corrected the evil man. "Besides, what hope do you even have of stopping me? You have no Millennium Item, or did you already forget that detail?"

Ishizu scowled (a rare moment for her).

"Then again..." Dark Marik continued, holding his glowing Millennium Rod up and at the Egyptian woman. "Forget this girl. I'll focus on you, instead!"

Ishizu, while glowing all gold, was suddenly thrown against the wall.

"Ishizu!" cried Mavis, now able to speak once more.

Unfortunately, like the blonde-haired girl seconds ago, Ishizu couldn't move an inch. She was truly stuck on the wall. Dark Marik cackled some more as he started to approach slowly while licking his lips repulsively.

"Once again, you're far too beautiful to just kill straight out."

The evil man moved closer and closer, but...

"Leave my friends alone, Marik!" shouted another voice (male).

Dark Marik sighed in annoyance. There was just so many inconveniences for him today. But, to his great delight, the voice belonged to Thomas. The blue-haired boy had just arrived, his Millennium Puzzle was glowing all gold, there was a glowing Millennium Eye symbol laced on his forehead, and he was looking seriously **pissed** off!

"Oh, ' _ **Your Highness**_ '!" called Dark Marik sarcastically. "What brings you up here?"

Thomas gazed silently at the evil man with fiery anger burning in his blood.

"Are you here to challenge me so soon? The duel doesn't start for another hour."

"If it means bringing your evil to an end-" sneered Thomas. "-then so be it!"

Both Millennium Items were glowing and a cloud of darkness began to form. Both duelists were gazing hatefully at each other. Mavis, while still laying on the ground, managed to lift her head up and watch. Nearby on the wall, Ishizu managed to look in the direction of the impending Shadow Game! ...but then, the darkness faded as Dark Marik shook his head.

"No... not yet." The evil man said with slight disinterest, closing his eyes with a small smile. "It would be far too boring to kill you this way. I've already thought long and hard on the perfect Shadow Game for when the time really comes to us to duel." He then walked passed Thomas with a quiet snicker while on his way to the exit. "We'll start the show in due time, so wait patiently while you still have your head!"

Dark Marik walked down the stairs while cackling psychotically. In addition, with the Millennium Rod no longer within sight, Mavis and Ishizu were both freed from the Millennium Item's binding power.

"Mavis! Ishizu!" exclaimed Thomas, beginning to run over. "Are you two alright?"

Ishizu slowly limped over. Thankfully, she wasn't badly hurt.

"Yes." The Egyptian woman answered. "Thank you."

But Mavis was shaking like a leaf, and looked like she wanted to cry after that absolutely horrifying moment she nearly experienced from that deranged psychopath (getting raped by him).

"Mavis?" asked Thomas quietly. "Are you-?"

"Marik was this close to violating me." Mavis shuddered, interrupting the blue-haired boy while finally letting her emotions out.

Thomas approached the frightened blonde-haired girl, knelt down to her level, and gave her a comforting hug.

"I was so scared..." Mavis sobbed softly. "So scared... There was no one else here to help me before Ishizu arrived..."

"Shh! It's okay, Mavis." said Thomas comfortingly. "You're safe now."

He then looked towards the doorway leading to the staircase, the same one Dark Marik went down.

"Mark my words, Marik." Thomas thought only to himself. "I am going to make you pay for everything you have done!" Suddenly, the blue-haired boy remembered something about his troubled friend... "Oh, right! How did you even get up here, Mavis?"

Mavis, after managing to calm down, braced a hand onto her forehead like a headache was coming on.

"I...don't know." she answered. "I remember watching the duel between Percy and Spencer... but then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on the platform about to be sexually assaulted by Marik."

Thomas then looked over to Ishizu. "Did you notice anything strange about her?"

Ishizu was looking rather quiet. It was like she knew the answer, but didn't want to tell Thomas without risking something.

"I can't really say to be honest." The Egyptian woman admitted, which was a lie.

Thomas was disappointed to say the least. It was then Ishizu looked at the blue-haired boy with a pleading look on her own face.

"Thomas... I have a favor I'd like to ask of you."

"What is it?" asked Thomas, raising an eyebrow.

"You must...find a way to save my brother from his dark half!" Ishizu begged. "I can't bear the thought of losing another family member!"

"I'll try." The blue-haired boy said seriously. "I promise you that."

(elsewhere...)

Below the Duel Tower, the White Lightning attack finally struck and destroyed Battle Warrior.

"Your Battle Warrior has met its end!" announced Spencer.

"Aw man." thought Percy in dismay.

Everyone else watched in dismay.

"My turn is over." finished Spencer. "If you ask me, a deadbeat such as yourself has no chance of defeating someone like me."

"I'll beat you yet!" insisted Percy, drawing his card. "I swear it!"

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 21  
 **Current Hand** (3): Polymerization, Baby Dragon, and Roll of Fate

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card...

"Yes!" thought the green-haired boy happily. "Now I can begin making my comeback! ...I hope." He slotted the card into an empty Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "I activate the Spell Roll of Fate!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Another dice card..." grumbled Spencer.

Over with the audience...

"This could help him." said Discord.

"Now I can draw a card determined by the roll of the die." explained Percy. "But I also have to banish the same amount from the top of my deck. Go Dice Roll!"

A die appeared out of the card and launched into the air. Everyone watched the die start to fall to the ground.

"It will never work!" thought Spencer.

At long last, the die landed on a...

"It's a six!" cheered Percy, drawing five cards from his deck. "Now I draw six cards and banish the top six cards of my deck!"

The green-haired boy drew six more cards, but instead banished them and then looked at his new hand... and he gasped.

"Huh?"

He drew Emergency Provisions, Graverobber, Scapegoat, Little-Winguard, Nutrient Z, and Monster Reborn.

"So, did you draw anything you needed?" called Spencer.

Percy quietly gave a snicker...before erupting into full-blown laughter.

"Oh, I've got exactly what I need to win!" he said happily, slotting three cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk. "First I place three cards facedown. Next I'll summon Little-Winguard in defense mode."

Three facedown cards materialized, which is followed by the appearance of the tiny warrior-like monster (Level: 4/DEF: 1800). At that point, the Emergency Provisions Spell card materialized face-up.

"I'll then use Emergency Provisions to tribute one of my facedowns and gain 1000 life points." said Percy (LP: 2000), as his facedown Polymerization Spell card faded away.

"Heh! More life points won't protect you from my onslaught!" Spencer scoffed, drawing his card. "I'll have you beaten on my turn now!"

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 2600)  
 **Deck** : 46  
 **Current Hand** (2): Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Card of Demise

* * *

"First I'll activate Card of Demise!" The silver-haired boy held out his drawn card. "Thanks to this, I draw until I hold five cards in my hand."

He drew four more cards and added them to his hand.

"And now, once five turns have gone by, I must discard my whole hand." Spencer then took another card from his hand and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk next to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Next I summon Kaiser Sea Horse in attack mode!"

The purplish seahorse-like warrior appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

"Now, I'm well aware your Little-Winguard has more defense points." continued Spencer, taking another card from his hand. "But my Kaiser Lance(!) Equip Spell card will change all of that!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Thanks to this card, my Kaiser Sea Horse gains 200 extra attack points!"

A more powerful lance materialized in Kaiser Sea Horse's hand, giving it a brief power boost (ATK: 1700 - 1900).

"If Kaiser Sea Horse attacks first..." began Ryan.

"Percy will be attacked by Blue-Eyes!" added James.

"And he'll be defeated!" finished Ben.

"Kaiser Sea Horse!" commanded Spencer. "Attack Percy's Little-Winguard with Kaiser Lance!"

Kaiser Sea Horse obeyed the command and lunged forward. Little-Winguard was impaled by the weapon and shattered into pieces of glass. Suddenly, the lance the seahorse-like warrior was wielding vanished (ATK: 1900 - 1700).

"Why's your monster's weapon gone?" Percy questioned.

Spencer chuckled. "When my Kaiser Sea Horse destroys a monster successfully while equipped with Kaiser Lance, I can send the Spell card to the graveyard to allow myself to draw one card from my deck."

Percy grimaced from hearing this. Spencer then drew his card and grinned at his impending victory.

"Not like it matters..." he said arrogantly. "This duel is already mine! Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Percy directly with White Lightning!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed, charging and firing a blast towards the green-haired boy.

"Oh no!" wailed Percy, obviously sounding sarcastic. "What am I gonna do? It's all over...!" He then laughed aloud and poked a button on his Duel Disk. "Just kidding! I activate Scapegoat!"

One of Percy's facedown cards flipped face-up, revealed itself, and created four sheep tokens to block the attack.

"What?!" exclaimed Spencer.

The White Lightning attack struck and vaporized one of the sheep tokens.

"Tada!" said Percy cheekily. "I had this baby planned in case you tried something like that."

The audience sighed in relief.

"Why does he have to go and do stuff like that?" Gordon muttered unhappily.

"Yeah..." agreed Henry.

Spencer quickly recovered and closed his eye while giving a teasing smirk.

"Heh! Figures that a weakling would hide behind other weaklings." The silver-haired boy mocked. He then opened his eyes fiercely. "Either way, they won't be of any help to you at all! I'll get through those remaining tokens soon enough! Once I do..."

"No, you won't!" Percy interrupted. "Thanks to Scapegoat buying me some time, I can now go and perform my big move!"

"Then show me what that move is!"

Percy responded by drawing his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Percy Avonside (LP: 2000)  
Deck: 8  
 **Current Hand** (4): Baby Dragon, Nutrient Z, Monster Reborn, and Hayabusa Knight

* * *

"Okay, Richie Rich, I will show you!" The green-haired boy poked a button on his Duel Disk. "For the first half of my move, I'll activate my facedown Trap card!"

His final facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Go Graverobber!"

Out of the Trap card came the little man with grave-robbing equipment.

"This little guy lets me use a card from your grave as one for my own." explained Percy, just before grinning widely and pointing forth. "Like your Enemy Controller!"

Spencer gasped. "But how did you-?!"

"Know you have Enemy Controller in your graveyard? That's easy, I caught a small glimpse of it when you discarded two cards from Graceful Charity earlier."

The silver-haired boy growled in response. The little robber cackled and held out the familiar Enemy Controller Spell card.

"Now I'll give up 1000 of my life points to activate one of the card's special abilities." said Percy, taking a life point hit (LP: 1000).

The video game-like controller materialized on the green-haired boy's side of the field. After giving it some thought, Percy made his choice on what command to give the controller...

"Up, Left, Down, Right, A!"

The controller put in the commands...before sending out a long cable to plug into Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"With that command put in-" grinned Percy, making a throat slashing gesture. "-one of your monsters bites the dust! ...like your beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared in pain as it got electrocuted by the controller, and exploded into nothingness before too long.

"My Blue-Eyes!" cried Spencer in horror, before scowling at the green-haired boy angrily.

"Now I activate Monster Reborn!" continued Percy, slotting another card into his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Using Monster Reborn, I'll revive from YOUR graveyard the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The green-haired boy announced in triumph.

The destroyed Blue-Eyes White Dragon came out from Spencer's graveyard to Percy's side of the field. It was a move that NO ONE, not even Spencer, had expected to see happen at all.

"Did...Percy just summon one of my cousin's Blue-Eyes White Dragons?" Gordon gawked.

"He did." Toby nodded.

"That was a seriously good move." added Matt. "Since Percy can't use his own powerful monsters because of Crush Card Virus, he'll use Spencer's monsters instead!"

"Awesome play, Percy!" cheered Liz.

Percy, meanwhile, was overjoyed with getting control of such a powerful monster.

"This is so awesome!" he said in excitement. "I'm about to defeat Spencer with one of his own monsters! Blue-Eyes, attack his Kaiser Sea Horse with White Lightning!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and fired off a burst of white electrical energy. Kaiser Sea Horse was destroyed by the attack.

"Yeah! Take that!"

Spencer, as he took a large amount of damage (LP: 1300), did not look happy at all in seeing Percy in control of one of his precious Blue-Eyes White Dragons. In fact, he was beyond furious that the green-haired boy had gone and taken one of them.

"How dare you..." The silver-haired boy, shaking hard from the fury he felt right now, whispered in hatred before raising his voice in rage. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON?!"

Despite flinching from being shouted at, Percy didn't look scared at all.

"One more attack like that-" he said proudly. "-and this duel is all over! But to be on the safe side, I'll place one card facedown and summon Hayabusa Knight in defense mode."

A facedown card materialized behind the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, followed by the hybrid warrior monster appearing in a defensive stance (Level: 3/DEF: 700).

"You will pay for this, Avonside. Do you hear me?!" Spencer seethed in further anger, just before drawing his card with a scream... "YOU'LL PAY!"

The crowd was completely surprised at Spencer's fury over the situation.

"He looks mad." Carlie remarked.

"I'll say." agreed Ben.

On the other hand...

"Percy really has gotten better since his last duel with Spencer." commented Henry.

"Even while under that Crush Card Virus, Percy isn't doing bad at all." Michael agreed.

Back at the duel, Spencer was still seething - his eyes were full of malice towards Percy

"Nobody turns any of my Blue-Eyes against me and gets away with it!" The silver-haired boy snarled, beginning his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)  
 **Deck** : 41  
 **Current Hand** (5): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Command Silencer, Ancient Lamp, Monster Reborn, and Stop Defense

 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 4 Standby Phases left

* * *

Spencer's hand currently contained another Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Command Silencer, Ancient Lamp, Monster Reborn, and the added Stop Defense.

"I place a card facedown!" The silver-haired boy said, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. Then he placed a card sideways on a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "...and summon Ancient Lamp in defense mode!"

The large brass lamp appeared (Level: 3/ATK: 900/DEF: 1400).

"Boring!" yawned Percy, drawing his card. "Let me show you a far better move!"

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 7  
 **Current Hand** (2): Baby Dragon and Legendary Sword

* * *

"Blue-Eyes, attack the lamp now!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and started to charge an attack up... Unfortunately, Spencer was ready for it.

"What's that?" he asked mockingly. "I didn't seem to quite hear you!"

The silver-haired boy's facedown card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be...

"Facedown card, open - Command Silencer!"

The large totem pole emerged from the card and let out a mighty shriek from the two speakers.

"AUGH! My ears!" wailed Percy, covering his ears from the noise.

Everyone else grimaced and covered their ears from the screeching sound, too.

"What...is...that?!" Gordon yelled through the noise.

Spencer was the only one not phased by the sound of his Quick-Play Spell card.

"This Quick-Play Spell card negates your attack this turn and allows me to draw an extra card." The silver-haired boy pointed out, drawing his card.

Percy's Blue-Eyes White Dragon stopped charging up its attack before it could be completed and launched.

Percy huffed unhappily. "My turn is over."

"Now it's time for you to pay the price for taking my Blue-Eyes!" Spencer spat, fiercely drawing his next card. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (5): Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Monster Reborn, Stop Defense, Absorb Spell, and La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp

 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 3 Standby Phases left

* * *

He looked at his card for a moment before looking over to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on his opponent's side of the field...

"Blue-Eyes... I can't stand to see you remain on Percy's side of the field..." Spencer thought to himself, before finally speaking aloud. "I activate the special effect of Ancient Lamp!"

The green-haired boy immediately braced himself for what was coming, while Spencer held out a shining monster card.

"With it being on my field, I can special summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp from my hand!" The silver-haired boy announced, finally placing the still shining card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "Emerge, and serve your master!"

In a puff of green smoke from the Ancient Lamp, the green genie emerged with both arms folded and a cocky chuckle (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1000).

"Now I sacrifice both my genie and lamp to call forth the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Spencer called out, whilst taking another card from his hand and holding it up.

The two monsters faded away in blue streaks and appearing in their place was a second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Almost immediately, it gave off a pretty fierce roar (Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500).

"Uh-oh..." mumbled Percy. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon-" commanded Spencer with anger in his tone. "-put that dragon out of its misery with your White Lightning attack!"

"Fight back!" cried out Percy to his own Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a fit of panic.

The two dragons obeyed, firing blasts of white electricity beams at each other. But they were both struck and destroyed by their respective attacks because they were equal in attacking strengths.

"Now why'd he go and do that?" Gordon asked in a puzzled tone.

"Now he's wide open for a direct attack." added James.

Spencer merely sneered. "I'd rather see my Blue-Eyes White Dragons in the graveyard than rot in a hand like yours, Percy!" With that said, he then took another card from his hand and held it out (Monster Reborn). "I use my own copy of Monster Reborn to bring one of the fallen dragons back!"

On cue, one of the two destroyed Blue-Eyes White Dragons reappeared with a roar.

"That's much better..."

"Sheesh, don't get so worked up over a little card." Percy scolded.

Hearing this only made Spencer crosser than he already was. That Percy Avonside obviously had no idea about the connection Spencer had with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"You dare call my Blue-Eyes a little card?!" he roared. "I'll tell you this now; this card represents my pride and soul as a duelist!"

The crowd gasped upon hearing the silver-haired boy say that.

"I'm the only one with the skill to wield a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Spencer ranted. "And now you'll find out just how much skill I'm talking about! Get ready to lose it all, Percy Avonside!"

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	70. Rematch! Percy vs Spencer (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Spencer began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"My Battle City... the one hope I had in freeing my Mother and Father from the curse my Grandfather had left behind... It was all for nothing!"

The second and final duel of the Battle City semi-finals was over and done with. Spencer Gresley's three prized Blue-Eyes White Dragons each gave a final roar before shattering/collapsing into pieces/dust. Spencer himself was stunned beyond belief over his defeat.

"Not again!" Spencer thought to himself in shock (LP: 0).

And on the other end of the platform with both his monsters (Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman and Red-Eyes Black Dragon) standing triumphantly was Thomas Billinton.

"The duel is over!" Thomas announced victoriously (LP: 500). "I've won!"

"Because I've lost, I'm out of the tournament... and my hopes of becoming the Duel King have been wrecked beyond repair. What's more, Billinton and his little girlfriend both told me the reason why I've lost..."

"I'll admit you've put up a great fight today." Emily added. "But in the end you lost to Thomas because of one thing."

Spencer grew furious. "And what's that?!" he demanded.

"It was your own rage and ego that did you in."

"I told you that anger will get you no where in life." continued Thomas. "Once again, I truly do recognize your skill as a duelist...but like I've also said; you will need to defeat the one true monster inside your heart; 'Hatred'."

Spencer gave a harsh laugh to hearing that. "Hatred? What nonsense!"

That didn't deter Thomas the slightest as he continued to speak and reason with his rival.

"Hatred is what is clouding your judgement, Spencer." The blue-haired boy calmly pointed out. "It's turning you into the very thing you said you absolutely despise."

Emily got back up and stared long and hard at Spencer.

"He's right." she agreed. "The monster cards we duelists wield in battle aren't the only demon in a duel! The anger in our hearts... Hatred... Greed... Our own worst enemies are often inside us! Only when you overcome all of that...can you walk the road to becoming a True Duelist!"

"True Duelist!?" spat Spencer.

Thomas continued to speak for his friend. "Like for me... my goal to become a True Duelist...is Battle City! Percy, for instance, is still fighting to find that very place."

He cast a quick glance to his green-haired best friend, who looked a bit puzzled at first, but quickly flashed a smile. The blue-haired boy then took a quick glance down to his Duel Disk. He picked up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and held it up.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is no ordinary card-" said Thomas. " -its strength comes from the bond of my friendship with Percy, and it means that I never duel alone. To be frank, I would have lost to you if I didn't have it in my hand when you played your Flute of Summoning Dragon Spell card."

"And then, as I began to leave the godforsaken tower, Percy went and challenged me to a duel!"

"Hey, Spencer!" called Percy.

The silver-haired boy stopped walking. He remained in a bad mood regardless.

"Yeah?" Spencer grunted.

"Why don't we have ourselves a duel to see who deserves to win the bronze medal?" asked Percy. "Thomas and Marik both already have the gold and silver lined up for grabs!"

"I'll annihilate you so fast that you'll NEVER play Duel Monsters ever again!"

"But, Spencer..." began Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"All the friendship in the world won't save you from the thrashing I'm about to lay down onto you!" interrupted Spencer hotly.

"Bring it on!"

"Spencer!" Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) spoke up.

"Sorry, Mom, but Percy needs to be taught a lesson!" Spencer stated seriously.

"But...even using my Crush Card Virus strategy early on, that Percy wasn't doing all that bad against me. However, he pushed me too far when he did this..."

"Now I activate Monster Reborn!" said Percy, slotting another card into his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Using Monster Reborn, I'll revive from YOUR graveyard the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The green-haired boy announced in triumph.

The destroyed Blue-Eyes White Dragon came out from Spencer's graveyard to Percy's side of the field. It was a move that NO ONE, not even Spencer, had expected to see happen at all.

"Did...Percy just summon one of my cousin's Blue-Eyes White Dragons?" Gordon gawked.

"He did." Toby nodded.

"That was a seriously good move." added Matt. "Since Percy can't use his own powerful monsters because of Crush Card Virus, he'll use Spencer's monsters instead!"

"Awesome play, Percy!" cheered Liz.

"How dare Percy Avonside steal one of my three prized Blue-Eyes White Dragons! ...I will make him pay for doing that and disrespecting its good name!"

"I'll tell you this now; this card represents my pride and soul as a duelist!" roared an enraged Spencer.

The crowd gasped upon hearing the silver-haired boy say that.

"I'm the only one with the skill to wield a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The silver-haired boy ranted some more. "And now you'll find out just how much skill I'm talking about! Get ready to lose it all, Percy Avonside!"

* * *

 **Title: Rematch! Percy vs. Spencer, Part 3**

* * *

Somewhere on the Duel Tower grounds, Percy and Spencer were both still locked in their duel for the bronze.

"Do you hear me?!" shouted Spencer, full of anger and malice. "I'm the only one with the skill to wield a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Over with the crowd...

"He's really attached to that card, isn't he?" said Ryan.

"I'll say." Liz agreed. "Now I'm beginning to wonder why...?"

"Where are Thomas and Mavis?" asked Molly.

"Thomas-boy went to look for Mavis-" Discord answered. "-yet they should have been back by now."

"Emily hasn't come back either." added James. "Just how many cups of water is she getting?"

Back over with Percy...

"Aw man..." thought the green-haired boy in dismay. "I had this duel in the bag, but now I'm up against his Blue-Eyes yet again... What am I going to do about it now?"

"Face it, Percy-" said Spencer harshly. "-there's no way a deadbeat loser like you can ever hope to defeat someone like me. Even though you did manage to taken control over my Blue-Eyes for a short amount of time, I'm still the better duelist!"

The revived Blue-Eyes White Dragon seemed to roar in complete agreement. Percy gazed over his opponent's field nervously before looking over his own. All he had was Hayabusa Knight, three sheep tokens, and a lone facedown card...

"Am I going to lose to him again?" Percy thought to himself. "At this point, it sure looks like it."

Just then...

"Percy, I know you can win!" called Liz to her little brother.

"Liz?" Percy gasped, just before looking over to his older sister in the audience.

"You can't give up, Percy!" called the blonde-haired young woman. "We believe in you! ' _ **I**_ ' believe in you!"

"We all do!" threw in Carlie.

"Even if Thomas, Emily, and Mavis aren't here-" added Edward. "-they each believe in you, too!"

"You got so far in this tournament!" came from Gordon. "This time, you have a shot at beating my cousin!"

Percy looked at his friends for what seemed like forever...before smiling.

"You're right." The green-haired boy said confidently. "I can't give up." He then looked back over to Spencer. "You hear that, Spencer? My friends are counting on me to beat you this time around, and I'm not about to let them down on that!"

The silver-haired boy sighed irritably. "You're that anxious to make a fool of yourself?" He then pointed forth dramatically. "Then I will gladly make your wish come true!"

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, Thomas and Mavis were both still talking to Ishizu.

"Ishizu." Mavis began. "Please don't take this the wrong way... but why in the world should Thomas save your brother after everything he's done?!"

"Because I know there is still good in him." insisted Ishizu.

"Tell that to his dark half." retorted Mavis hotly. "Look at what he's done - he put Lady into a coma, came very close to killing Percy, did who knows what to Duck, is out to kill Thomas, AND came dangerously close to raping me!"

"I know Marik organized the Rare Hunters-" Ishizu started to explain. "-and there is no way he can simply be forgiven for the countless people he has harmed along the way! ...but he did all of that because he was a victim of the fate the Ishtar clan has endured for years." As she spoke on, the poor Egyptian woman was on the verge of tears as her voice began to break a little bit. "I just want to save my brother! He and Odion are the only family I have left! If I never see both of them again, I... I..."

Losing her calm and collected facade, Ishizu broke down to cry. Mavis, finally realizing her poor choice of words right now, immediately softened up slightly.

"Ishizu..." The blonde-haired girl said softly, walking over and placing both hands on the poor Egyptian woman's shoulders. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"

"It's alright." interrupted Ishizu quickly, recovering and wiping her tears. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"Should we get back to see how Percy's duel is going?" asked Thomas. "Maybe it'll take your mind off of this incident..."

As soon as the blue-haired boy spoke, Ishizu turned to speak to him.

"Thomas, you're the only one who can defeat Marik's dark half and rescue him from the darkness." she explained, looking stoic once again. "As he remains free, the dark personality of my brother will continue to grow stronger and stronger until he's strong enough to reside in Marik's body forever."

As the Egyptian woman spoke, Thomas listened on and gazed down at his Millennium Puzzle with a thought.

"Then it's more important than ever that I defeat him." The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "Otherwise, even more of my friends will suffer at the hands of that monstrous dark half." Finally, Thomas spoke aloud. "When we duel in the final battle, I will defeat him! I'll free Marik from his dark curse, and save those who had fallen to those Shadow Games."

"Duck and Lady..." Mavis said to only herself.

"I swear it on my life-" continued Thomas, narrowing his eyes. "-I will free your family of its curse! As the descendant of the Pharaoh, Atem, I will also make it my duty to find the seven Millennium Items and save the world from the darkness!"

"Thank you, Thomas." said Ishizu. "I am eternally grateful to hear you say that."

(elsewhere...)

Back outside the Duel Tower, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon gave a low growl as Percy stared on in defiance.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The green-haired boy insisted bravely. "I've faced bigger threats than your Blue-Eyes."

"I'm well aware of that." Spencer retorted. "Now show me what you've got!"

"Gladly!"

With that said, Percy drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 6  
 **Current Hand** (3): Baby Dragon, Legendary Sword, and Lightning Blade

* * *

Sadly...

"Dang! Not a good draw!" Percy thought unhappily. He then spoke aloud... "I'll leave my monsters in defense mode and call it a turn!"

Spencer gave a small huff. He was not impressed with the green-haired boy's performance so far.

"Is that all?" The silver-haired boy asked dismissively. "Then it's time for me to finish this duel!"

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (3): Stop Defense, Absorb Spell, and Spear Dragon  
 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 2 Standby Phases left

* * *

The Stop Defense Spell card materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Stop Defense!" Spencer announced. "This forces your only regular monster into attack mode."

While the sheep tokens were unaffected by the Stop Defense card, Hayabusa Knight...wasn't so lucky (ATK: 1000).

"I'm dead!" muttered Percy in alarm.

"He's dead!" came from Gordon, Henry, and James at once.

"Percy, no!" cried out Liz.

"I've warned you that this would happen." said Spencer sternly. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroy his Hayabusa Knight with White Lightning now!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and opened fire with its whitish electric blast. The attack struck Haybusa Knight and caused Percy's side of the field to explode and become clouded with smoke.

"Looks like Spencer won." Skiff commented, but not unhappily.

"I guess." sighed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Yes!" laughed Spencer in triumph. "I've still got it in me!"

The smoke cleared...and the silver-haired boy could see that Percy seemingly looked upset over losing.

"You've put up a good fight, but in the end it was not enough to beat me!"

Percy looked up in disgust...but there was one thing unclear; his life points...were not at zero (LP: 3000).

Spencer was most shocked. "What?! Your life points are not depleted?" he exclaimed.

Everyone else in the audience was shocked about it also.

"Bubbling Sodas!" cried James.

"Why didn't you lose?" demanded Spencer. His eyes widened and went bloodshot with horror as the smoke cleared, revealing an activated Trap card. "Nutrient Z?!"

"Got that right." Percy confirmed, now smirking widely. "This card can only be activated when I take more than 2000 points of damage to my life points. Just before damage calculation, I gain 4000 life points. That gives me enough life points to withstand your attack!"

"Alright, Percy!" cheered Toby.

Spencer seethed once more. "Grrrr! You may have survive this turn-" he growled. "-but your good luck will run out sooner or later!" From there, the silver-haired boy took another card from his hand and placed it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon Spear Dragon in attack mode!"

The spear beaked dragon appeared to the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 0). Over with the rest of the gang...

"Percy bought himself some more time." sighed Ryan.

"I still wonder how long he can keep it up?" asked Molly.

"Until Percy can get a strategy together with what cards he has left in his hand and deck." said Michael.

Percy looked at his hand. It contained Baby Dragon, Legendary Sword, and Lightning Blade.

"Right now I have Baby Dragon in my hand." Percy thought to himself. "All I have to do is draw the right card, and I might have a chance to win."

With that thought on hand, the green-haired boy drew his card...

* * *

 **Turn Sixteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 3000)  
 **Deck** : 5  
 **Current Hand** (4): Baby Dragon, Legendary Sword, Lightning Blade, and Star Blaster

* * *

...and it was not what Percy was hoping for.

"This isn't it." he thought some more. From there, Percy spoke loud. "My turn is over!"

"Then it's my turn!" declared Spencer, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seventeen** : Spencer Gresley (LP: 1300)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (3): Stop Defense, Absorb Spell, and Burst Stream of Destruction  
 **CARD OF DEMISE** : 1 Standby Phase left

* * *

The silver-haired boy saw that his drawn card was one of his favorite Spell cards.

"Excellent!" he thought with a smirk. From there, Spencer slotted his drawn card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Alright, Percy, try this on for size!"

The Burst Stream of Destruction Spell card materialized face-up.

"I activate Burst Stream of Destruction!"

"Uh-oh!" cried Percy, beginning to panic.

Everyone in the audience watched as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon began charging up a powerful blast from its mouth.

"Percy-boy's monsters will be wiped out!" exclaimed Discord.

"But only one will be destroyed." said Edward. "The question is which one."

"Actually it WILL be all of them. And before anyone asks what I mean by that, I'll explain; before the tournament..."

"You buffed the card up!" Toby interrupted, looking dismayed.

Discord nodded unhappily, confirming the obvious answer.

"Why would you make it even more powerful than it already was?" asked Gordon unhappily.

"Just be thankful that Blue-Eyes will still be unable to attack this turn." The creator of Duel Monsters pointed out.

"But Spencer still has Spear Dragon!" Henry protested. "Meaning Percy is still in danger of being attacked!"

"Directly, that is!" finished James.

Over at the duel...

"Now!" hollered Spencer. "Burst Stream of Destruction!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon obeyed and fired its White Lightning blast, destroying the rest of Percy's sheep tokens.

"Now because I played this Spell card, Blue-Eyes is unable to attack this turn." Spencer explained, but then his grin widened from one little detail... "Except for one thing... my other monsters CAN attack!"

Percy winced from hearing this.

"Attack now, Spear Dragon!" commanded the silver-haired boy. "Cyclone Blast!"

Spear Dragon obeyed, firing a blast at Percy, causing him to yell and fall to a knee (LP: 1100).

"One more attack-" said Spencer wickedly. "-and I'll have you beaten!"

On cue, Spear Dragon shifted into a defensive stance thanks to its effect (DEF: 0).

"Since Spear Dragon attacked this turn it automatically goes into defense mode."

Percy was now sweating nervously. "Even if I summon a new monster to destroy Spear Dragon on my turn-" he thought. "-that Blue-Eyes White Dragon will just destroy it and defeat me."

"Just face it-" smirked Spencer. "-a deadbeat duelist like you can never defeat someone like me with a mere Gamble deck!"

"I'll admit you're really good." admitted Percy, suddenly smirking right back. "Actually, this duel is the most fun I've had since... Well, ever!"

Spencer narrowed his eyes. "Fun?" he asked, with his tone sounding quite hostile.

"Huh?" blinked Percy, who was now puzzled. "Why do you play the game if you don't think it's fun?"

"I play the game because I love winning." retorted Spencer, again sounding angry. "That's the only real fun... because of victory! THAT is something someone like you could never hope to understand!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Dark Paladin slammed his scepter onto the ground, causing a shockwave of magical energy to fire forth to Spencer's side of the field. The three Blue-Eyes White Dragons each gave a roar before the shockwaves cut into their white scales and they shattered into dust. Spencer, on the other hand, could only watch in horror as his life points finally reached zero (LP: 0).

"But..." Spencer narrated bitterly. "All of that had been taken away from me!"

The light and debris soon ceased as Spencer looked on in unexplained shock.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Your best friend ruined it all for me!" Spencer continued, clenching his fist in anger. "My dreams, my hope, everything!"

"What a big baby." snorted James.

"Well, wouldn't you be like that if you were in his shoes?" asked Discord harshly. "I do feel bad about Spencer-boy losing in his own tournament."

James immediately became quiet from hearing that.

"But once I've defeated you-" continued Spencer, clenching and motioning the fist of his right hand about. "-my hopes will return! This duel isn't about having fun... it's about me going to become the best once more!"

"Heh! Sorry, pal!" Percy called right back. "But there's only gonna be one winner in this match - me!"

"And how do you plan on doing that? You have no cards on your side of the field!"

"That can easily change!" said Percy, reaching for his deck. "Watch out!"

With his hope to win refueled, he drew his card, slashing a colourful wave from his deck in the process (Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Eighteen** : Percy Avonside (LP: 1100)  
 **Deck** : 4  
 **Current Hand** (5): Baby Dragon, Legendary Sword, Lightning Blade, Star Blaster, and Time Wizard

* * *

Percy closed his eyes tightly. "Please let this be the card...! Please!"

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his drawn card. It was...

"I've drawn it!"

It was the Time Wizard monster card.

"Alright, Spencer!" began Percy proudly, whilst placing a card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "This is where the duel ends. First I summon Baby Dragon!"

The mentioned monster card materialized face-up before the familiar little brown/orange scaled dragon materialized in a fighting stance (Level: 3/ATK: 1200).

"Baby Dragon?" quizzed Spencer.

"Attack mode?" put in Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Why would Percy play that monster?" asked Skiff.

"Spencer..." continued Percy. "The card I'm about to play is my final gamble. It will either allow me to defeat you, or it will result in my own defeat."

"And what is that card?" asked Spencer, folding his arms while not looking the least bit interested.

Percy then showed his final card to his opponent. "I play Time Wizard!"

The familiar spellcaster-type monster of time materialized beside Baby Dragon.

"It's one of his ace combos!" cried Toby.

"And the riskiest!" added Edward.

"If this works, then you'll be saying goodbye to all of your monsters, Spencer!" Percy pointed out.

"It won't work." scoffed Spencer in an over-confident tone. "I just know it will fail."

"Then let's see what the results will be... GO TIME ROULETTE!"

The spinner on Time Wizard's staff began to spin.

"This could make it or break it for me..." thought Percy.

At last, the spinner started to slow down. Spencer grinned widely as it looked as though it would land on a skull.

"I win!" he thought.

Sadly for the silver-haired boy, the arrow instead moved and landed on a time machine!

"Oh YEEEAAAHHH!" cried Percy. "Go Time Magic!"

"Time Magic!" wailed the Time Wizard, raising its time scepter.

Pink smoke surrounded the whole dueling field.

"First up is Baby Dragon! Thanks to the effect of Time Roulette, it becomes Thousand Dragon!"

The pink smoke cleared from Percy's field showing Baby Dragon had become older and stronger, giving off a mighty roar to prove it (Level: 7/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).

"Percy's Baby Dragon is now a Thousand Dragon!" came from Carlie.

"And now, Spencer-" Percy pointed forth. "-all your monsters bite the dust!"

Both Spear Dragon and Blue-Eyes White Dragon were absorbed into the sky, and there was nothing Spencer could do about it this time...

"NO!" he screamed in despair. "Blue-Eyes...!"

Percy felt his heart pounding like crazy. He couldn't believe it; he was actually about to finally defeat Spencer Gresley.

"I'm...about to win?" The green-haired boy whispered, just before raising his voice in an extremely excited tone. "I'm about to win!"

Spencer's eyes were bloodshot as he silently waited for his incoming defeat.

"You've had this coming for a long time!" said Percy triumphantly. "Thousand Dragon... attack Spencer directly!"

Thousand Dragon obeyed and began breath a stream of flames from its nose. The flames surrounded Spencer as he grunted and moaned from the damage he took, which was also enough to finish him off (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Percy Avonside wins!**

* * *

The holograms all faded away, and Skiff and his parents each watched in surprise... but no one was surprised than all of Percy's friends.

"He... actually did it." said Edward in surprise.

Over with Percy...

"I DID IT!" The green-haired boy exclaimed happily, jumping up in both joy and triumph.

Spencer, meanwhile, fell to his knees in despair. First he had lost in his own tournament, NOW he had lost to that deadbeat duelist Percy.

"I'm a disgrace..." Spencer mumbled quietly. "...I'm nothing..."

"Hey, Spencer!"

The voice belonged to Percy. The silver-haired boy immediately looked up and saw the green-haired boy approaching.

"It's true that you've lost." he said wisely. "But that's because you let anger get the best of you at one point during the match."

"Anger?" Spencer blinked.

"Yes." said Percy wisely. "For instance, instead of turning my Hayabusa Knight to attack mode, you could have just summoned Spear Dragon to attack one of my sheep tokens. Then you would have won the duel. But you were so angry at the time, it clouded your judgement."

Spencer didn't say anything, and this allowed Percy to speak on...

"It's true that you've lost, but doesn't mean you should be beating yourself up over it. The best thing for you to do is get back up and continue to fight no matter how many times you lose. No matter how much time it takes, never give up! THAT'S the path to becoming a True Duelist."

With that said, Percy held out a hand.

"So, what do you say?" The green-haired boy offered.

Spencer remained silent for many minutes, and it actually looked like he was gonna accept the handshake. But then the silver-haired boy slapped Percy's hand away, with his despair was replaced with more anger.

"Is that suppose to be pity?!" Spencer snapped.

"Wha-?" Percy began, but got cut off by the silver-haired boy.

"The last thing I need is to be pitied by a loser like you!" Spencer raged on, standing back up. "Your victory was by pure dumb luck!"

He then turned and walked off towards the Duel Tower in a huff.

"Wow, what a sore loser." muttered Gordon.

Skiff and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) each approached Percy.

"Congrats on winning, Percy." said Skiff pleasantly.

"Our son needed that loss." Mr. Gresley (Boxford) added.

Percy nodded, and then he looked over to the others... and was immediately met by his older sister hugging him tightly.

"Oh, my wonderful little brother!" cried Liz happily. "I am so proud of you!"

"We all are." smiled Ryan, giving a thumbs up. "Great job out there, kiddo!"

"Thanks, Ryan." Percy smiled back. Even though he had failed to defeat Dark Marik, in his mind defeating Spencer was almost just as good.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere else on the island, Spencer was still storming away. He could not believe he had lost to both Thomas AND Percy.

"This tournament was to help me become the very best once more!" The silver-haired boy thought bitterly. "But Billinton took that all away from me! Now that Percy has beaten me also... I have nothing left to lose on this island!"

"Spencer..." called a voice.

The silver-haired boy turned and saw Ishizu walking over to him.

"What do you want, Ishizu?" Spencer demanded hotly. "Of course, you'd be wise to leave me alone right about now. I'm in an extremely bitter mood at the moment."

"The final duel between Thomas and my brother's darkside is about to begin." said Ishizu. "It would be wise if you went to see it."

"No, I won't." Spencer growled. "Billinton took away my only chance to save my family from the memories of my Grandfather Gozaburo."

"Hm?"

"My Grandfather was a complete monster to them." explained the silver-haired boy. "He forced them into advanced learning programs and threatening punishments if they ever slacked off even once before him. My Mom and Dad never got over the terrible experience once they grew into adults and ejected Gozaburo from power, and continued to have recurring nightmares about him. This island is all anybody has to remember him by, and I plan to destroy it."

"Wait, you're gonna what?" came a voice.

Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) both, along with Skiff, approached the silver-haired boy and Egyptian woman.

"What are you planning to do, son?" asked Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

"Once the tournament was over-" explained Spencer. "-I planned to destroy this island and finally put an end to Gozaburo's legacy and the torture he put you both through."

"Then it IS true!" exclaimed Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"You both already know, don't you?"

"We overheard you talking about it to Thomas..." said Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "It was during your duel with him."

"Not to mention there's only one more duel before the tournament is finished!" protested Skiff.

"Not my problem." retorted Spencer.

"You don't think Thomas can win." Ishizu remarked bluntly.

"What if I don't? The Winged Dragon of Ra is the most powerful of all the Egyptian God cards."

"That I will agree with you on... but I insist that you remain and watch the duel." Ishizu insisted. "Thomas needs your power in order to stand a chance of winning against Marik."

Spencer snorted. "Battle City is all over for me. And the sooner I have the tower set for destruction, the better."

"If Thomas loses, then the whole world, including your own future, could be at stake." The Egyptian woman argued.

"Again, it's not my problem." Spencer huffed.

He began to leave, when Ishizu decided it was time to pull out the big guns. What were they? That's easy...

" _ **Preg Kreto**_." said Ishizu in an ancient language.

Spencer immediately stopped and looked back over to the Egyptian woman when he heard those words.

"That's right. You know those exact words." Ishizu pointed out, not losing her calm, stoic look. "Just as you know the text on The Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Well, we don't those words." said Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), looking puzzled.

"What do those words mean?" asked Skiff curiously.

"They are prayers for the dead." explained Ishizu. "And were dedicated to the dead Pharaoh by a friend."

When nothing was said, the Egyptian woman began a full explanation...almost in song.

"The dead body lies in a vessel covered by sand and dust"  
"Gold also lies there and also a sword"  
"The body wrapped in a sheath of time"  
"The corpse does not bear the king's name"  
"In that time on the battlefield of the soul, he cries out"  
"A poem of war"  
"A poem to a friend"  
"Guide him to the place where long ago souls crossed"

"Amazing..." whispered Skiff.

"Oh my..." added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"You see, Spencer, the Priest wasn't just the Pharaoh's greatest rival, he was also his friend. And when Egypt was in its darkest hour, the two rivals united. The Priest was able to let go of his hatred, why not you?"

" **SHUT UP**!" shouted Spencer. His anger was now at its breaking point once more. "I designed this whole tournament to become the Duel King of Sodor once more. Not to help Billinton!"

"You put on this Battle City tournament because of the God cards." said Ishizu. "And there is one duel left to be held on this Duel Tower... You must be there to help not only your greatest rival, but also the descendant of the great Pharaoh, in his toughest fight yet."

"Hmph... Pharaoh, you say?" The silver-haired boy mused. "That's enough! You're going to regret it if I have to hear another word of this gibberish!"

"Face your heart!" The Egyptian woman went on. "Spencer, this tower you built is the place where souls meet... This sanctuary of battle built by your spirit!"

"WHAT SANCTUARY?! This stupid tower is a monument to my hatred of Gozaburo!"

Ishizu was actually taken back. "S-Spencer..."

"This tower—no, this whole island—I wanted to be crowned the Duel King at the very top of the Duel Tower." Spencer slowly explained, calming himself a little bit. "By winning this huge tournament, I could have finally shaken off the curse Gozaburo left on my parents. But since Billinton AND Avonside both have beaten me, that wish can now never be granted." He looked back at Ishizu. "This whole island disgusts me. The best thing for me to do now...is just get rid of it and be done." The silver-haired boy then looked back over to his parents and younger brother. "Skiff, Mom, Dad, prepare for the detonation sequence."

The silver-haired boy started to leave again, but...

"No, Spencer. We won't!" said Mr. Gresley (Boxford) firmly. "This attitude of yours must stop right now!"

"You've become exactly what we've been trying to have you avoid becoming!" added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Spencer turned to look at his parents. "What are you two talking-?"

"You are so obsessed with getting what you want, that you don't care who dies just as long as you get it!" thundered Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "That's exactly how your Grandfather acted!"

Spencer immediately froze! ...not that it stopped his parents from speaking to him very severely.

"Every time innocent lives were put in danger during the finals-" continued Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "-you did nothing to stop it! You allowed Lady to be put in a coma, and even did the same thing to Percy. You've become so selfish! ...almost like you became an exact image of Gozaburo Gresley; ruthless and merciless!"

"Ever since you were born, we've been doing our absolute best to keep you from going down the wrong path!" added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "But it would seem you do have some hints of our adopted Father's blood inside of you."

"Thomas and Percy were both right." agreed Skiff, looking and sounding just as upset with Spencer as his parents were. "You DO have nothing but anger and hate in your heart!"

Spencer couldn't believe his ears. Were his parents AND little brother each turning against him?

"At this point in my life, I'm starting to wish we never left the orphanage years ago..." Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) began to cry. "Because now..."

She couldn't continue on any further, and instead sobbed into her husband's shirt. As he tried to console his wife, Mr. Gresley (Boxford) looked towards his eldest son and spoke on...

"Spencer..." he began as calmly as possible. "You have to understand something; Thomas was NEVER responsible for what happened to your Mother and I years ago. Why constantly throw anger at him when he has done nothing but be nice and try to help you see the light?!" Slowly, Mr. Gresley (Boxford) began raising his voice. "Why do you always have to match him with our past? THOMAS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!"

"You never used to act this way before..." Skiff added softly.

Spencer was silent for awhile. Hearing all of this made the silver-haired boy do some serious thinking over where his life brought him to now. Eventually, he spoke up again...

"Those days are over." Spencer said with heavy regret. "There's no way I can go back to who I used to be."

"Yes, you can!" argued Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) through her tears. "You CAN change! Instead of causing more damage, why don't you help Thomas win and prevent even more damage from happening?"

"If you know the secret to defeating Marik-" added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "-you should tell Thomas before it's too late."

Spencer merely gazed at the Duel Tower in wonder. "Can I really let go of my anger and hate by helping Billinton out?" he thought to himself.

(elsewhere...)

As the rest of the gang approached the Duel Tower, they saw both Thomas and Mavis coming out.

"Guys, you just missed out on a great duel!" said Percy cheerfully.

"And check it out..." James began. "Percy won that duel!"

Thomas and Mavis were both amazed to hear that.

"You're kidding!" said Mavis in disbelief.

"Despite being hit by that Crush Card Virus, Percy still won!" Gordon insisted.

Thomas smiled. "Well, we're all very proud of you, Percy."

"Thanks, man." Percy smiled back. "Now, we have a duel to get to."

"You vs. Marik." Zack stated, looking to Thomas.

"It's gonna be big." added Matt.

"I know." sighed Thomas. "But I have to win. Otherwise...we're all done for."

Back atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik had returned and was waiting for everyone, especially Thomas, to arrive and begin the final duel.

"Heh heh heh heh..." he chuckled evilly.

The evil man suddenly grew overjoyed when he saw Thomas and his friends arriving from the staircase.

"Marik!" thought Thomas, glaring at his hated enemy.

"So, you've come at long last, Thomas Billinton." said Dark Marik, speaking aloud to his own hated enemy. "I knew you'd return here to finally settle things with me at one point or another." He then noticed Mavis was back and grinned like a sadistic pervert. "Oh? Can't stay away from someone like me, can you, beautiful?"

Mavis honestly felt like barfing. That dark half of Marik was just a sick, psychotic, perverted, homicidal, nutcase! ...and coming dangerously close to being sexually assaulted by him earlier didn't make things any better for the poor blonde-haired girl.

"What did you do to Mavis!?" Toby demanded while speaking to Dark Marik, having seen the rather ill look on his girlfriend's face.

"I was merely trying to have a little fun with her before the duel." insisted Dark Marik, not losing his deadly smirk. "But it would seem she wasn't interested in me."

"You tried to violate my person!" snapped Mavis, finally finding her voice. "And you came dangerously close to doing it, too!"

"HE WHAT?!" Toby exploded. Now even more furious, the brown-haired boy looked to glare at Dark Marik hatefully. "How dare you attempt to force yourself onto my girlfriend?!"

"That dark persona of Marik is not only a sadist and torturer-" seethed Matt. "-he's a rapist, too!"

Dark Marik cackled a bit as the veins on his face bulged and intensified like bad animation of a sort.

"Why, you little-!" Toby attempted to furiously charge at Dark Marik, but Gordon and Henry both held him back.

From there, Dark Marik turned his attention back to Thomas.

"I hope you're ready, Thomas." he thought wickedly. "The Ultimate Shadow Game awaits both of us. In it, I will tear you limp from limp and show you what REAL pain is like!"

Yet again, the evil man erupted into psychotic laughter over his ' _little_ ' thought. Thomas just stared on in defiance while Percy began to speak to his best friend.

"Thomas, that guy is more dangerous than anyone we've ever faced." he said. "He's a pure freak who tortures his opponents for fun before finishing them off in the most painful way possible!" The green-haired boy closed his eyes from a painful memory. "Just like he did to Lady..."

"I know." replied Thomas softly. "But he is going to pay for everything he has done. Mark my words."

"After defeating Spencer, Thomas now has two Egyptian God cards." thought Dark Marik snidely. "But they are worthless against The Winged Dragon of Ra!" The veins on his face bulged again as he gave a creepy smirk. "All I need to use is One Turn Kill, and you'll be blasted to the underworld in an instant!"

(elsewhere...)

Outside the Duel Tower, Spencer, Skiff, both Mr. and Mrs Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu were all staring at the Duel Tower.

"Against Ra with no assistance, I'd say Billinton would only have a 3% chance of winning." Spencer stated.

"Well, don't you have anything that could be of help for Thomas?" asked Skiff desperately. "Anything! A card, a piece of information... You know the ancient text on The Winged Dragon of Ra card, you must have SOMETHING!"

"We remember you saying you had a card that could help defeat Ra." added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "Perhaps that could be the key to helping Thomas?"

"Even with it, and two Egyptian God cards, it would make Billinton's chances of winning only a mere 23%." Spencer pointed out. "And he would need to have a sound strategy to make it work."

Finally, he started to leave the area, much to his parents' surprise.

"Spencer, where are you going?" called Mrs Gresley (Boxford).

"The Duel stage atop the Duel Tower!"

"Do you think he's going to help after all?" asked Skiff.

Ishizu smiled. "Yes, he is."

(elsewhere...)

She was right. Minutes later, Spencer, Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and Ishizu were inside an elevator heading for the top floor. The silver-haired boy was looking at his card.

"Billinton's the only one now that can defeat Marik." he thought. "Instead of blaming him for my parents' past, I should help him take that monster down. With this card, and a careful strategy, Billinton can win."

Atop the Duel Tower, the platform was about rise up for the final duel.

"The final duel of the Battle City tournament is about to begin!" announced the referee.

Thomas and Dark Marik both faced each other with determined looks on their faces...although Dark Marik's look was far more sinister.

"This is it..." thought Thomas.

"Thomas!"

Suddenly Spencer came running out of the staircase with a card still in his hand.

"Spencer?" asked Thomas in surprise.

"Catch!" called the silver-haired boy, tossing his card to the blue-haired boy.

Thomas caught the card as the two rivals stared at each other for what seemed like forever.

"Even with this card, there's still a chance of failure!" thought Spencer. "I only hope I've made the right choice..."


	71. The Final Battle of Darkness (1)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Atop the Duel Tower, the final duel of the Battle City tournament was about to commence...but there was a slight delay in it starting. What was the hold up, you ask? Because Spencer had shown up with a little something for Thomas, and it was a card... A Special card...

"Fiend's Sanctuary?" Thomas blinked, looking at the card given to him. "Why would Spencer give me this Spell card?"

Down with the rest of the crowd, they were just as confused as Thomas was over what was happening.

"What was that card Spencer gave Thomas?" asked Percy.

"No idea." answered Carlie.

James, however, didn't trust Spencer. "Hey, Thomas! Spencer probably gave you a terrible card to use. Just throw it away!"

"That'd be a big mistake." interrupted Spencer, just before looking back up at Thomas with a very serious look on his face. "Fiend's Sanctuary is the only card capable of stopping Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra! I won't stop you if you don't want to use it, however."

"Why would you give me this card?" asked Thomas, sounding confused. "I thought you hated me...?"

The silver-haired boy closed his eyes in shame. "I...was wrong." he said softly.

"Huh?"

Everyone else, with an exception for Skiff, Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford), and Dark Marik, was just as surprised to hear that, and this allowed Spencer to continue speaking...

"You and Percy were both right about what you said about me in our respective duels." continued Spencer. "I did have nothing inside of my heart but anger and hate. After losing to Percy, and having a rather stern talking to by my family, I've learned that I was letting that anger turn me into someone I really hated to become like. Now, I want to make up for it by helping you defeat Marik."

Discord smiled. "Attaboy, Spencer-boy." he thought.

"Don't believe him, Thomas!" called James, still not trusting Spencer one bit. "He just wants sympathy for his attitude problem! Throw that card away, right now!"

Thomas was silent...but eventually added Fiend's Sanctuary to his deck, much to the red-haired boy's shock.

"W-What?!" James began to protest. "D-Did you seriously just-?"

"I'll trust in you and your card, Spencer." Thomas said to himself quietly. He then spoke aloud... "I'll successfully use your card to defeat Marik!"

Spencer merely watched on quietly, while Dark Marik only chuckled to himself.

"The poor fool." The evil man thought only to himself. "He'll need all the help he can get to stop me!"

Ishizu looked to the silver-haired boy. "Thank you, Spencer."

"I just hope this was the right choice." commented Spencer. "Even if it was, the duel won't be easy for Billinton to win."

"I know that..." The Egyptian woman replied. "But even still, the duel must be won... or I'll never see my little brother again."

Over with the rest of the gang...

"Why hasn't Emily come back yet?" asked Molly, getting a bit worried for her friend.

"She was pretty stressed out not long ago." James R. pointed out. "Maybe she decided to go take a nap aboard the blimp?"

"But she'll miss out on the big duel!" argued Gordon.

Back on the platform, the referee raised an arm into the air and made an announcement of a sort...

"And now, the final duel of the Battle City tournament will commence! The winner of the match shall be crowned the Duel King of the Island of Sodor... Will both players approach and shuffle each other's deck, please?"

Obeying the direct order from the referee, Thomas and Dark Marik both walked and met up with each other in the middle of the field and began shuffling their decks (Thomas shuffled Dark Marik's deck, while Dark Marik shuffled Thomas's deck).

"Shuffle well and pray that Ra sinks to the bottom of the deck." teased Dark Marik.

Thomas ignored that remark and continued to shuffle. Off of the platform, Percy had a few words to say to his friends...

"This won't be easy." he began.

"We kinda knew that." retorted Gordon.

"I mean for Thomas to summon his Egyptian God monsters."

"You're right." agreed Henry. "Now that Thomas has two, it might not be easy for them both to be summoned."

"Yeah-" put in James. "-Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon both need three tributes to be summoned."

"...while The Winged Dragon of Ra could just be special summoned from the graveyard with Monster Reborn." added Matt. He finished with... "Which also leads into a possible new strategy..."

At last, the two duelists finished shuffling their decks.

"Do you think Ra sank to the bottom?" asked Dark Marik teasingly, taking his deck back.

"Only the cards will tell how this duel will play out." said Thomas, placing his own deck in his Duel Disk. "And know this - I will make you pay for all of the destruction you've caused through out, and those you've hurt! I will save the real Marik from the darkness that is you!"

Dark Marik gave a deranged look. "Then, ha ha, come and get me, boy!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

* * *

 **Title: The Final Battle of Darkness, Part 1**

* * *

Below the platform, Spencer watched on as his parents and brother joined him by his side.

"This is it." said Skiff.

"The final battle." added Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

Spencer nodded and looked over to Ishizu. "You know if Billinton loses, your brother can't be saved." he pointed out.

"I know." said Ishizu calmly. "But I believe he will win. The power of friendship will defeat the God wielded by a dark mind."

Spencer studied the woman's face, mainly her eyes, very closely... before he gasped in realization.

"If her brother can't be saved-" The silver-haired boy thought to only himself. "-she'll commit suicide!"

Back on the platform...

"Let the final duel commence!" said the referee.

The two duelists activated their Duel Disks and drew their opening hands (LP: 4000) x2.

"Go, Thomas, go!" called Molly.

"The Winged Dragon of Ra doesn't scare you!" added James.

"You have to win this match!" added Percy.

"The fate of Battle City... the fate of the Ishtar clan..." Ishizu thought to herself. "No... the fate of all of us now lies in your hands...my Pharaoh. Defeat the dark half of my brother, and save his life!"

With their hands drawn, Dark Marik was readying his Millennium Rod.

"And now for the moment I've been waiting for!" he said with evil glee. "Prepare yourself, Thomas Billinton, for the Ultimate Shadow Game!"

After licking eye of his Millennium Item (much to the disgust of some of the spectators), the evil man held it out as it began glowing all gold-like. On cue, the familiar Shadow Realm fog covered the whole area.

"Again?!" cried Henry.

"A Shadow Game!" added Mavis.

"Thomas... stay strong." whispered Percy.

On the platform, Dark Marik was laughing wickedly while Thomas scowled at the motion of taking part in a Shadow Game.

"These Shadow Games are really starting to tick me off." The blue-haired boy thought bitterly, before speaking aloud. "Why not quit hiding behind your shadows and fight like a True Duelist!"

"Oh, but you're forgetting one thing, boy; I AM the shadows!" retorted Dark Marik. He then gave a very evil looking smile. "But I have to say... my battle with you will be the greatest Shadow Game the world will soon come to see and know! Darkness will cover the Earth, and the gate to the underworld will open up!"

The evil man resumed his savage-sounding laughter. Thomas stared defiantly before Dark Marik calmed himself slightly to speak some more...

"And now for the surprises this duel has to offer." he said. "But first, a little reminder of what you're fighting for."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the medical room aboard the blimp, both Liz and Ryan returned to look after Lady and Duck...but their attention was mainly to Lady.

"Time is running out." said Liz unhappily.

"If Thomas either doesn't win within the remaining time, or if he loses-" Ryan added. "-Lady will never wake up."

The couple looked out the window at the Duel Tower...but mainly the top (which had the orb of the Shadow Realm surrounding it).

"I hope he'll be alright." pleaded Liz.

Ryan embraced his wife. "Me too... me too..."

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the Shadow Realm atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik was wagging his tongue about tauntingly.

"And now... my very first surprise!"

He raised his Millennium Rod up, made it glow, and unveiled his first of many 'surprises' for the Shadow Game... In the sky above the middle part of the platform, a familiar hourglass filled with insects lowered down a bit.

"Lady!" cried Thomas.

"NO!" screamed Percy.

Dark Marik cackled madly. "Can you see the poor girl? The sacrificial offering to the darkness? The insects eating away at her are already at her chest level with just a mere two hours left until her life...ends!"

He let out another laugh as he made the hourglass fade away.

"You're a monster!" snarled Thomas.

"Why, thank you." Dark Marik replied, acting like that insult was a compliment. "I guess you can say this whole Shadow Game is a festival of darkness. So, shouldn't we pile all of our offerings on the table for the shadows to feast?"

"What are you-?"

Dark Marik continued to speak. "I believe I've told you already; I already have the perfect Shadow Game in mind to not only kill you...but to torture you also." He licked his lips with a crazed expression on his vein bulging face. "Now, I'll show you my next surprise!"

Appearing from the shadows beside Dark Marik was the original Marik. His arms and legs were bound with shackles, and the reformed Rare Hunter leader was barely conscious.

"That's Marik's good half!" gasped Thomas.

"Marik!" screamed Ishizu in horror.

"That's right." said Dark Marik snidely. His smile then grew crueler than ever before... "And now, I've saved the best surprise for last!"

He held up his Millennium Rod up near Thomas. On cue, a familiar human body shape began to materialize. Below the platform, everyone watched carefully... until a few of the spectators gave a gasp.

"I-It can't be!" came from Mavis.

Up on the platform, Thomas also gave a shocked gasp at who was his sacrifice.

"No! Not her!"

It was Emily. Slowly, she began to wake up.

"Wh-what happened?" The dark green-haired girl asked groggily. "Where am I?"

Gazing around, she saw her friends looking at her with looks of horror.

"What's wrong with all of you? Is there something on my face...?"

No one spoke still, although Emily's answer came, anyway! ...when she saw that her arms and legs were shackled to an invisible wall of a sort.

"What the-?!" The dark green-haired girl cried out. "Where am I?! What's going on?!"

"Emily!" Thomas exclaimed, before he heard Dark Marik beginning to laugh. "What did you do?!"

"It's a funny story actually..." The evil man commented, chuckling in sick amusement.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Inside Thomas's room aboard the blimp, Emily finished filling a glass full of ice cold water.

"There we go." she said quietly. "Some nice ice water."

The dark green-haired girl took her glass and approached the exit.

"I'd better go back to the duel." thought Emily. "Percy likely needs all the support he can get."

The door opened, and Emily stepped out... only to bump into someone, spilling the glass of water onto her shirt.

"Watch it!" snapped Emily. "You made me spill my water!"

"My apologies... dear!" said a familiar voice.

Emily started to gaze angrily at the person who bumped into her! ...but froze in immense fear at who it was.

"Y-You...!"

It was a smiling Dark Marik.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Emily, looking very frightened.

"I'm arranging a little surprise for Thomas in our upcoming duel." remarked Dark Marik with an evil smirk, beginning to raise his glowing Millennium Rod up. "And it involves you, little lady!"

Dropping her glass of water, poor Emily didn't have any time to scream before she collapsed onto the ground with widened, yet dull, eyes.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Well now... what do you think of my surprise?" asked Dark Marik.

He resumed his sadistic laughter... while Thomas started shaking violently. This anger... he hadn't felt anything like it in months. Not like how the blue-haired boy felt that same anger when Sailor John had seemingly killed Emily in that duel in the San Francisco tournament. Now that anger was back, and with fiery vengeance.

"You've gone too far this time, Marik!" roared Thomas, just as a familiar dark aura began to resurface around him. "I WILL MAKE YOU PAY DEARLY FOR THIS!"

"Not far enough!" Dark Marik insisted, still smiling. "Out of all I've tortured throughout my release, I'll get the pleasure of torturing you the most! ...and what better way to get you to release all of your anger and hate other than to potentially harm or kill the one girl you love the most?!"

Thomas clenched his empty fist in great fury.

"Now, if you don't mind-" continued Dark Marik, taking a card from his hand. "-I'll take the first turn."

* * *

 **Turn One** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 55  
 **Current Hand** (5): Vampiric Leech, The Winged Dragon of Ra, Dark Spell Regeneration, Juragedo, and Zombie's Jewel

* * *

He placed the card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"I would like you to meet a new favorite of mine... Vampiric Leech in attack mode!" The evil man announced.

Appearing to the field was a large leech with sharp teeth and red tentacles (Level: 4/ATK: 500).

"Now attack!"

"What?!" exclaimed Thomas in surprise, hearing that his opponent declared an attack on the first turn.

Vampiric Leech obeyed, striking Thomas with its tentacles, causing him to cry out slightly in pain (LP: 3500).

"Thomas, no!" called Percy.

"That was a cheap shot!" cried James R..

"I think not." retorted Dark Marik. "Vampiric Leech has the ability to attack the player directly the turn it's summoned regardless if it's the first turn or not."

Thomas gave a grimace in response... not like Dark Marik really cared all that much (if at all).

"Both players will feel all of the attacks inflicted on the player." remarked the evil man coldly, just as his excitement then grew... "And, now, watch this!"

Suddenly, Emily screamed in pain as part of her arm was eaten away by the shadows.

"Emily!" shouted Thomas in shock.

Dark Marik cackled some more. "Your precious sacrifice is devoured by the darkness based on the amount of life points you lose!"

"What did you say?" Thomas seethed.

And so Dark Marik was forced to resume his little explanation about the duel...

"Every time one of us loses life points-" The evil man continued speaking. "-our sacrifices lose parts of their body. When a duelist's life points hit zero, that sacrifice will die. And once YOUR sacrifice goes into the world of darkness, so do you! Those are the rules of this Shadow Game, Thomas!"

He then began to laugh like a psychopath yet again. Thomas felt more and more fear, helplessness, and anger sweeping through his body right now.

"I can't lose Emily." he thought. "I wish there were a way to protect her from that madman!"

"Ahhh... so nice." sighed Dark Marik emotionlessly. "Keep squirming and shouting... Every time the poor girl does so, excitement and pleasure runs through my body!"

The evil man's face started stretching out grossly like bad animation as his voice grew more and more disoriented as he moaned suggestively...mainly just to taunt his opponent. Thomas couldn't take it any longer...

"I have to protect Emily!" The blue-haired boy shouted at last.

Suddenly, his Millennium Puzzle began to glow all gold as a beam of light emitted from it struck Emily.

"Huh?!"

"What is-?!" Dark Marik exclaimed.

The lost section on Emily's arm was restored.

"My arm!" cried Emily happily. "Thomas, look at..."

The dark green-haired girl's excitement didn't last when she saw Thomas gripping his chest in pain and breathing hard.

"Thomas?"

"The p-pain..." The blue-haired boy coughed.

With the rest of the gang down below...

"What just happened?" asked James.

"Somehow Thomas's Millennium Puzzle activated on its own and restored the bit of the arm Emily lost." said Edward.

"But upon doing so-" Matt added. "-he suddenly is in pain."

At last, Thomas got back up onto his feet...rather weakly.

"What...?" The blue-haired boy coughed.

"Hmph! It would seem you activated another special power of your Millennium Puzzle." Dark Marik grunted. "It has the power to restore those who are closest to you... like that girl above you."

"Then I will use it to keep Emily safe from you." said Thomas firmly.

"However-" Dark Marik went on. "-it comes at a cost of your own life-force."

"Life-force?"

"Oh, yes." smirked Dark Marik, looking at his beloved Millennium Rod. "The use of our respective Millennium Item's power costs us our own life-force energy." He then gazed right at Thomas with glee. "But, as you can see, I'm completely unaffected whenever I do use the Millennium Rod's power, because I had been using it for so long that I can easily withstand the loss of energy!" The evil man's smile grew more and more sadistic. "You, on the other hand..."

"So in order to keep Emily safe from being absorbed-" muttered Thomas in response. "-I have to give up part of my life-force? That's fine by me!"

Dark Marik responded by giving a quiet snicker before erupting into more psychotic laughter.

"Then I'll be able to not hold anything back in this fight to the death!" he exclaimed excitedly. "And don't forget that when I lose life points, my own offering gets eaten by the shadows!"

Light Marik was shown to be barely conscious.

"That means if I lose, HE will die."

"But then won't you fade away into darkness, too?" asked Thomas.

"Perhaps I will. This happens to be a very fair fight after all." The evil man remarked, but in his personal thoughts... "Just kidding... If I send your lovely little sacrifice to the underworld, you'll die alongside her, Thomas! As for me, if my handy ' _host_ ' goes to the underworld, I'll remain alive permanently!"

His quiet snickers could be heard by Thomas, and he was in his thoughts over the situation thus far.

"So no matter what happen-" thought Thomas. "-Marik's dark side will stay even if I win the duel. If I lose, then Emily and I will both be lost in the darkness forever. And if I give up my life-force enough times, I'll automatically die and be lost to the darkness, anyway. What can I do about it...?"

"You have to fight!" came the voice of Emily.

The blue-haired boy blinked and looked up to his captured friend. Did Emily...just speak to him mentally?

"You have to fight him, Thomas. A True Duelist never gives up. If it were me who's dueling Marik's evil half and you were my sacrifice, I certainly wouldn't let him keep me down!"

"Emily..." whispered Thomas.

"Defeat Marik's evil heart!" The dark green-haired girl repeated once more. "Find the light you're searching for!"

Thomas nodded. "You're right." he said. "I'll find that light and keep fighting." The blue-haired boy closed his eyes. "Marik... you... and those who had fallen to those Shadow Games! Lady... and Duck..." He opened his eyes fiercely got into a dueling stance. "I will save them all! ...no matter WHAT it takes!"

Dark Marik, upon seeing that Thomas was going to fight him, was very happy to see that.

"Glad to see that it's not going to just be a simple death." remarked the evil man. "I am so going to enjoy torturing you and Emily both to brink of death. But for now, I play Vampiric Leech's special ability!"

"Another effect?" Thomas asked.

"How observant!" Dark Marik then took a card from his hand and sent it to the graveyard. "...but to answer your question, yes. By discarding one card from my hand after my monster has attacked after the battle phase, I can go and shift it into defense mode."

The card he took was The Winged Dragon of Ra (not seen), and immediately sent it to the graveyard.

"This card should be discarded due to how useless it is." Dark Marik said aloud, but in his unstable mind... "Can you not even sense the terror of The Winged Dragon of Ra having entered my graveyard?"

The Vampiric Leech went into a defensive stance (DEF: 1200).

"The moment that Monster Reborn enters my hand, your death will be within the blink of an eye!"

"What card did he place in his graveyard?" thought Thomas. "Could it already be Ra...?"

Dark Marik then slotted a card into is Duel Disk, causing a facedown card to materialize.

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn!" he announced.

Back below the platform, Spencer had his arms folded and scowled a bit from watching Dark Marik's first turn play.

"If that card he discarded is what I think it is-" The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "-then all Marik needs now is Monster Reborn, and then Billinton will be in big trouble if he doesn't have Fiend's Sanctuary in play."

"It's my turn!" exclaimed Thomas, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3500)  
 **Deck** : 44  
 **Current Hand** (6): Queen's Knight, King's Knight, Kuriboh, Ragnarok, Multiply, and Exchange

* * *

The blue-haired boy saw he had drawn his Exchange Spell card.

"This could help me out." he thought to himself. Thomas then took two cards from his hand. "I place two cards facedown... Finally, I summon Queen's Knight in attack mode!"

Two facedown cards materialized, followed by the female Poker Knight appearing for battle (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1600).

"King... Queen... Jack..." Dark Marik mentally said, with his voice full of excitement. "' ** _The Three Musketeers of Face Cards_** '! They can help you summon a God monster much more easily... but I'm afraid they won't help you this time!"

"Queen's Knight!" commanded Thomas. "Destroy his Vampiric Leech with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Queen's Knight was more than happy to obey; she leaped into the air, came down, and slashed at Dark Marik's monster with her sword while giving an almighty yell, destroying it while causing a large cloud of purple smoke to erupt all around the arena. Dark Marik, however, just grinned in response. All of a sudden, the silhouette of another monster began to appear in the purple smoke.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Thomas. Even Queen's Knight was surprised by the new monster showing itself.

"During the battle step of any player-" explained Dark Marik, holding up a card. "-I can automatically special summon this monster; Juragedo!"

A blue fiend-like monster unveiled itself from the clearing smoke (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

"Well, shoot." mumbled James unhappily.

"Thomas stepped right into that one!" complained Toby.

"Oh, but there's far more." continued Dark Marik (LP: 5000). "When Juragedo is summoned this way, I automatically gain 1000 more life points!"

"So broken..." muttered James R. bitterly.

Thomas scowled. "My turn is over!"

Dark Marik wagged his tongue about some more before drawing his card.

"Then it's back to me!"

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Dark Marik (LP: 5000)  
 **Deck** : 54  
 **Current Hand** (4): Dark Spell Regeneration, Zombie's Jewel, and Dark Breath of Law(!)

* * *

A Spell card called Dark Breath of Law automatically materialized.

"I'll activate Dark Breath of Law!" Dark Marik announced, having slotted his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk (LP: 4000). "By spending 1000 life points, I can draw two cards from my deck."

Thomas watched as his opponent drew two more cards from his deck. The evil man added his two cards to his hand, and gestured his empty hand out.

"Juragedo! Wipe out his Queen's Knight now!"

Juragedo obeyed, slashing the female Poker Knight across the chest with its claws. Queen's Knight screamed as she fell and shattered into pieces.

"Queen's Knight!" cried Thomas.

"Queen's Knight has been dethroned!" laughed Dark Marik. "And now you and your special someone will suffer as a result!"

Thomas merely lost life points from the attack (LP: 3300), but Emily gave a cry of pain as part of her left thigh faded into the dark.

"Emily!" Thomas cried out.

"Go ahead, Thomas!" teased Dark Marik. "Use your item's power..."

Thomas didn't have to be told twice. He used his Millennium Puzzle to replenish a part of Emily's thigh...at the cost of more of his life-force.

"I...won't lose Emily!" The blue-haired boy coughed.

Just then, two more facedown cards materialized on Dark Marik's side of the field.

"I'll finish my turn by setting two cards." The evil man remarked. "That's it for now!"

Thomas immediately drew his card with a yell of determination.

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : 43  
 **Current Hand** (4): King's Knight, Kuriboh, Ragnarok, and De-Fusion

* * *

The blue-haired boy gave a small smirk as he added his drawn card to is hand, but Dark Marik began to laugh at that exact point...

"I reveal my facedown card!" he said, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Left Arm Offering!"

The evil man's first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"Not that!" cried Thomas in shock.

"Now by sending every remaining card in my hand to the graveyard-" explained Dark Marik, discarding his whole hand to the graveyard. "-I can add any Spell card from my deck to my hand."

From there, he drew one card from his deck and snickered quietly.

"And I bet you know which one I want, right?" The evil man showed everyone the card. "It's Monster Reborn!"

Just then...

"Facedown card, open!" announced Thomas, as one of his two facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself. "Exchange!"

"No!" bellowed Dark Marik crossly.

"As you know-" said Thomas. "-Exchange forces both players to take a card from each others' hands." He then held his hand out (without showing what the cards were). "So... come over and choose a card!"

Cursing loudly, Dark Marik reluctantly walked over to the blue-haired boy's side of the field.

"Alright, fine!" he muttered.

Once both duelists met face-to-face, Thomas took the Monster Reborn card and Dark Marik took the De-Fusion card.

"Well, Marik, you've lost Monster Reborn so easily..." Spencer chuckled to himself. "I should almost feel sorry for you!"

"Good strategy, Thomas!" called James.

"Now he won't be able to summon Ra from the graveyard!" cheered Mavis.

"That's our boy!" added Gordon.

As Dark Marik walked back to his spot on the platform, he began to laugh to himself.

"Enjoy that Monster Reborn to the fullest." The evil man thought, just as he gazed at one of his other two facedown cards. "Because it may come back to haunt you in the end."

"I now activate Monster Reborn!" announced Thomas, holding up the ' _just_ ' obtained Monster Reborn card. "Welcome back, Queen's Knight."

Queen's Knight reappeared from the graveyard. Then Thomas placed another card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Now I'll normal summon King's Knight in attack mode!"

The male Poker Knight appeared (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1400).

"Now, since I have both monsters on my field-" Thomas went on, taking and holding up yet another card. "-I can special summon this monster from my hand or deck... Jack's Knight!"

Dark Marik growled to himself, watching as the taller, male Poker Knight materialized (Level: 5/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1000).

"King's Knight! Queen's Knight! Jack's Knight! The Three Musketeers of Face Cards have been summoned!"

"Alright!" cheered Percy. "Now he's got enough monsters to deal some serious damage to Marik!"

Dark Marik gave a low laugh, almost like he had been expecting Thomas to call his three Poker Knight monsters out.

"Nice job in using my Monster Reborn card to the fullest." The evil man complimented sarcastically. "Does this mean you will strike me down with your newly summoned Poker Knights?"

Thomas was considering it, but then a nasty thought came to him...

"What if he's trying to bait me into a trap?" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "I'm better off waiting until I draw one of my two Egyptian God cards."

"You don't even have a God in your hand, Thomas..." Dark Marik thought to himself. He then lick his lips again and spoke aloud. "What's the matter, you coward?! Are you afraid of my set cards? Attack me, now! Don't be such a big baby!"

The evil man gave another evil laugh as the veins on his face bulged insanely. Thomas stared on defiantly, but didn't say anything back.

"It doesn't even matter! You can't beat me, anyway!"

"His set cards must be terrifying Trap cards..." thought Thomas, before casting a quick glance towards Emily to see what she thought of the situation. "What do you think, Emily?"

"We can't take a chance in attacking, right now! We could potentially lose our only monsters if the card is a Trap..." she said mentally.

Thomas nodded, before turning to Dark Marik. "I end my turn."

Off of the platform, much of the gang was disappointed from Thomas deciding to not attack his opponent directly.

"He didn't attack." came from Carlie.

"I think it was a good thing Thomas-boy didn't attack." Discord stated wisely.

"Yeah." agreed Matt. "Those facedown cards could be a big threat to Thomas's knights."

"Your cowardness bought you another turn." Dark Marik thought to only himself. "But mark my words, you will burn to death by the flames of Egyptian God Phoenix!"

With that thought on hand, he drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 50  
 **Current Hand** (2): De-Fusion and Card of Sanctity

* * *

Immediately, Dark Marik slotted one of the two cards from his hand into his Duel Disk.

"I set one card facedown..."

A facedown card materialized beside the other two.

"Thomas, I know you don't have a God card in your hand..." continued Dark Marik. "To be honest, I think it's pitiful to see you struggling to draw one during your draw phase... Especially if it happens to be one called Slifer the Sky Dragon - that God gets weaker the less cards you have in your hand!"

From there, the evil man bit into his drawn card for a second before holding it out to show Thomas.

"Well, to show how ' _ **nice**_ ' I am, I'll play a Spell card that will benefit both of us - Card of Sanctity!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up, much to Thomas's surprise.

"Now we must both draw until we have six cards in our hands." explained Dark Marik. "So now... draw cards until you have a God in your hand!"

Both duelists drew their cards (Thomas: Four / Dark Marik: Six).

"You're gonna regret doing that, Marik!" Thomas remarked with a grin, while adding his four drawn cards to his hand.

"So, did you draw a God card?" Dark Marik asked, before smiling wickedly. "Don't answer that, because I know you didn't!" He then place two fingers on his Juragedo card on his Duel Disk. "Now I'll switch my Juragedo into defense mode!"

Juragedo knelt into a defensive stance (DEF: 1300).

"That's all for me." said Dark Marik.

"Here I go, Marik!" announce Thomas, drawing his card. "NOW!"

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (7): Ragnarok, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Magical Dimension, Dark Magician, and Slifer the Sky Dragon

* * *

Although he didn't look at it, Thomas sensed he had drawn ' _that_ ' card.

"I've drawn it now." The blue-haired boy thought to himself, adding his drawn card to his hand. Currently, his hand consisted of the following cards; Ragnarok, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Magical Dimension, Dark Magician, and Slifer the Sky Dragon. "If I summon Slifer now, it'll have 6000 attack and defense points."

"Will he do it?" Dark Marik thought to himself. "I hope he does summon it."

Thomas took his drawn card into the air.

"I sacrifice my three Poker Knights to call forth Slifer the Sky Dragon!"

Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight each faded away in red, yellow, and blue streaks respectively. The blue-haired boy placed his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Show yourself, my Egyptian God monster!" thundered Thomas.

In a powerful blast of red energy, the huge red serpent-like Dragon God appeared behind Thomas while roaring into the face of a very excited looking Dark Marik.

"So, you've shown yourself at last, Slifer!" The evil man commented. "How remarkable!"

The spectators were overjoyed to see Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"Alright, Thomas summoned his first God monster before Marik could summon Ra!" cheered Mavis.

"That's what I'm talking about!" came from Michael.

"Darn right!" added James, giving a fist pump.

"Slifer even has 6000 attack points!" added Zack.

"Marik has no chance now that Thomas has Slifer on the field!" declared Percy. "Thomas can win with just one attack!"

There was only one spectator who was, however, unsure if Thomas could even pull off a win with Slifer right now.

"Billinton may have Slifer out-" thought Spencer. "-but I think Marik wanted it to happen."

Nearby, Ishizu was thinking the exact same thing. Meanwhile, back on the platform, Slifer once again roared in the face of Dark Marik.

"It's time!" declared Thomas. "Slifer the Sky Dragon...!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon opened its mouth and charged a blast.

"...THUNDER FORCE!"

Dark Marik then started to cackle a bit, causing Thomas to wince from declaring an attack now.

"The time is now right..." The evil man announced, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "The time for the Phoenix to rise, that is!" On cue, one of his facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself to be... "I reveal my Quick-Play Spell card - Dark Spell Regeneration!"

"Not that card!" panicked Emily

"Dark Spell Regeneration?" Skiff asked Spencer.

"It's a rare and powerful card." explained Spencer. "When he gets attacked, it allows Marik to activate a Spell card that either player has used at anytime."

Skiff's eyes widened. "At anytime?!"

Back on the duel platform, Dark Marik snickered wickedly.

"Yes, anytime!" The evil man confirmed. "And I'm choosing the Spell card that Thomas took from me; Monster Reborn!"

A large purple Monster Reborn-like symbol rose into the sky as Dark Marik began a brief summon chant...

" ** _O great sun dragon that sleeps within the Earth... be reborn in the form of the Egyptian God Phoenix_**!"

Just before Slifer's blast of thunder could destroy Juregado, a wall of flames suddenly erupted from Dark Marik's graveyard and shielded the evil man and his entire field.

"Now, my Egyptian God monster!" roared Dark Marik. "Rise from the Earth and dance over the heavens! Become and bear the name of the Phoenix!"

There it was... Egyptian God Phoenix! Dark Marik was laughing insanely over the fact he had summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra, after all.

"Slifer's Thunder Force attack was absorbed by the Egyptian God Phoenix!" thought Thomas in shock.

"On the turn the Phoenix rises-" Dark Marik began, possessing a look of pure insanity on his face. "-it possesses immortality powers! No attack will work against it!"

He resumed laughing like a madman. Off of the platform, Percy and the others all couldn't do anything but watched in horror at what was about to happen.

"Egyptian God Phoenix!" Percy stuttered. "The same monster Marik used to beat me!"

"Poor Thomas!" whimpered a frightened Molly.

"And poor Emily!" added Mavis.

Back on the platform...

"Prepare yourself, Thomas Billinton!" cackled Dark Marik. "I will incinerate you and your poor girlfriend with Ra's holy flames! It's all over for the both of you!"

Thomas and Emily both looked on in horror as the evil man started to laugh maniacally at the impending doom his opponents were about to face.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	72. The Final Battle of Darkness (2)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Dark Marik began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"It has finally begun... my long awaited duel against the Billinton boy in the Ultimate Shadow Game. This has been something I've been waiting for since my return to this modern world! As I think about it, I feel I've been rather...soft...towards Thomas and his friends until now."

The arena lowered back down, and Dark Marik slowly approached the unconscious Thomas with the Millennium Rod, pulled off the handle with a rather short chuckle, and exposed the dagger.

"Well now, boy, should I tear you limb from limb now?" he asked sinisterly, pointing the weapon at the boy. "After all, you did nearly ruin my fun."

"Keep away from him!" growled James, approaching the evil man.

"Relax, I merely jest." sighed Dark Marik, putting the handle back on the Rod with an evil grin. "I'd much rather truly destroy Thomas in the Ultimate Shadow Game."

Suddenly, with the Millennium Eye symbol on the evil man's forehead glowing all gold, James found himself glowing all gold and motionless.

"H-Hey! I can't...m-move!" The red-haired boy winced.

Dark Marik then approached Lady, but Percy immediately stood up and got in the way.

"You stay away from her, Marik!" The green-haired boy snapped.

"You, on the other hand, need to be taught a lesson on interfering." sneered Dark Marik, whacking the green-haired boy with the Millennium Rod.

Percy shouted in pain as he flew off the arena and onto the ground near his friends.

"Percy!" came from Ryan, Liz, Carlie, and Ben.

"Know that I can kill you at anytime I choose." The evil man softly said, before turning his attention to Lady. "Now, I will be wanting my God card back from you."

Lady didn't say a word. Dark Marik proceeded to approach the beautiful blonde-haired girl menacingly.

"You're very lucky, little girl." The evil man began in almost a ' _purring_ ' like tone, kneeling down to Lady's level. "You actually got away with your life. Unfortunately, you will come to regret it for the rest of your soon-to-be short life, as you'll wish you chose death instead of living. The loser of a Shadow Game needs to be punished for it. Tell me something... do you know what kind of punishment I'm talking about?"

Lady merely shook her head fearfully, but soon came to regret it greatly...

"The kind of punishment is what I call..." continued Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing. "...A PENALTY GAME!"

Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors. She then collapsed into a coma. Percy had managed to get up on his feet and run back onto the stage.

"Lady! LADY!" he screamed. "Wake up!"

"Don't bother." hissed Dark Marik. "She's trapped in a world of endless darkness with insects eating away at her. Unless you can defeat me in a Shadow Duel within the next 24-hours or so...she will never wake up."

Percy held Lady's body close to him and cried. Dark Marik merely laughed and walked past the rest of the gang and off the platform towards the elevator. Slowly, but surely, Dark Marik's body began to vanish into the shadows, catching Montague by complete surprise.

"What?!" The green-haired spirit exclaimed in shock. "Your body is...fading away?!"

"I'll tell you... Ra's special ability!" Dark Marik said darkly, while more and more of his body faded away. "As written on the card... ' _ **He who chants the third litany...may keep one life point and transfer the remainder...onto Ra's attack points for one turn!**_ '"

"The player's life points change into Ra's attack and defense points?!" Montague repeated in shock.

"That's right." nodded Dark Marik, while most of his body faded away. "And it doesn't take any time at all to do... It has been a fun duel, Montague, but now the time has come to end it. Ha ha ha ha ha...! This will be the last time you will see me. Once you disappear into the shadows, my body will go back to normal return to me."

"What?!" Montague nearly screamed.

The Winged Dragon of Ra, once it stopped glowing all white, gave an almighty roar as its stats started to go all the way up (ATK: 0 - 8549/DEF: 0 - 8549). Atop of Ra's head, a new, yet still familiar, voice was heard...

"Behold my true power!"

Montague and the image of Marik both looked up and saw that the whole body of Dark Marik was standing atop of Ra's head.

"Ra and I have become one!" declared Dark Marik. He was missing one of his eyes.

Down below, the remains of Dark Marik was holding his hand and could be seen and laughing psychotically (LP: 1).

"He...fused with Ra?" Montague was showing actual fear at the sight of this...One-Winged Angel...form of Dark Marik (LP: 1100). "That's not possible!"

"Oh, but it is possible!" cackled Dark Marik madly. "And now, Ra, it's time to end this duel! Attack with God Blaze Cannon!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra obeyed, opened its mouth, and fired a powerful blast of fire at the three monsters on Montague's side of the field. Montague and Marik both watched helplessly and awaited their impending fate. The blast finally struck the evil spirit's side of the field.

"Every single monster my opponent controls is destroyed!" declared Dark Marik.

Dark Necrofear, The Earl of Demise, and Dark Ruler Ha Des each shattered into pieces.

"And the player is killed!"

Montague screamed in agonizing pain from the fiery flames of Ra.

"And now, my weaker self, it's time for you to be gone!" Dark Marik laughed insanely.

The image of Marik gave a scream before disappearing. Curiously, Ishizu walked over and opened the door... and was immediately met by Dark Marik roughly grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against the wall.

"Where is Odion?" The evil man asked dangerously.

"M-Marik! What are you-?" coughed Ishizu, trying to fake innocence despite grimacing in pain due to being choked.

Dark Marik gave a small smirk. "You know, a funny thing happened on my way to Odion's room... I entered it, and he wasn't in his bed. You wouldn't happen to know where Odion is, would you?"

"Even if I did know-" said Ishizu defiantly, regaining some breath. "-I would never tell you."

"I'm warning you, Ishizu..." Dark Marik warned, while losing his smirk and his eyes narrowed angrily. "You don't want to mess with someone like me."

"But Odion is of no threat to you!"

"As long as he lives-" hissed Dark Marik, growing more and more impatient. "-there's a chance my weaker self may try to retake control of his body. And I want to stay in control of it, forever."

Ishizu scowled. "Regardless, I will never tell you!"

"You will tell me where Odion is this minute-" Using his free hand, Dark Marik reached inside his cape and pulled out the Millennium Rod—which had already became a dagger. He braced the tip of the weapon directly onto the left breast of Ishizu's chest (where the heart is). "-or else I could just kill you right here and now."

Despite looking frightened, the Egyptian woman narrowed her eyes and summoned all of her courage to try and defy the evil man.

"You wouldn't dare to murder your own flesh and blood."

Dark Marik smiled darkly. "Unlike my weaker self, I would for certain."

Retracting the dagger a distance, the evil man started to quickly stab it forth towards Ishizu's heart. The Egyptian woman closed her eyes for the impact and death... but nothing seemed to happen. Soon, she opened her eyes...

"Huh?"

It would seem Dark Marik stopped his attack at the last second. There was an evil, twisted smile appearing on his face as Ishizu started sweating more fearfully.

"Actually, I've got a far better idea..." Dark Marik stated, putting his Millennium Rod away and beginning to gently stroke the left side of the Egyptian woman's face with his free hand. "You're far too beautiful to just kill straight away... Yes, much too beautiful... Hmm, perhaps I should find some other way...to make you talk." Dark Marik wagged his tongue in a gross, almost repulsive, gesture. "Like possessing you, and making you my personal slave!"

Ishizu was practically shaking with terror now; there wasn't anyone else in the hallway who could save her. To make matters worse, she knew she no longer had the Millennium Necklace to protect her from Dark Marik's sudden sexual desire for her. Ishizu Ishtar was completely at the evil man's mercy! ...but suddenly, instead of having his way with her, the evil man instead dropped the Egyptian woman back onto the ground and turned to leave.

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time for such acts of pleasure, right now..." said Dark Marik with a sinister smile. "First things first; I have the rest of the competition to tease and completely slaughter beforehand. Hey! Maybe if I'm lucky enough, I'll get to kill that Thomas Billinton, as well." He turned to look at Ishizu with his smile still on his face. "When I'm all done doing that, along with finding and killing Odion, I'll be back for you..."

And the evil man walked away with a loud and wicked laugh, leaving Ishizu all alone within the hallway while laying on the floor and shaking with fright over what she nearly experienced... The Egyptian woman was otherwise still very thankful she had been spared by that sick sadist and his personal desire for her...for now.

"Marik..." Ishizu thought only to herself, managing to sit up.

Inside the Shadow Realm, Gilford the Lightning and the mighty Egyptian God Phoenix form of The Winged Dragon of Ra faced off against each other.

"Go, my Phoenix! Destroy Gilford the Lightning and kill Percy Avonside!" commanded Dark Marik with wicked glee.

Ra obeyed, dive-bombing towards both Percy and his monster with a great screech. Percy could only watch in horror at his impending fate. He had already used Gilford the Lightning's effect and had no other cards on the field.

"This can't be possible!" The green-haired boy thought. "If I lose now, then I'll never see Lady... Thomas... my sister... EVER AGAIN!"

Finally, the firebird struck both Gilford the Lightning and Percy, setting them ablaze.

(elsewhere...)

There was an earthquake that rocked the area around the Duel Tower! ...or rather rocked the whole entire island...

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Shadow Realm, Gilford the Lightning roared in agony from the flames consuming his body, but was nothing compared to the pain Percy felt...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

"Percy!" screamed Thomas.

Dark Marik was laughing sadistically from witnessing his opponent's pain and suffering... all while Percy continued to scream from the agonizing pain he was feeling from the dancing flames of rage from Egyptian God Phoenix.

"Burn... burn until the last of your soul is gone!" Dark Marik cackled insanely and excitedly. "Now give me more...! More...! MORE SCREAMS!"

The evil man resumed his insidious laughter.

"Percy, no!" cried Emily.

Thomas wasn't looking any better. "This isn't good...! If the pain continues at this rate, Percy's mind will..."

Meanwhile, the flames around the stage grew more fierce as Percy's screams got even worse.

"How did I get here?" asked a confused and groggy Mavis.

"My little secret." teased Dark Marik, while kneeling down until he was barely sitting atop of Mavis and they were seeing eye-to-eye. His voice was also growing more and more repulsive and sick sounding. "However, know that I have you now, my pretty... All for my personal amusement until the big duel."

Mavis, upon those very words, immediately realized what that man was planning on doing to her and grew incredibly terrified as a result.

"Get away from me, you creep!" she shrieked, beginning to struggle as her mouth started to glow all gold. It immediately closed itself to prevent her from screaming.

Dark Marik started to laugh like a deranged rapist as he took off the handle from the Millennium Rod, unsheathing the dagger. Once that was done, he slid the dagger under Mavis's shirt in an attempt to tear it open and expose a bit of her womanhood (so to speak).

"But... those acts were all nothing compared to the great amounts of ' _ **fun**_ ' I have in store for that boy..."

Back inside the Shadow Realm atop the Duel Tower, Dark Marik was wagging his tongue about tauntingly.

"And now... my very first surprise!"

He raised his Millennium Rod up, made it glow, and unveiled his first of many 'surprises' for the Shadow Game... In the sky above the middle part of the platform, a familiar hourglass filled with insects lowered down a bit.

"Lady!" cried Thomas.

"NO!" screamed Percy.

Dark Marik cackled madly. "Can you see the poor girl? The sacrificial offering to the darkness? The insects eating away at her are already at her chest level with just a mere two more hours left until her life...ends!"

He let out another laugh as he made the hourglass fade away.

"You're a monster!" snarled Thomas.

"Why, thank you." Dark Marik replied, acting like that insult was a compliment. "I guess you can say this whole Shadow Game is a festival of darkness. So, shouldn't we pile all of our offerings on the table for the shadows to feast?"

"What are you-?"

Dark Marik continued to speak. "I believe I've told you already; I already have the perfect Shadow Game in mind to not only kill you...but to torture you also." He licked his lips with a crazed expression on his vein bulging face. "Now, I'll show you my next surprise!"

Appearing from the shadows beside Dark Marik was the original Marik. His arms and legs were bound with shackles, and the reformed Rare Hunter leader was barely conscious.

"That's Marik's good half!" gasped Thomas.

"Marik!" screamed Ishizu in horror.

"That's right." said Dark Marik snidely. His smile then grew crueler than ever before... "And now, I've saved the best surprise for last!"

He held up his Millennium Rod up near Thomas. On cue, a familiar human body shape began to materialize. Below the platform, everyone watched carefully... until a few of the spectators gave a gasp.

"I-It can't be!" came from Mavis.

Up on the platform, Thomas also gave a shocked gasp at who was his sacrifice.

"No! Not her!"

It was Emily. Slowly, she began to wake up.

"Wh-what happened?" The dark green-haired girl asked groggily. "Where am I?"

Gazing around, she saw her friends looking at her with looks of horror.

"What's wrong with all of you? Is there something on my face...?"

No one spoke still, although Emily's answer came, anyway! ...when she saw that her arms and legs were shackled to an invisible wall of a sort.

"What the-?!" The dark green-haired girl cried out. "Where am I?! What's going on?!"

"Emily!" Thomas exclaimed.

"Oh yes... getting rid of those two ' ** _kids_** ' will be most fun for me... VERY fun indeed!"

Appearing to the field was a large leech with sharp teeth and red tentacles (Level: 4/ATK: 500).

"Now attack!"

"What?!" exclaimed Thomas in surprise, hearing that his opponent declared an attack on the first turn.

Vampiric Leech obeyed, striking Thomas with its tentacles, causing him to cry out slightly in pain (LP: 3500).

"Thomas, no!" called Percy.

"That was a cheap shot!" cried James R..

"I think not." retorted Dark Marik. "Vampiric Leech has the ability to attack the player directly the turn it's summoned regardless if it's the first turn or not."

Thomas gave a grimace in response... not like Dark Marik really cared all that much (if at all).

"Both players will feel all of the attacks inflicted on the player." remarked the evil man coldly, just as his excitement then grew... "And, now, watch this!"

Suddenly, Emily screamed in pain as part of her arm was eaten away by the shadows.

"Emily!" shouted Thomas in shock.

Dark Marik cackled some more. "Your precious sacrifice is devoured by the darkness based on the amount of life points you lose!"

"Although Thomas soon discovered a hidden ability that his Millennium Puzzle has in order to try and save his pecious sacrifice from being devoured by the darkness, it actually works to my advantage more than ever before!"

"I have to protect Emily!" The blue-haired boy shouted at last.

Suddenly, his Millennium Puzzle began to glow all gold as a beam of light emitted from it struck Emily.

"Huh?!"

"What is-?!" Dark Marik exclaimed.

The lost section on Emily's arm was restored.

"My arm!" cried Emily happily. "Thomas, look at..."

The dark green-haired girl's excitement didn't last when she saw Thomas gripping his chest in pain and breathing hard.

"Thomas?"

"The p-pain..." The blue-haired boy coughed.

With the rest of the gang down below...

"What just happened?" asked James.

"Somehow Thomas's Millennium Puzzle activated on its own and restored the bit of the arm Emily lost." said Edward.

"But upon doing so-" Matt added. "-he suddenly is in pain."

At last, Thomas got back up onto his feet...rather weakly.

"What...?" The blue-haired boy coughed.

"Hmph! It would seem you activated another special power of your Millennium Puzzle." Dark Marik grunted. "It has the power to restore those who are closest to you... like that girl above you."

"Then I will use it to keep Emily safe from you." said Thomas firmly.

"However-" Dark Marik went on. "-it comes at a cost of your own life-force."

"Life-force?"

"Oh, yes." smirked Dark Marik, looking at his beloved Millennium Rod. "The use of our respective Millennium Item's power costs us our own life-force energy." He then gazed right at Thomas with glee. "But, as you can see, I'm completely unaffected whenever I do use the Millennium Rod's power, because I had been using it for so long that I can easily withstand the loss of energy!" The evil man's smile grew more and more sadistic. "You, on the other hand..."

"So in order to keep Emily safe from being absorbed-" muttered Thomas in response. "-I have to give up part of my life-force? That's fine by me!"

Dark Marik responded by giving a quiet snicker before erupting into more psychotic laughter.

"Then I'll be able to not hold anything back in this fight to the death!" he exclaimed excitedly. "And don't forget that when I lose life points, my own offering gets eaten by the shadows!"

Light Marik was shown to be barely conscious.

"Even at the threat of sending my weaker personality to the underworld if he were to fight me, Thomas showed great promise in the earlier turns."

"Queen's Knight!" commanded Thomas. "Destroy his Vampiric Leech with Majestic Sword Swipe!"

Queen's Knight was more than happy to obey; she leaped into the air, came down, and slashed at Dark Marik's monster with her sword while giving an almighty yell, destroying it while causing a large cloud of purple smoke to erupt all around the arena. Dark Marik, however, just grinned in response. All of a sudden, the silhouette of another monster appeared in the purple smoke.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Thomas. Even Queen's Knight was surprised by the new monster showing itself.

"During the battle step of any player-" explained Dark Marik, holding up a card. "-I can automatically special summon this monster; Juragedo!"

A blue fiend-like monster unveiled itself from the clearing smoke (Level: 4/ATK: 1700).

"Well, shoot." mumbled James unhappily.

"Thomas stepped right into that one!" complained Toby.

"Oh, but there's far more." continued Dark Marik (LP: 5000). "When Juragedo is summoned this way, I automatically gain 1000 more life points!"

"So broken..." muttered James R. bitterly.

"But the real fun began when the boy managed to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon, while I was not far behind in summoning my own God! ...the superior one, that is!"

There it was... Egyptian God Phoenix! Dark Marik was laughing insanely over the fact he had summoned The Winged Dragon of Ra after all.

"Egyptian God Phoenix!" Percy stuttered. "The same monster Marik used to beat me!"

"Poor Thomas!" whimpered a frightened Molly.

"And poor Emily!" added Mavis.

Back on the platform...

"Prepare yourself, Thomas Billinton!" cackled Dark Marik. "I will incinerate you and your poor girlfriend with Ra's holy flames! It's all over for the both of you!"

Thomas and Emily both looked on in horror as the evil man started to laugh maniacally at the impending doom his opponents were about to face.

"And if they thought that Egyptian God Phoenix was the least of their problems... Well, I'm sorry to say that it will get so much worse from this point on! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

* * *

 **Title: The Final Battle of Darkness, Part 2**

* * *

Inside the Shadow Realm atop the Duel Tower, everyone was gazing at both summoned Egyptian God monsters on the platform—but mainly Egyptian God Phoenix.

"Thanks to that Egyptian God Phoenix-" Percy spoke up. "-Marik can spend 1000 life points to completely storm the field and destroy every monster on his opponent's side."

"Thomas is in big trouble." said Molly worriedly. "If possible, Ra could even destroy Slifer without any problems!"

"That, I'm not very sure of, Molly." The green-haired boy shook his head. "Mainly from the fact that I know all three of the Egyptian God monsters are supposed to be immune to all kinds of monster destruction cards, effects, and all of that junk... But it looks like The Winged Dragon of Ra seems much more powerful than even I'm aware of."

"What's got me worried-" Edward spoke up. "-is the damage. Sure, Thomas won't lose any life points right now, but how about when that Phoenix decides to strike him AND Emily?"

"They could both be killed!" cried out Toby.

"And I've barely managed to survive that thing and wake up from that coma the God put me in!" added Percy.

Back on the platform, Thomas began to speak to Dark Marik...

"Marik! I'm not done with using Slifer just yet!"

Dark Marik frowned, but said nothing in response...yet.

"In summoning Ra-" continued Thomas, pointing forth. "-you've activated Slifer's special ability!"

Suddenly, Slifer the Sky Dragon opened its second mouth.

"SUMMON THUNDER BULLET!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed and fired three balls of thunder towards Egyptian God Phoenix. Dark Marik only gave a cruel smile as the Summon Thunder Bullet attack struck the fiery Phoenix form of The Winged Dragon of Ra, but the three balls of lightning all got deflected away in an instant. Where they went? Nobody bothered to question it because of one thing...

"What?!" Thomas exclaimed in surprise. "Summon Thunder Bullet didn't work?!"

"Why didn't Slifer's attack destroy Ra?" asked Emily.

Everyone else down below the platform watched with worried expressions on their faces, while Dark Marik merely laughed at both Thomas and Emily's nativity.

"Did you both honestly believe your attacks could ever hope to break through the holy flames of my Egyptian God Phoenix? Because if you thought of doing something like that, then it was a complete waste of an attack!"

The evil man then resumed his maniacal laughter while Thomas and Emily both grimaced in response.

"Now be prepared to pay for your poor judgement!" said Dark Marik, upon ceasing his laughter. "I give up 1000 life points to activate Ra's Phoenix ability!"

He crossed his arms and began to chant in an ancient language. Over with Spencer, Skiff, and Ishizu...

"Here it comes..." Spencer thought to himself. "The third and most powerful effect of The Winged Dragon of Ra according to the Hieratic Text! ' _ **In an instant, Ra shall become a Phoenix, and all of its enemies shall return to the Earth**_ '. Will that effect work on an Egyptian God, as well?"

As Dark Marik's life points decreased, a small part of Light Marik's body was consumed by the darkness (LP: 3000).

"The offering has been met." said Dark Marik unhappily, but then smiled gleefully once more. "But that is nothing my ' _host_ ' can handle, right?!"

Thomas glared hatefully at his monstrous opponent—although he didn't say anything back.

"On this turn-" The evil man snickered wickedly. "-you, Slifer, AND the girl will literally feel the burn!"

Egyptian God Phoenix gave an almighty screech before taking to the skies in preperation to attack.

"And now, my Phoenix... Go now, and consume those who stand in your way—Slifer the Sky Dragon, Thomas Billinton, and Emily Sterling!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra's Phoenix form screeched loudly once more before swooping down towards Thomas's field and caused an explosion of fire upon collision. Slifer the Sky Dragon gave a roar of agony from the flames of rage from the Phoenix, but that wasn't even the worst part...

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Thomas and Emily both screamed out in agonizing pain.

The whole platform was surrounded by the flames of the Phoenix's bombarding attack.

"THOMAS! EMILY!" cried out Percy.

"We have to get them both out of there, now!" exclaimed Gordon.

"Good luck trying to do just that." Spencer called out. "That madman will immediately stop you if you even attempt to interrupt the duel!"

Finally, the flames started to fade away... Once the fire and smoke did finish clearing away, Slifer the Sky Dragon was shown to be gone.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon has fallen!" shouted Dark Marik, just before laughing psychotically once more.

Thomas and Emily were both breathing heavily from the damage they took from that blast of fire. Thanks to the Shadow Game, the damage was very real, indeed... but they were both alive regardless.

"Good, very good..." whispered Dark Marik pleasantly. "I want you both to live a bit longer...so I can make you suffer more and more... After all, if you die this early into the match, this Shadow Game just wouldn't be any fun at all!"

Once again, the evil man began to laugh (mainly to mock his enemies). Thomas ignored the laughter and looked up towards the captive Emily with concern.

"Are you alright?" The blue-haired boy asked his friend.

Emily was wincing a bit from her burn injuries, but she was thankfully not badly hurt.

"I'll... I'll be okay, Thomas..." The dark green-haired girl answered. She then became very worried... "Unfortunately, it took several of our best resources to try and bring Slifer straight out... and now it has been destroyed just like that!"

"I know..." frowned Thomas, looking at his Duel Disk. "Now we only have Obelisk the Tormentor left..."

As the blue-haired boy gave up some more of his life-force energy to protect and heal all of the burn injuries Emily sustained, he started to feel the great pain from the injuries he sustained from the Phoenix, and the life-force sacrificing process only made it much worse. But that was the least of Thomas's problems right now...

"Ra! You've done well this turn!" Dark Marik called out to his God monster. "Return to sleep in the graveyard...until your next outing!"

Egyptian God Phoenix, while screeching loudly, obeyed the command and started to vanish, descending into its master's graveyard.

"They're safe!" sighed Henry in relief.

"But for how long?" asked Molly in concern.

Unfortunately, there was worse news to come...

"But this isn't the last you've seen of the third Egyptian God." announced Dark Marik, poking a button on his Duel Disk. "Why, you ask? Because now I activate a little Trap card I'd like to called...Zombie's Jewel!"

Dark Marik's second facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"That card can only activate if a Spell card has been sent to my graveyard!" gasped Thomas. "...but I've never even used a Spell card this turn!"

"Oh, but you did play one just now!" laughed Dark Marik. "Remember the Dark Spell Regeneration? Once a Spell card is used due to my Regeneration Spell's effect, that Spell card in question is placed in YOUR graveyard!"

True to his word, out of Thomas's graveyard came the Monster Reborn Spell card.

"The card in question is then added to my hand!" Dark Marik grinned, taking hold of the card as it soared over to him.

"No way!" The blue-haired boy cried out in shock.

Below the platform...

"Monster Reborn!" exclaimed Discord. "That psychopath knows that a duelist can only have one copy of Monster Reborn in any given deck, so he added a variety of cards into his deck that would allow him to get it back!"

"Just to be able to summon Ra once more!" added Edward.

Back on the dueling platform, Dark Marik was busy gloating to his hated enemy...

"Do you hear that?" asked the evil man mockingly, pressing a hand towards his ear. "It's the cry of The Winged Dragon of Ra, and it's waiting to rise again and finish you off!"

Thomas scowled.

"That's right! Next turn, I will commence the devastating One Turn Kill strategy! You and the girl will be hit so hard by it that you'll never even live to see me win!"

Dark Marik resumed his sadistic laughter, all-while Thomas continued to stare defiantly. The evil man then looked at his hand and stroked his beloved Monster Reborn card lovingly.

"I can't wait to unleash the kill on you both!"

Below the platform...

"Oh no..." said Ben worriedly. "That means Marik WILL be able to use Ra again on his next turn!"

"But there is some good news." Edward pointed out.

"How so?" asked Henry.

"Now Thomas gets to draw another card."

Back on the platform...

"According to the fine print on my Trap card, you're able to draw exactly one card from your deck." continued Dark Marik. "Will it be the one that will save your life? ...or will it only serve to hasten your fate in eternal darkness?"

Thomas looked to his deck silently. "My fate is sleeping within the cards." he thought to himself.

"If it's that card-" Emily spoke up mentally. "-it may just be our only hope!"

Thomas nodded and reached for his deck.

"Alright, boy!" called Dark Marik. "Draw your card!"

Back below the platform, Mr Gresley (Boxford) looked to his elder son...

"Spencer... do you think Thomas will draw that card?" he asked.

"Who knows?" shrugged Spencer. "We'll see if he does or not." In his thoughts, however... "But unless Billinton draws the card right now, he won't be able to stop the One Turn Kill strategy!"

"Thomas doesn't have anymore monsters on his side of the field." Carlie exclaimed.

"He'll be wide open unless he pulls a miracle, right now!" added James R..

"You can do it, Thomas!" called Percy encouragingly.

"This is nothing!" added James.

Back on the platform...

"Thomas, because I feel sorry for you right now-" said Dark Marik mockingly. "-I'm going to show you something interesting..." He reached under his shirt and pulled out the Millennium Ring. "Here it is..."

"The Millennium Ring?" Thomas gasped. "You've been wearing it all this time?!"

"That's Duck's Millennium Item!" shouted Henry.

"How right you are!" laughed Dark Marik. "After I defeated him in that Shadow Game last night, I've claimed the Millennium Ring as my prize! Not only that, but I did away with the spirit Montague as well."

"You what?!" Thomas exclaimed.

The evil man sighed rather unhappily. "It was too bad also... he was even easier to beat than my defeating of that poor Polly Stone..." He then resumed his evil look. "Oh well! Those duels were both mere warm ups to me, anyway!"

Thomas growled angrily in response.

"Oh, don't fret... you'll be seeing both Duck and Polly again real soon!" taunted Dark Marik. "...once you feel the fiery power of One Turn Kill, that is!"

He resumed his sadistic laughter yet again. By this point, however, Thomas had reached his breaking point...

" **MARIK**!" shouted Thomas, with his tone full of hatred and rage. "This is all completely unforgivable! Lady, Duck, Percy, and everyone else you've hurt through out... I will stop you here and now!"

"Yes..." whispered Dark Marik, watching excitedly. "I can feel your anger... it gives you focus... makes you stronger..." He stuck his tongue out and swirled it around. "...while making me even stronger!"

The darkness all-around Thomas began to take effect in response to his growing anger! ...at least until Emily spoke up to her livid friend...

"Don't listen to him, Thomas!" The dark green-haired girl called out, trying to prevent Thomas from giving into the dark. "You have to stay calm and not lose focus on what's important; saving good Marik and winning the duel."

The dark aura around the blue-haired boy immediately faded away as he calmed himself down, much to Dark Marik's great disappointment.

"How very annoying..." he grumbled irritably, speaking directly to Emily. "You just had to go and spoil all of the fun... **MY** fun!" The evil man then gave another smile, addressing Thomas. "But whatever! Just hurry up and draw your final card, boy! ...before I lose any more of my patience."

Thomas quietly obeyed, preparing to draw from his deck.

"This is it." he thought, closing his eyes tightly. "I have to draw the card Spencer gave me right now, or it will be all over for me, Emily, and everyone else on Earth. Please, Heart of the Cards, guide me...!"

The Millennium Puzzle began glowing all gold in response to Thomas's inner prayer. Below the platform, Ishizu, despite not having the Millennium Necklace anymore, could still sense the power coming from the boy.

"Thomas's faith in Spencer is invoking the energies of Ancient Egypt." The Egyptian woman thought. "His deck is the place where the spirits meet!"

On the platform, Thomas finally drew his card while slashing a wave of colour from his deck in the process... but it happened not once, not twice, but THRICE!

"I've drawn it..." The blue-haired boy thought to only himself.

Suddenly, without even looking at the drawn card, Thomas slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk and opened his eyes.

"I set my card facedown and end my turn!"

Even Dark Marik was extremely surprised to say the least. Back below the platform, everyone else recoiled from seeing what their friend just did.

"He didn't even look at it." said James in shock. "What if he had drawn a monster card instead?"

"Then that'd be an illegal play." answered Gordon.

"What was he even thinking?" asked Mavis.

Discord, however, had a personal feeling about the card Thomas set despite being just as surprised as everyone else...

"Perhaps he drew the one card he needed." The jolly man suggested aloud.

Spencer, however, had a different though... "It can't be! How could he know what card he drew without even looking at it?!"

He changed his tune upon looking at Ishizu, who was staring in shock...like she KNEW Thomas drew that one card.

"He DID draw it?!" thought Spencer in shock. "Did... did Billinton really pull off such a life changing miracle?!"

Back atop the duel platform, Thomas was smiling in triumph. His tune changed, however, when the referee spoke up...

"Thomas Billinton!" The suit began rather sternly. "It is against the rules to go and set a card facedown without even looking at it. If your facedown card happens to be a monster card, then it's in the wrong place and considered an illegal play!"

"Let the duel continue." called Spencer firmly. "I'm interested in seeing what will happen. Do anything else to interrupt it, and rest assured you WILL be dealt with by me and my parents!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" obeyed the referee.

Dark Marik chuckled darkly. "Is the pressure of your impending death getting to you, Thomas? That's great! That means I get to have **TWICE** the amount of fun, now! That was the final card you'll draw in your entire life!"

"Marik..." returned Thomas. "It's your turn now!"

"Very well." sighed Dark Marik emotionlessly, getting ready to draw. "I'll be sure to wear something nice to your funeral."

He then drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Seven** : Dark Marik (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 43  
 **Current Hand** (8): Jam Defender, Polymerization, Granadora, Class System, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, Monster Reborn, and Metal Reflect Slime

* * *

The evil man added his drawn card to his hand and looked up with a deadly smile.

"I'm not gonna let you go out with a rule violation..." he thought to himself. "I will kill you both and send your remains to the underworld one way or another!"

Fire started surrounding the arena as the familiar Monster Reborn Spell card materialized face-up on the field.

"I activate Monster Reborn! Be reborn again - Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Dark Marik's graveyard glowed with golden light as The Winged Dragon of Ra returned to the field. The Egyptian God monster gave an almighty mighty roar in the face of both Thomas and Emily.

"And now... it's time for the One Turn Kill strategy!" announced Dark Marik, folding his arms and beginning to chant an ancient language.

"One Turn Kill..." thought Spencer. "One of Ra's most powerful and dangerous abilities."

Slowly, purple fog covered Dark Marik from head-to-toe as he began to vanish right into the darkness until the top part of his body was sticking out of The Winged Dragon of Ra's forehead. The other thing missing, other than his lower half, was his right eye.

"Behold!" The evil man announced with a look of pure insanity on his already deranged face. "My true form! This is the power granted to me by the ancient scriptures on The Winged Dragon of Ra card! I'll be sure to burn it straight into your memory, provided you live long enough to see me kill the both of you!"

He resumed his cackling laughter. Down below the duel platform...

"He... he merged with Ra?" blinked Molly, looking every bit as terrified.

"How did Marik do that?" asked Gordon with a speechless look on his face.

"I...don't know." Edward admitted.

Up atop of The Winged Dragon of Ra's head, Dark Marik was laughing harder and harder than ever before.

"Are all of you watching?!" he called out to everyone who was atop the Duel Tower. "THIS is Ra's next ability! I can donate all but one of my life points to increase the attack and defense points of my God monster!"

Dark Marik's life points dropped to almost nothing (LP: 1).

"And now take a good look at my weaker self!"

Light Marik's body faded away until all that was left was an eye. The Winged Dragon of Ra also got a power boost (ATK: 0 - 2999).

"Then to boost Ra's power even more-" continued Dark Marik. "-I sacrifice my Juragedo!"

Juragedo shattered into bits of dust... and Ra began to absorb the remains.

"Another effect of Ra?" asked Emily in shock.

"That's right!" cackled Dark Marik. "Now Ra is even stronger than before!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra grew even more powerful (ATK: 2999 - 4699).

"4699 attack points!" Thomas winced (LP: 3300).

"Rumble my legs!" cried out James. "That's more than enough to finish off Thomas AND Emily!"

Dark Marik was delighted beyond belief. "THIS is the power of One Turn Kill! Thomas and Emily... you both are dead right now!"

He began to cackle madly yet again. From there, The Winged Dragon of Ra began to charge up its signature attack.

"Prepare yourselves! I'll boil your blood until it turns to steam! Winged Dragon of Ra, burn both of my opponents into ash! GOD BLAZE CANNON!"

Just then...

"Reveal facedown card!" Thomas announced.

Dark Marik cringed. "What?!"

Thomas's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Fiend Sanctuary!"

The entire audience gasped in complete surprise. It WAS the card Spencer gave Thomas before the match.

"F-Fiend's Sanctuary?!" Dark Marik stuttered.

"That's right!" confirmed Thomas. "Now behold it's power...!"

A magic circle then appeared on the field as purple smoke billowed from it.

"A magical circle has appeared on the boy's field?" Dark Marik quizzed, watching as more and more smoke came from the circle. "And now something's appearing!"

Rising from the smoke was a round, silver head.

"Say hello to my Metal Fiend Token!" announced Thomas.

"Fiend's Sanctuary creates a Metal Fiend Token." explained Spencer to Skiff. "It has only one single attack and defense point...but its looks are highly deceiving."

The token made a reflection...show the image of Dark Marik's remaining eye.

"That's me!" he gasped.

"Once again, you're correct." smirked Thomas. "When the Metal Fiend Token is attacked, you take all the battle damage instead of me! Prepare to be destroyed by your own monster!"

"What...?!"

"For example; Ra currently has about 4699 attack points." Thomas went on. "My Metal Fiend Token has only one measley attack point. That means I would take 4698 points of damage... BUT! ...because of my token's effect, YOU will take the damage instead of me!"

"This can't be!" Dark Marik reeled back.

"Yes! As soon as Ra attacks me, YOU will lose the duel!"

Dark Marik was horrified to hear this. Back below the platform...

"Thomas wins!" cheered Molly.

"I guess Spencer's card really was a big help after all!" smiled Percy.

"Heck yeah!" agreed James.

"That's our Thomas!" came from Gordon.

On the platform, The Winged Dragon of Ra was charging its attack up still, and Dark Marik was still atop his monster's head while cursing up a storm over his situation.

"No!" he cried. "Stop! Stop your attack! Your master commands it!"

"It's too late to call it off!" called Thomas.

He was right... Ra finally fired off its Blaze Cannon attack towards the Metal Fiend Token.

"Alright!" cheered Percy. "It's all over for Marik now!"

The blast of fire struck the Metal Fiend Token and caused a massive explosion to cloud the entire platform.

"Marik!" announced Thomas defiantly. "YOU LOSE!"

The smoke on the blue-haired boy's side of the field faded away... only to reveal that the Metal Fiend Token was still standing.

"My token is still alive?!"

But that wasn't the worst of it... Suddenly, they heard an evil laugh coming from the other side of the platform. As the smoke lifted, almost everyone gasped at what they saw. There, standing perfectly safe behind his God monster, was Dark Marik (LP: 4700)!

"Hello." Dark Marik greeted with hardly a whisper.

Everyone else (even Spencer) gasped in horror at what they had just seen. The evil man then chuckled calmly at first... but then he erupted into incredibly maniacal laughter.

"Marik is still standing!" exclaimed Percy.

"And his life points shot up to 4700!" added Zack.

"Marik, explained yourself!" demanded Thomas.

Dark Marik silently poked a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself to be...

"De-Fusion?!"

"Yes..." Dark Marik confirmed slowly. "The moment Ra attacked the Metal Fiend Token, I activated this Spell card I took from you. Remember Exchange?"

Thomas frowned as a flashback came to his mind.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was to a few turns earlier...

"Facedown card, open!" announced Thomas, as one of his two facedown cards flipped up and revealed itself. "Exchange!"

"No!" bellowed Dark Marik crossly.

"As you know-" said Thomas. "-Exchange forces both players to take a card from each others' hands. So come over and choose a card!"

Cursing loudly, Dark Marik reluctantly walked over to the blue-haired boy.

"Alright, fine!" he muttered.

Once both duelists met face-to-face, Thomas took the Monster Reborn card and Dark Marik took the De-Fusion card.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"So you did take a good card after all." said Thomas in defeat.

"Very observant!" taunted Dark Marik. "Exchange helped both of us!"

"I never knew De-Fusion could be used in a situation like that." The captive Emily thought to herself. "I'll admit it was clever of Marik to use it..."

Below the platform...

"Aw man!" grumbled James unhappily. "So close!"

"That's not all-" Discord spoke up. "-because Ra's attack got drained by the use of De-Fusion, it also raised Marik's life points."

He was right... Thanks to De-Fusion, Light Marik's body was fully restored as well.

"Well, how do you like that?" teased Dark Marik sadistically. "My ' _host_ ' has been restored to his full form... I really should thank you for allowing me to take that card!"

"Odion..." muttered Light Marik weakly.

Back below the platform, Ishizu watched her younger brother with a look mixtured of worry and horror. Back on the duel platform, The Winged Dragon of Ra began to fade away.

"Return to the graveyard, Winged Dragon of Ra!" commanded Dark Marik at once.

Ra obeyed and disappeared fully. The evil man then took and held out his Monster Reborn card.

"With Monster Reborn's effect over and done with, I send it to the card graveyard."

He sent the Monster Reborn card to the graveyard and then took another card from his hand to slot it into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"Now to end my turn-" Dark Marik continued. "-I place one card facedown."

A facedown card appeared in front of the evil man.

"He's wide open for an attack!" said Henry. "Thomas has a chance to get at his life points!"

"But what if he's doing this deliberately?" asked Edward. "Remember when Montague purposely dueled poorly at first in his match against Thomas?"

"I remember." Carlie replied.

"Me too." agreed Michael.

"He was luring Thomas into a trap." The intelligent, blue-haired boy went on. "So who's to say that Marik's not doing the same with Thomas?"

"He'd better be careful then." added Toby. "Otherwise he could lose more ground."

Thomas then drew his next card and began his turn.

* * *

 **Turn Eight** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3300)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (7): Ragnarok, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Magical Dimension, Dark Magician, and Obelisk the Tormentor

* * *

Just then, he remembered something important...

"To keep the Metal Fiend Token on my field, I must give up 1000 of my life points on each my standby phases." Thomas explained unhappily. "Otherwise, the token will be destroyed automatically." He then looked up at the captured Emily. "I'm sorry, Emily... but I must do this."

"It's okay, Thomas-" The dark green-haired girl reassured. "-I don't mind... Besides, I feel that this is something you have to do."

The blue-haired boy nodded gravely and looked back towards Dark Marik.

"I give up 1000 life points to keep my Metal Fiend Token on the field!" he announced, taking some damage (LP: 2300).

Emily shrieked in agony as another part of her body faded into the darkness.

"Emily!" cried the Tidmouth Teens.

"Hang in there!" called Zack.

"Next, I give up another portion of my life-force to restore Emily!" added Thomas, as the Millennium Puzzle glowed.

He himself yelled in pain as light drained from his body and flowed to Emily's body, restoring what part of her she had just lost.

"Don't strain yourself, Thomas!" called Matt.

Meanwhile, Spencer was shown to be staring at the Metal Fiend Token.

"That's not all that Fiend's Sanctuary can do, Billinton. Can you figure out what its other special power is?"

Back on the platform, Dark Marik cackled at the situation Thomas was currently in.

"Are you stupid? Your Metal Fiend Token has just one measly attack point..." The evil man insulted ruthlessly. "What's the point of maintaining a token that can barely attack or defend itself?"

Thomas weakly looked down off the platform towards Spencer and gave him a nod and slight smile, causing the silver-haired boy to gasp in realization.

"Does he already...know?" he thought in shock.

"Marik-" began Thomas. "-the card I've used to stop your Egyptian God...will be used to summon forth another God!"

Dark Marik frowned. "But how? You need to tribute three monsters to call on another Egyptian God!"

"I reveal my facedown card - Multiply!"

The mentioned Spell card flipped face-up and activated.

"Hey, I thought that Multiply only works on Kuriboh?" asked Ben, looking puzzled.

"Not so, Benny-boy." Discord replied, smiling. "Multiply works with any monster that has less than 500 attack points."

The Metal Fiend Token increased from one token... to three tokens.

"No!" cried Dark Marik, realizing what Thomas's plan was. "You're gonna sacrifice those weak tokens!"

Below the platform, Spencer smiled with satisfaction.

"Well done, Billinton. You've figured out the second use of Fiend's Sanctuary." The silver-haired boy thought to only himself. "It is also a magic circle used to summon an Egyptian God monster! ...like Obelisk the Tormentor, for instance!"

"The Pharaoh is about to summon his second Egyptian God monster..." Ishizu thought to herself.

"Here it comes!" shouted Thomas, holding up a card. "I sacrifice my three Metal Fiend Tokens in order to summon the Egyptian God—Obelisk the Tormentor!"

The three tokens were engulfed in a pink tornado. Down below, everyone watched in both amazement and shock.

"What power!" cried Mavis.

The tornado then formed a large thunder storm that struck the field as Obelisk the Tormentor finally appeared (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"N-No! He actually did it...!" panicked Dark Marik, taking a step back.

Obelisk the Tormentor let loose a booming roar. Down below, Gordon practically had James in a headlock from excitement.

"Oh yeah, that's our boy!" he whooped.

"Nice one, man!" added James happily.

"Obelisk to the rescue!" cheered Molly.

"Hey, look at Marik! He's looking so scared that his hair is standing on ends!" Percy joked. "...oh, wait! It always looks like that!"

Back on the platform...

"Obelisk the Tormentor!" commanded Thomas in a booming voice. "Attack Marik's life points directly with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk the Tormentor was more than happy to obey, as it gave an angry roar and hurled a huge punch at Dark Marik.

"No... NO!" thought the evil man in horror.

The fist then connected, causing Dark Marik to scream in agonizing pain and fury.

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THIS WORM!" thought Dark Marik in great anger.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	73. The Final Battle of Darkness (3)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Thomas began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"Spencer had given me the card I need to battle The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Dark Marik was delighted. "THIS is the power of One Turn Kill! Thomas and Emily... you both are dead right now!"

He began to cackle madly yet again. From there, The Winged Dragon of Ra began to charge up its attack.

"Prepare yourselves! I'll boil your blood until it turns to steam! Winged Dragon of Ra, burn both of them to ashes! GOD BLAZE CANNON!"

Just then...

"Reveal facedown card!" Thomas announced.

"What?!" Dark Marik exclaimed.

Thomas's facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Fiend Sanctuary!"

The entire audience gasped in complete surprise. It WAS the card Spencer gave Thomas before the match.

"F-Fiend's Sanctuary?!" Dark Marik stuttered.

"That's right!" confirmed Thomas. "Now behold it's power!"

"Using the card, Fiend's Sanctuary had created a Metal Fiend Token. When it's attacked by the opponent, it would negate all battle damage I would have taken and gives it to my opponent instead!"

On the platform, The Winged Dragon of Ra was charging its attack up still, and Dark Marik was still atop his monster's head while cursing up a storm over his situation.

"No!" he cried. "Stop! Stop your attack! Your master commands it!"

"It's too late to call it off!" called Thomas.

He was right... Ra finally fired off its Blaze Cannon attack towards the Metal Fiend Token.

"Alright!" cheered Percy. "It's all over for Marik now!"

"...or I would have won the duel had it not been for the fact Marik used my De-Fusion card to cancel his attack and regain most of his life points."

"Aw man!" grumbled James unhappily. "So close!"

"That's not all-" Discord spoke up. "-because Ra's attack got drained by the use of De-Fusion, it also raised Marik's life points."

He was right... Thanks to De-Fusion, Light Marik's body was fully restored as well.

"Well, how do you like that?" teased Dark Marik sadistically. "My 'host' has been restored to his full form... I really should thank you for allowing me to take that card!"

"Odion..." muttered Light Marik weakly.

Below the platform, Ishizu watched her younger brother in worry and horror. Back on the duel platform, The Winged Dragon of Ra began to fade away.

"Return to the graveyard, Ra!" commanded Dark Marik at once.

Ra obeyed and disappeared fully. The evil man then took and held out his Monster Reborn card.

"With Monster Reborn's effect over and done with, I send it to the card graveyard."

He sent Monster Reborn to the graveyard.

"But despite it failing to defeat Marik's dark half, I would not let this Spell card go to waste. When my turn came, I did this..."

Back on the platform, Dark Marik cackled at the situation Thomas was currently in.

"Are you stupid? Your Metal Fiend Token has just one measly attack point..." The evil man insulted ruthlessly. "What's the point of maintaining a token that can barely attack or defend itself?"

Thomas weakly looked down off the platform towards Spencer and gave him a nod and slight smile, causing the silver-haired boy to gasp in realization.

"Marik-" began Thomas. "-the card I've used to stop your Egyptian God...will be used to summon forth another God!"

Dark Marik frowned. "But how? You need to tribute three monsters to call on another Egyptian God!"

"I reveal my facedown card - Multiply!"

The mentioned Spell card flipped face-up and activated. The Metal Fiend Token increased from one token... to three tokens.

"No!" cried Dark Marik, realizing what Thomas's plan was. "You're gonna sacrifice those weak tokens!"

"Here it comes!" shouted Thomas, holding up a card. "I sacrifice my three Metal Fiend Tokens in order to summon the Egyptian God—Obelisk the Tormentor!"

The three tokens were engulfed in a pink tornado. Down below, everyone watched in both amazement and shock.

"What power!" cried Mavis.

The tornado then formed a large thunder storm that struck the field as Obelisk the Tormentor finally appeared (Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 4000).

"N-No! He actually did it...!" panicked Dark Marik, taking a step back.

"With Marik wide open for an attack, I took the chance for a direct attack on his life points with my Egyptian God!"

"Obelisk the Tormentor!" commanded Thomas in a booming voice. "Attack Marik's life points directly with Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk the Tormentor was more than happy to obey, as it gave an angry roar and hurled a huge punch at Dark Marik.

"No... NO!" thought the evil man in horror.

The fist then connected, causing Dark Marik to scream in agonizing pain and fury.

* * *

 **Title: The Final Battle of Darkness, Part 3**

* * *

Dark Marik, while screaming in rage and agony from taking that direct blow from Obelisk the Tormentor, was thrown back at the railing of the platform. He crashed into them (and didn't fall off the edge of the tower) and collapsed onto the ground motionlessly.

"From the direct attack by Obelisk, Marik-" Thomas sneered. "-you've taken 4000 points of damage!"

Dark Marik laid on the ground weakly while seething at both the blue-haired boy and Obelisk with hatred written all over his face (LP: 700). Below the platform, the spectators were greatly overjoyed with Thomas's big comeback attack...

"Yes! Marik's nearly beaten!" cheered Henry. "Just one more attack like that..."

"...and Thomas will win and save Emily's life!" added Mavis.

"Kick that creep's butt, Thomas!" called Percy encouragingly.

"Did you see the way Marik was sent flying after being struck by Obelisk's fist?" asked Gordon. "He was all like ' ** _WAAAAAHHHHH! HELP ME_**!'."

"Good one, Gordon!" came from James, laughing at his friend's joke.

"Thomas is about to win the duel, Spencer!" whooped Skiff happily, but immediately got a look of surprise when he saw that his brother was not smiling at all. "Umm, is something the matter, big brother?"

"Something seems off." said Spencer sternly. "It's like Marik WANTED Billinton to attack him with Obelisk. Otherwise, he would have used his facedown card to try and stop the attack."

Back atop the platform, Dark Marik was still lying on the ground while badly injured from being hit by the Fist of Fate attack. Ishizu, unfortunately, sensed something was wrong, too.

"The facedown card on Marik's side of the field... Could it be that one?"

Dark Marik, groaning in pain, soon slowly started to get back up after taking the direct attack.

"It hurts... it hurts... it hurts..." he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, it is!" Ishizu gasped in her thoughts. "Marik purposely took that direct attack for two reasons, Thomas... One; to cause emotional damage by tricking you into thinking you have backed him into a corner. And the other; to summon a monster that is even more powerful than your Egyptian God monster!"

"H-Hey!" called Carlie. "Take a look at Thomas."

"Is something the matter?" Ben asked his sister, before looking up the platform and towards Thomas. "Huh?"

Back on the platform, the blue-haired boy was looking worried about something.

"Why's he looking worried?" James R. asked curiously. "He's this close to winning the duel, and even has Obelisk the Tormentor out on the field!"

"Perhaps he senses something is wrong?" suggested Matt.

Back on the platform, Dark Marik continued to slowly get back onto his feet...and started cackling quietly.

"Oh yesssss... That was one damn good move, Thomas!" he admitted sarcastically, just before sticking his tongue out with a very demented look on his warped face. "That one hurt a lot! It was beyond painful!"

The evil man then started to laugh psychotically. The sound of the laughter was actually enough to frighten most of the spectators watching the match, while Thomas merely growled instead. Oh, but if only Dark Marik even stopped right there...

"And besides; it's my other self who really suffers whenever I lose life points! Thanks to that attack, his body is being slowly eaten by the darkness, as you can see."

It was all true; much of Light Marik's body was slowly fading into the shadows.

"Marik!" winced Thomas in shock.

"Oh no, we forgot all about him!" cried Emily.

"How ironic..." taunted Dark Marik. "My weaker half is so pitiful... He had spent almost his whole life dedicated to serving the Pharaoh as a Tomb-Keeper, but will now die by the hands of the Pharaoh's chosen descendant. You know, the irony is so staggering that I could just laugh!"

"If I can replenish Emily from the shadows-" said Thomas bravely. "-I will do the same with the good Marik!"

He made his Millennium Puzzle glow, but nothing seemed to happen to Light Marik's trapped body. It remained the same as before (fading away into the darkness)...

"What?!" gawked Thomas in shock. "Good Marik's body isn't being restored?"

Dark Marik merely laughed at the sight of how pathetic his enemies looked right now.

"Well, it looks like Marik WANTS to be consumed by the shadows!" The evil man snickered in a cruel tone. "Either that, or you would lose what life-force you had left trying to heal both him AND your darling Emily. Spiced with the flavors of your hatred, both my weaker personality AND Emily must be delicious sacrifices!"

"Thomas!" called out Emily.

"If I keep dueling, then Marik will be killed." Thomas thought to himself. "But...if I'm defeated, then Emily and I will both die. What should I do?"

"Thomas, you have to keep fighting!" The dark green-haired girl advised. "Our true enemy is Marik's dark half. We have to find a way to defeat him and only him!"

"But how? Even if we win the duel, Marik's dark side will still win the Shadow Game and live on forever!"

"This is it, Thomas Billinton!" spoke up Dark Marik. "I will devour your spirit... and feed its scraps to the darkness!"

Thomas narrowed his eyes in response, but said nothing as he watched his opponent lick his lips.

"Now then... I'll repay you for the pain Obelisk gave me...and give it back to you twice as hard!"

Ishizu could be seen gazing at Dark Marik's facedown card with stoic concern.

"I thought so as much..." she thought to herself. "Marik's dark half ALLOWED Thomas to summon Obelisk on purpose! ...because he has another strategy all ready to be played."

Back with Dark Marik...

"I'm going to show you-" The evil man thought to himself. "-that I let you summon Obelisk the Tormentor in order to trigger my ultimate Trap card..."

While he chuckled to himself, the remains of Light Marik was unconscious... But within his mind...

"Od-ion..." The reformed Rare Hunter leader groaned mentally. He then regained conscious briefly... "Odion!"

(elsewhere...)

While all of what was going on was occuring, something else was about to happen... Back inside the blimp and within Ishizu's room, Odion was still asleep in the bed. All was quiet there... Well, at least until...

"Odion... Odion..." A familiar voice (male) echoed.

Suddenly, appearing and standing by the bed came...an image of Light Marik (or rather what was left of him).

"Odion... Soon, I'll be gone into the world of darkness."

The coma-induced Odion didn't respond... not that it stopped Light Marik from speaking to his adopted brother some more...

"But before I go, however, I have something very important to tell you..." The reformed Rare Hunter leader continued, going into his speech. "I've broke the rules of my tribe and committed many horrible crimes in retribution for our Father's murder. Even if I have to suffer punishment forever, I can never be forgiven for any of my actions."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

'Marik' was approaching his trapped Father with the Millennium Rod in his hands.

"And now, 'Father', it's time for you to meet your fate."

Suddenly, he removed the handle of the Rod and revealed a terrible secret about the item... The Millennium Rod was actually half rod—half dagger. 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar and readied the weapon.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside, Mr. Ishtar was now lying in a pool of blood (some blood could also be seen on the walls).

"So much for him." 'Marik' chuckled sadistically.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, but Odion still laid asleep... yet Light Marik didn't stop there...

"It was really the dark side I was unaware of that commited the murderous deed." said Light Marik. "But it was my own heart that gave birth to that dark personality, all because of my hatred of fate... my hatred of the Pharaoh... it was the perfect creation for someone with such a crude heart like mine." After taking a few seconds to take a few deep breaths while trying his hardest to not burst into tears, the reformed Rare Hunter leader continued speaking some more... "Odion, when I went through the ritual of the Tomb-Keepers, you've endured the exact same pain that I did..."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Two men wearing robes were carrying a screaming and wailing Marik away to have the carvings carved into his back.

"No, please!" he cried. "I don't want to be a Tomb-Keeper!"

Young Marik then saw Odion standing nearby with his head bowed in shame.

"Odion, please help me!"

But there was nothing Odion could do to stop it.

(elsewhere...)

Alas, there was nothing Ishizu could do either except pray inside her room for Marik's safety.

(elsewhere...)

Young Marik was chained onto a table while lying on his stomach while his own Father, with a cruel smile on his face, heated a dagger over a burning candle.

"The time has come, my son." he said calmly. "Today you shall bear the honor every Ishtar has held of guarding the Pharaoh's tomb until the arrival of his chosen descendant."

With that said, Mr Ishtar began carving the symbols into Young Marik's back, all while the poor boy screamed in agonizing pain through the gag on his mouth. Outside the chamber, Odion had with him another dagger in one hand, and a candle holder with another lit candle in the other hand.

"You won't be alone anymore, Master Marik..." he thought to himself.

(elsewhere...)

Hours later, Young Marik was lying on his bed by his stomach with bloodied bandages around his torso. He was in a very bitter mood when Odion arrived to change the bandages.

"My life is over..." Young Marik muttered.

"Fear not, master. You're a Tomb-Keeper now." Odion replied.

"GO AWAY!" snapped Young Marik, just before grimacing in pain.

"I'm sorry." apologized Odion.

"What have you to be sorry for?" asked Young Marik angrily. "You didn't force my family to live underground. I was the one who was chosen to bear the pain. I feel so alone... Why should I have to devote my life just to serve some stupid Pharaoh?!"

As Young Marik said the last part of his sentence, his voice sounded like there was two people speaking at once... along with the image of a darker version of the boy briefly appearing while smirking evilly. Suddenly, Young Marik saw that Odion had his face all bandaged up.

"What's with your face?"

"I performed my own ritual since your Father would not allow me into the clan." said Odion, just as he undid the bandages to show his new markings. "You will never be alone again, Master Marik."

The sight of the markings on Odion's face seemed to have calmed Young Marik down.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"You made a choice to live with me in the darkness... sharing my sin, sharing my destiny... but you don't have to do that anymore, Odion." The image of Light Marik continued to speak. "I don't know where you are wandering right now, but there's no need for you to suffer anymore... Life or death, whichever it is, you should head towards the light..."

Light Marik started fading away around here.

"Thank you for being there for me... brother."

The image faded away into the shadows, but Odion would STILL not wake up from his coma...

(elsewhere...)

Back atop the Duel Tower and inside the Shadow Realm, Thomas (LP: 2300) and Dark Marik (LP: 700) both gazed at each other hatefully, while the latter also snickered to himself in triumph.

"Thomas... by attacking me directly with your almighty Egyptian God monster, you've knocked off nearly all of my life points." Dark Marik admitted once more, but then chuckled again. "But there's something I'd like to tell you right now - it was all for nothing on your part!" Suddenly, his face grew more and more disoriented and insane. "You fool! I WANTED you to summon Obelisk the Tormentor! It was all part of my Immortality Trap strategy!"

Back below the platform, everyone (except both Spencer and Ishizu) gasped upon hearing that.

"Immortality Trap?" asked Henry, just before shivering nervously. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Yes, you hurt me, Thomas... you really took a lot of my life points away." Dark Marik went on. "But in addition to that, you've activated one of the most powerful Trap cards in the whole game!"

"A Trap card?!" Thomas gasped.

"Wait a second, I thought Trap cards don't work on Egyptian God monsters?!" Percy protested.

"I'm afraid you are correct, little Percy." confirmed Dark Marik, frowning a bit. "Egyptian Gods can't trigger monster destruction Traps..." He then gave an evil smirk. "But this one card actually activates if I take a massive amount of battle damage!" The evil man pushed a button on his Duel Disk and motioned his right hand to his final facedown card, causing said-set card to flip face-up and reveal itself to be... "I reveal the most terrifying Continuous Trap card of them all - Metal Reflect Slime!"

Back below the platform, much of the spectators gave a gasp of horror.

"Not that card!" cried Discord, taking a step back.

"Metal Reflect Slime is one of the most powerful Trap cards in the whole game!" added a shocked Matt, having heard about it one time. "And is also one of the rarest of them all!"

Out of the Trap card came a large metallic object made entirely out of slime.

"Metal Reflect Slime..." whispered Thomas.

"Metal Reflect Slime is something you'd call a Trap Monster." explained Dark Marik. "Using its ' ** _Reflection_** ' ability, it automatically becomes a duplicate of the monster that had attacked me directly! It's stats also become 75% of the attacking monster, too!"

"75%?" Thomas blinked. "Obelisk has 4000 attack and defense points..." He then gasped in realization. "That would give your monster exactly 3000 attack and defense points!"

"How right you are, boy!" laughed Dark Marik. "And now, my Metal Reflect Slime, take form of the very monster that has attacked us!"

The Metalic Slime started molding itself into, much to the horror of the audience, Thomas, and Emily, a duplicate of Obelisk the Tormentor.

"It's..." Thomas whispered in horror.

Dark Marik laughed maniacally once more. "Behold the instrument of your impending destruction - Egyptian God Slime!"

Every living person in the Shadow Realm gazed upon the new monster with fear in their eyes (even Spencer and Ishizu were both gawking at the sight). Meanwhile, both the new Metal Reflect Slime monster and an outraged Obelisk the Tormentor gazed at each other while ready for battle.

"Metal Reflect Slime...!" whispered Michael.

"It's another Obelisk!" cried Ben.

"PAH! That's just a fake!" James scoffed. "The real Obelisk will splatter that thing all the way to kingdom come!"

Dark Marik, knowing he had the advantage now, could only chuckle evilly as his new monster loomed behind him.

"Ngh... I can't believe Marik copied Obelisk like that!" thought Spencer angrily. "How dare he disrespect the power of Obelisk the Tormentor!"

"Thomas can still take that imposter down with no trouble, right Spencer?" asked Skiff hopefully, trying to snap his brother out of his thoughts.

To the younger boy's surprise, however, the silver-haired boy remained silent on the situation. So, Skiff looked over to Ishizu for a possible answer... Unfortunately, she was looking just as worried about the new monster. Back atop the duel platform...

"Take a good look, Thomas!" snickered Dark Marik. "I am about to make the ultimate wall monster!"

"A copy of an Egyptian God monster..." Thomas thought to himself. "I don't know how he plans on making it an unstoppable wall monster, but I need to be ready for it just incase it does happen." With that thought on hand, he took another card from his hand. "I place one card facedown and end my turn!"

The blue-haired boy slotted the card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, which caused a hologram of a facedown card to materialize right behind the real Obelisk the Tormentor. Meanwhile, Dark Marik was very pleased to hear that it was his turn now...

"It's my turn now, boy!" The evil man announced, drawing his card. "I draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Nine** : Dark Marik (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : 42  
 **Current Hand** (7): Jam Defender, Polymerization, Granadora, Class System, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, and Revival Jam

* * *

Dark Marik's hand now consisted of Jam Defender, Polymerization, Granadora, Class System, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, and the recently drawn Revival Jam. The sight of the drawn card brought another wicked smile to his already deranged face.

"I may not have anything to bring Monster Reborn back to my hand for the time being, but I now have all the cards I need to successfully complete my unstoppable Immortality Trap strategy!" The evil man thought to himself, just before speaking aloud... "Get ready, ' _Your Highness_ '! My Metal Reflect Slime monster is about to become truly invincible to even the attacks of Obelisk the Tormentor!"

Thomas merely stood in his spot, watching as Dark Marik took a new card from his hand.

"First, I'll summon Revival Jam in defense mode!"

A blue blob of a monster materialized (Level: 4/DEF: 500). Thomas was not looking too thrilled at seeing that monster once more...

"You remember facing this monster once before, right?" teased Dark Marik. "Against Strings, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes..." scowled Thomas irritably. "That slime monster gave me quite the annoyance when I dueled that mind puppet."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Thomas stood firm as Slifer looked at each hat, deciding its next target.

"I know!" Strings (Marik) soon said aloud. "Attack the middle hat, my Egyptian God monster!"

Slifer the Sky Dragon obeyed the command and started charging up its Thunder Force attack. Thomas, meanwhile, scowled that his opponent guessed correctly.

"Lucky guess."

The hat rose, showing Dark Magician Girl.

"Your girlfriend is history!" laughed Strings.

The Thunder Force struck and caused a massive cloud of dust to erupt on the field. But when the dust cleared, two Trap cards were shown to have revealed themselves...

"I'm afraid not!" Thomas pointed out. "For hiding under the hat with her are my facedown cards; Magic Cylinder and Spellbinding Circle!"

"NO!" The image of Marik thought in horror.

"First, Spellbinding Circle will go and weaken your God monster's attack points by 700 points!"

The magic circle appeared around Slifer, weakening its attack power (ATK: 5000 - 4300).

"Now behold the power of Magic Cylinder!" Thomas annouced proudly. "This powerful Trap card will now reflect your attack right back at your monster!"

Two large, magical cylinders (with one containing the Thunder Force) materialized beside Dark Magician Girl.

"Open fire!"

The cylinder containing the Thunder Forced fired towards both Slifer and Strings.

"This duel is done!" Thomas declared.

Unfortunately, he was proven wrong. Why? Well, just before the Thunder Force could hit Slifer the Sky Dragon, Revival Jam once again went and took the blow!

"No!" cried Thomas.

Even Dark Magician Girl was shocked to see that Magic Cylinder failed. Strings, on the other hand, started laughing like a madman once more.

"You forgot about my Jam Defender yet again!" he cackled.

Revival Jam instantly reformed.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Dark Marik was busy snickering with dark amusement.

"Well, I'm afraid it's about to get a whole lot worse for you, my poor, pathetic friend!" The evil man remarked.

Down off the platform, everyone was confused as to what the evil man had planned in using that monster.

"What does he mean by that?" asked Zack.

"Your guess is as good as mine." answered Ben.

"Something tells me it has something to do with that Revival Jam monster though." Michael guessed.

Back on the platform...

"Now I activate the Spell card Polymerization!" announced Dark Marik, slotting another card into his Duel Disk.

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up and immediately activated.

"Now observe as I fuse my Revival Jam...with my Metal Reflect Slime Trap monster!"

Revival Jam and Metal Reflect Slime were both pulled into the vortex for the fusion.

"Is that even legal?" asked Henry.

"If you mean fusion a monster with a Trap monster-" commented James in a deadpan tone. "-then I don't know what the heck you're talking about."

Once the fusion was complete, a blast of slime exploded out of the card. However...

"Hey, that Metal Reflect Slime is still standing!" announced Ben. "Nothing has changed about it."

"Maybe it really was an illegal play?" suggested Michael.

Back on the platform...

"Nothing has changed with your Metal Reflect Slime!" Thomas pointed out.

It was true; Revival Jam was now gone, but Metal Reflect Slime was still on the field.

"Oh, you believe so?" asked Dark Marik in a taunting sort of way. "Well then, why don't you try attacking it and make certain?"

Much of the audience was worried, but mainly...

"Don't attack, Thomas!" called Edward. "He's trying to lure you into another trap! You might take big damage this time around or something far worse!"

Edward was absolutely right; giving up his (Thomas) life-force for Emily was beginning to take its toll on the blue-haired boy. He was starting to look pale as a ghost, his breathing was harder, and he was feeling a little lightheaded. Regardless of that disadvantage, Thomas kept his determined stance and managed to draw a card.

* * *

 **Turn Ten** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2300)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (6): Ragnarok, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Dark Magician, and Big Shield Gardna

* * *

"I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode!" The blue-haired boy immediately placed his drawn card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk (sideways).

The warrior wielding the big shield materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/DEF: 2600).

"Marik's monster is still much weaker than Obelisk the Tormentor." Thomas thought to himself. "Although, I could have summoned Gazelle in attack mode instead, and then perform a direct attack on his life points once that Metal Reflect Slime is out of the way, but then good Marik's body would be sacrificed into the darkness... But I guess for right now, there isn't any other choice on the matter." Sighing unhappily, he made his battle plan known to the public... "You want an attack, Marik? You've asked for it!"

"Oh? So you're gonna attack my ' _weaker_ ' monster with the great Obelisk the Tormentor?" teased Dark Marik. "You're either very brave to do it... or very foolish!"

Below the platform...

"Thomas is gonna take a chance?" asked Toby in surprise.

"It looks like it." Zack confirmed grimly.

And taking the chance, the blue-haired boy did...

"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack the slime copy!" command Thomas. "Fist of Fate!"

Obelisk, bellowing angrily, obeyed and attacked the copy, slugging it real hard and causing it to splatter into liquid blobs all around the platform.

"All right!" cheered Percy and James in unison.

"Thomas destroyed that fake!" came from Gordon.

Back on the duel platform...

"Did I get it?" Thomas thought.

Dark Marik smirked to himself. "The fool..."

Suddenly, the splattered pools of liquid slithered about on the ground and combined right back into Egyptian God Slime, causing Thomas and Emily to both gasp.

"Metal Reflect Slime is rebuilding itself!" thought Thomas, before narrowing his eyes in realization. "I should have known..."

Once the Metal Reflect Slime was rebuilt, Dark Marik chuckled real softly.

"Your attack was neigh useless, I'm afraid." The evil man commented. "My new monster shares the special ability of my Revival Jam. Now my monster is truly an indestructible wall monster! But, to be more specific, it has another name! What is it, you ask? It's also known as..." His smirk widened and eyes bulged insanely. " ** _Immortal God Slime_**!"

"Immortal God Slime?!" repeated Thomas.

"There's no way to get through that thing!" exclaimed Emily.

Below the platform, the rest of the gang was dismayed by this new development, but mostly...

"Now Obelisk can't even get at Marik's life points!" Percy complained.

"How's Thomas supposed to beat him now?" asked James. "Its effect is way too broken for anyone to get through!"

"Broken indeed!" huffed Gordon in complete agreement.

Nearby, Spencer was in his thoughts over the situation which included recalling Obelisk the Tormentor first attacking the Egyptian God Slime.

"It was as if Marik knew Thomas would summon the second Egyptian God monster." The silver-haired boy thought to himself. "Taking a direct attack like that was all a ploy to summon that Immortal God Slime monster onto the field."

As Obelisk first destroyed the Egyptian God Slime, it immediately reformed completely.

"Marik's new monster has rendered Obelisk completely powerless...! Is there even a way for Billinton to turn this situation around?"

Back atop the duel platform, there was nothing more for Thomas to do at the moment...

"My turn has ended!" he announced.

"And I'll take mine." said Dark Marik, wagging his tongue about once again while drawing his card.

"Marik must be using his new monster as a wall to hold out until he can add Monster Reborn back into his hand." Thomas thought to himself. "If Marik does manage to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra again, Obelisk will surely be defeated!"

Thomas, as well as Emily, looked up to where Light Marik was (just above Dark Marik), and he didn't look all that good.

"And even if I do manage to defeat the slime monster permanently, it won't hurt that dark half at all. What's more, if I do manage to hurt his life points I'd risk killing good Marik. What can I even do now?"

After finishing with going over his thoughts, a small bread of sweat trickled down the blue-haired boy's face.

* * *

 **Turn Eleven** : Dark Marik (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : 41  
 **Current Hand** (6): Jam Defender, Granadora, Class System, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, and Bowganian

* * *

"Ah, Thomas." Dark Marik suddenly spoke up. "The darkness hungers for both you and your little girlfriend up there."

Meanwhile, near above the evil man, Light Marik just continued to lay motionless while barely conscious once more. Dark Marik then went and took a new card from his hand.

"Now for the torture to continue!"

At once, Dark Marik slotted his card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, and then placed a second card onto a monster field slot (sideways).

"I'll set this card facedown, and summon Bowganian in defense position!" announced Dark Marik.

An eye-like monster wearing armor and wielding a crossbow materialized (Level: 4/DEF: 1000).

"Bowganian?" Thomas quizzed, before remembering something about it... "That monster, so long as it remains on your field, can go and deal 300 points of damage to the opponent at their end phase."

"Right on the button." confirmed Dark Marik. "That means you and poor Emily will both lose sooner than you think... Or should I say...die much sooner."

Thomas scowled in frustration. Not only would he lose even faster, but Emily would also be tortured some more as parts of her body would get eaten away. And to try and keep her around, Thomas would have to sacrifice more of his fading life-force...

"How about giving up now? Do so, and I'll promise you that death will ' _hopefully_ ' go soft on the both of you..."

"I don't think so!" The blue-haired boy shouted, drawing his card.

* * *

 **Turn Twelve** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 2300)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (6): Ragnarok, Kuriboh, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Dark Magician, and Soul Taker

* * *

Adding his drawn card to his hand, Thomas then took the Big Shield Gardna card off of the monster slot on his Duel Disk and replaced it with another monster card (Dark Magician Girl).

"I sacrifice Big Shield Gardna to summon forth Dark Magician Girl!"

Big Shield Gardna vanished in a blue streak... and appearing was Thomas's secondary ace monster, who immediately struck a pose upon appearing on the duel field (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700).

"Next I'll set one more card facedown!" Thomas slotted another card into his Duel Disk, he then fell into his thoughts. "If I don't destroy that Bowganian immediately, Emily will suffer even more pain from this Shadow Game." He then pointed forth. "Go, Dark Magician Girl!"

Dark Magician Girl was more than happy to obey. She charged her wand and fired a blast. The blast approached the enemy monster, but Dark Marik's face grew maniacal with triumph.

"Not so fast!" he cried. "That's as far as you'll go!"

Thomas grimaced upon hearing that. Down off of the platform, everyone else knew that what Dark Marik was about to do was gonna be terrifying.

"I reveal my Trap card!" Dark Marik poked a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Continuous Trap - Jam Defender!"

Dark Magician Girl's attack was caught by Egyptian God Slime.

"You remember this card's effect, don't you, Thomas?" asked the evil man.

"Yes." grunted Thomas. "It makes Revival Jam the only monster I can attack."

"And my Egyptian God Slime's ability also lets it be referred to as Revival Jam!" laughed Dark Marik. "That means your attack goes right back towards you!"

Egyptian God Slime hurled the blast right at a bewildered Dark Magician Girl, striking and throwing her to the ground right near her master.

"Dark Magician Girl!" cried Thomas. "Are you alright?"

Dark Magician Girl got back to her feet. "I'll be fine." she replied weakly.

"If I were you-" teased Dark Marik. "-I'd worry less about your silly monster, and worry more about your dwindling health. Especially since you know what happens next now that you've lost more life points!"

Thomas grunted as he lost 1000 life points (LP: 1300). And, as Dark Marik had so ' _kindly_ ' pointed out, Emily cried out in pain as another part of her body was erased by the shadows.

"Emily!" cried Thomas. "Millennium Puzzle, take part of my life-force to heal her!"

The Millennium Puzzle glowed and hit Emily with a golden bean, restoring what she had lost as Thomas became weaker.

"Heh heh heh..." Dark Marik chuckled sadistically. "Don't bother doing that any longer. You'll only weaken yourself even more. Besides...it's now your end phase, and that also means Bowganian will deal 300 points of damage to your life points!"

Bowganian opened fire from its weapon. The bolt went and struck Thomas in the chest, making him yell in pain (LP: 1000). Emily also gave a shriek as even more of her body faded away into the shadows.

"Oh, how I enjoy seeing innocent people suffer!" Dark Marik proclaimed excitedly. "If you use the Millennium Puzzle to heal your friend anymore times, you'll be too weak to duel and that means I will win by default! But if you don't, Emily will eventually be swallowed by the shadows the moment you lose the duel!"

"I don't care what happens to me!" argued Thomas. "I won't let Emily be hurt!"

He drained himself of more of his life-force to replenish Emily, stumbling weakly a bit in the process. That meant Thomas was nearing the limit of his impending death...

"Thomas, stop!" cried Emily, as part of her torso reappeared. "You'll only kill yourself!"

"I would rather die than lose you, Emily!" objected Thomas. "I won't let you be consumed by the shadows!"

"Please, Thomas, don't keep giving up your life-force!" The dark green-haired girl begged. "There has to be another way to end this madness!"

"If I don't give up my life-force-" insisted Thomas. "-you'll die!"

"And if you keep doing so-" argued Emily. "-then YOU'LL die! I don't want you to die!"

Before Thomas could say anymore, he coughed weakly and noticed a few small drops of blood on his hand.

"B-Blood?!"

Dark Marik cackled madly. "Now do you see what you're doing to yourself? You're basically doing all of the work for me!"

"He's right, Thomas!" called Emily. "As much as I hate to admit it..."

"I don't care!" snapped Thomas stubbornly. "Losing you is the one thing I would never forgive myself for!"

As Thomas and Emily both argued on their predicament in the duel, Light Marik, unknowingly to anyone at the time, managed to regain some form of consciousness (once more), knowing that he had to do something to help both of his former enemies out of their situation. Down below the platform, Mavis continued to watch the duel with much worry for her friends' safety... All of a sudden, she felt someone taking over her mind as her eyes closed...and a male voice speaking from her own mouth...

"Don't hesitate, Thomas." came Light Marik's voice. "I am already prepared to die...!"

Percy, Gordon, and Toby were each the first to notice this.

"Mavis?" peeped Percy. "You okay?"

When Mavis opened her eyes, they were dull and expressionless.

"It's not Mavis." she said in a mixture of voices. "It's Marik."

Everyone in the audience recoiled in shock by this new bit of info.

"MARIK?!"

"The real Marik." Mavis (possessed) corrected. "The one Thomas is facing is my dark side."

"We rather figured that now." said Henry.

Dark Marik scowled at Light Marik, who continued to speak through Mavis.

"I want you to defeat my dark half." The possessed blonde-haired girl stated. "It's the only way to put an end to this tragic duel."

"So, you kept a piece of yourself inside Mavis all this time?" asked Thomas, turning around before collapsing onto a knee weakly.

"Yes. I wanted an extra precaution in case my dark half would find a way out."

"So you did." huffed Dark Marik. "I guess I didn't banish you long enough from that pitiful girl."

"So says the guy who tried to rape her afterward!" shouted Matt. "An act like that is absolutely despicable!"

"You stay out of this!" snapped the evil man, threateningly pointing the Millennium Rod at the dirty blonde-haired boy. "Unless you want a serious death wish on your part!"

Matt scowled and kept quiet. Either way, Light Marik resumed speaking to Thomas...

"Thomas, I swore I'd get revenge on you and your bloodline for killing my Father." Mavis (possessed) continued. "I formed the Rare Hunter group to try and kill you... but I didn't know the truth."

Percy ran over to the possessed blonde-haired girl, but then got pushed out of the way by her/him. Percy was caught by Toby while staring at his possessed friend, who then proceeded to point towards Dark Marik atop the platform.

"The one who killed my Father was the darkness spawned in my heart!" She/He then turned her attention towards Dark Marik. "That's right... it was YOU who did the deed!"

Dark Marik merely laughed in response. "Well now, Mr. Dominant Personality... In my opinion, you really should have realized that detail before this body became all mine for the taking. Now all you can do is gather up all of that guilt inside yourself...and take it with you to your grave!"

"The only thing I plan to take with me to the grave-" retorted Light Marik acidly. "-is YOU! I will make you pay for what you have done to my Father, and my whole life!"

"Right..." smirked Dark Marik. "I'm afraid that's currently impossible to do." He then turned his attention to Thomas. "Let me tell you a little secret about my deck... Its theme, as you likely know by now, is a little something called ' **Immortality** '! This means it's designed to protect my life points and give me brand new ways to revive The Winged Dragon of Ra over and over again until the enemy is crushed into oblivion! And my Egyptian God Slime here is my key wall monster!" The evil man looked back at Light Marik. "So, you see, I'm invincible! NO ONE can ever hope to destroy me. Not Spencer, not Percy, not Polly Stone, and certainly not some descendant of a lousy Pharaoh!"

The evil man gave another cackling laugh, while the captive Light Marik only scowled with what little of his face remained. Below the platform, the rest of the gang tried their absolute best to keep their spirits up over the fact that their enemy was right.

"Sister..." Mavis (possessed) spoke up once more, this time looking to Ishizu.

"Marik?"

"Again, I'm so sorry for everything. At this point, this is all I can do." She/He then spoke up to Thomas and Emily. "Thomas! Emily! You both must banish the evil in my heart into the darkness! And Thomas, this is one of your tests to prove yourself!"

"This is absurd!" sighed Dark Marik irritably, digging a finger in his ear. "Just go and die in a ditch somewhere, my weaker half! There is no way in hell that Thomas can ever beat me in a situation like this."

The blue-haired boy was breathing hard from the great pain he was in (blood was even dripping from his mouth). Dark Marik licked his lips once more in excitement.

"Now then... shall we continue with our ' _friendly_ ' duel?"

With that said, the evil man drew his card.

* * *

 **Turn Thirteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): Granadora, Class System, Bait Doll, The Mask of Remnants, and Magical Stone Excavation

* * *

Dark Marik added his drawn card to his hand and again looked over to his opponent's side of the field with a very sadistic snicker. Thomas was feeling so poorly right now that his hands trembled as he almost dropped his hand onto the ground. Dark Magician Girl nearly started to cry at seeing her master/friend's terrible condition.

"Such pain..." thought Dark Marik wickedly, smiling more sinisterly. "Such suffering... I _love_ it!" The veins on his face bulged insanely as he then took a card from his hand. "But enough of that... It's time for me to play a special something that will give me back Monster Reborn!"

The evil man slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, causing it to materialize face-up.

"And now... Behold the Spell card Magical Stone Excavation!"

"Magical Stone Excavation?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, Magical Stone Excavation." Dark Marik confirmed, discarding two cards from his hand. "All I have to do is send two cards from my hand to the graveyard-" As he spoke, a card slipped from his graveyard and he took hold of it. "-and I get to add one Spell card to my hand." The evil man then held it up. "Without a doubt, the one I pick..." He showed what it was. "...is Monster Reborn!"

"No!" cried Emily.

"Now Marik will be able to bring back his Winged Dragon of Ra once more!" exclaimed Toby in horror.

"Not yet." Discord stated. "When using Magical Stone Excavation, he is forbidden from using the returned Spell card for the rest of his turn."

On the platform, Dark Marik wagged his tongue about again.

"On my next turn, I'll special summon Ra! ...and it will be the end of both of you!"

Thomas and Emily both watched on in complete shock.

"Well, Thomas..." Dark Marik began rather calmly, but then gave the most demented face ever seen by anyone. "ARE YOU PREPARED YET?! The darkness of death is right in front of you and your girlfriend!"

The evil man cackled wildly as Thomas bravely (but weakly) stood his ground.

(elsewhere...)

Back aboard the blimp and inside Ishizu's room, everything was still and quiet there, and poor Odion was still sound asleep in the bed. It looked like hope for him was lost... All of a sudden, however, his eyes...snapped open!

"Master Marik!" The Egyptian man gasped.

Wow... Odion was finally awake from his coma. What does this even mean? Stay tuned to find out the answer, readers!

* * *

 **To be Continued!**


	74. The Final Battle of Darkness (4)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Dark Magician Girl began narrating the events of the previous chapter:

"This is awful! Thomas has been selflessly giving up his life-force energy to save Emily from being devoured by the shadows..."

Thomas grunted as he lost 1000 life points (LP: 1300). And, as Dark Marik had so ' _kindly_ ' pointed out, Emily cried out in pain as another part of her body was erased by the shadows.

"Emily!" cried Thomas. "Millennium Puzzle, take part of my life-force to heal her!"

The Millennium Puzzle glowed and hit Emily with a golden bean, restoring what she had lost as Thomas became weaker.

"Thomas, stop!" cried Emily, as part of her torso reappeared. "You'll only kill yourself!"

"I would rather die than lose you, Emily!" objected Thomas. "I won't let you be consumed by the shadows!"

"Please, Thomas, don't keep giving up your life-force!" The dark green-haired girl begged. "There has to be another way to end this madness!"

"If I don't give up my life-force-" insisted Thomas. "-you'll die!"

"And if you keep doing so-" argued Emily. "-then YOU'LL die! I don't want you to die!"

Before Thomas could say anymore, he coughed weakly and noticed a few small drops of blood on his hand.

"B-Blood?!"

Dark Marik cackled madly. "Now do you see what you're doing to yourself? You're basically doing all of the work for me!"

"He's right, Thomas!" called Emily. "As much as I hate to admit it..."

"I don't care!" snapped Thomas stubbornly. "Losing you is the one thing I would never forgive myself for!"

"To make things worse, Emily doesn't want Thomas to kill himself just to save her life...and I'm powerless to help either of them!"

"Go, Dark Magician Girl!" commanded Thomas.

Dark Magician Girl was more than happy to obey. She charged her wand and fired a blast. The blast approached the enemy monster, but Dark Marik's face grew maniacal with triumph.

"Not so fast!" he cried. "That's as far as you'll go!"

Thomas grimaced upon hearing that. Down off of the platform, everyone else knew that what Dark Marik was about to do was gonna be terrifying.

"I reveal my Trap card!" Dark Marik poked a button on his Duel Disk, causing his facedown card to flip up and reveal itself. "Continuous Trap - Jam Defender!"

Dark Magician Girl's attack was caught by Egyptian God Slime.

"You remember this card's effect, don't you, Thomas?" asked the evil man.

"Yes." grunted Thomas. "It makes Revival Jam the only monster I can attack."

"And my Egyptian God Slime's ability also lets it be referred to as Revival Jam!" laughed Dark Marik. "That means your attack goes right back towards you!"

Egyptian God Slime hurled the blast right at a bewildered Dark Magician Girl, striking and throwing her to the ground right near her master.

"Dark Magician Girl!" cried Thomas. "Are you alright?"

Dark Magician Girl got back to her feet. "I'll be fine." she replied weakly.

"What's more, Marik's evil half has used a card to add Monster Reborn back to his hand."

The evil man slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk, causing it to materialize face-up.

"And now... Behold the Spell card Magical Stone Excavation!"

"Magical Stone Excavation?" asked Thomas.

"Yes, Magical Stone Excavation." Dark Marik confirmed, discarding two cards from his hand. "All I have to do is send two cards from my hand to the graveyard-" As he spoke, a card slipped from his graveyard and he took hold of it. "-and I get to add one Spell card to my hand." The evil man then held it up. "Without a doubt, the one I pick..." He showed what it was. "...is Monster Reborn!"

"No!" cried Emily.

"Now Marik will be able to bring back his Winged Dragon of Ra once more!" exclaimed Toby in horror.

"Not yet." Discord stated. "When using Magical Stone Excavation, he is forbidden from using the returned Spell card for the rest of his turn."

"Well, Thomas..." Dark Marik began calmly, but then gave the most demented face ever seen by anyone. "ARE YOU PREPARED YET?! The darkness of death is right in front of you and your girlfriend!"

The evil man cackled wildly as Thomas bravely (but weakly) stood his ground.

* * *

 **Title: The Final Battle of Darkness, Part 4**

* * *

Outside the Duel Tower, all was quiet and peaceful... but not at the top. No way, man! Inside the Shadow Realm, it was a whole different story... Dark Marik was holding up his retrieved Monster Reborn Spell card and showing everyone from Thomas and Emily to the audience down below.

"Look carefully!" he ordered. "Monster Reborn has been added to my hand! And I'm sure you know what that means by now...!"

Thomas scowled weakly, but said nothing in response.

"It means I can once again summon The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Dark Marik continued, adding his favorite card to his hand. "The gate to the underworld is finally here to take you away, Thomas Billinton!"

"Well, tell it to stay closed!" shouted Thomas defiantly, before gripping onto his chest and coughing up more blood—although he resisted the pain. "As long as I have cards in my deck, and fire in my soul, I will fight on!"

"Brave talk for a dying boy." taunted the evil man. He then took another card from his hand and placed it sideways onto a monster field slot. "Now I'll summon a new playmate for you to deal with. Say hello to Granadora!"

An aquatic reptile-like monster materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 700).

"This monster, like the rest of my fiendish beauties, has a special effect." The evil man pointed out. "On every single one of my standby phases, so long as it remains in defense mode at all times, I gain 1000 life points!"

"1000 life points?!" gasped Gordon.

"That must be to pay for that annoying Phoenix ability!" James guessed.

"Exactly!" laughed Dark Marik. "That means on my next turn, not only will Ra return to the field again, but it will become Egyptian God Phoenix in order to roast you alive, Thomas Billinton! They'll have to bury what's left of you in a soup can!" He then took a final card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

A facedown card materialized.

"As long as Marik's dark half has that Immortal God Slime on the field and protecting him, I can't get an attack off without getting hurt in the process." muttered the weakened Thomas to himself.

"But that's not the worst part." The voice of Emily spoke up.

Thomas looked up to his dark green-haired friend silently.

"If Marik's dark half takes anymore big damage-" continued Emily. "-then there's a chance good Marik will die. We have to find a way to beat ONLY that dark half!"

"It won't be easy." Thomas replied, looking to his hand. "Nothing I have will help us right now."

His current hand consisted of Kuriboh, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Dark Magician, and Soul Taker.

"What can I do...?"

Down off of the platform, Thomas's friends were talking about the serious situation the blue-haired boy was in.

"Man, this is awful." Percy groaned.

James cursed aloud. "That dark half of Marik is just too freakin' powerful!" he complained.

"How's Thomas supposed to beat him?" asked Molly with a worried tone in her voice.

"He can barely even stand." added Henry.

Back on the platform, Dark Marik gazed at his graveyard excitedly while in his thoughts...

"Just wait one more turn, Ra." he said mentally to the graveyard. "Then, we will finally eliminate Thomas Billinton and his little girlfriend once and for all!"

Obelisk the Tormentor and Egyptian God Slime, meanwhile, both continued to gaze at each other hatefully with low growls.

"Once Obelisk is gone from the field, Thomas will have nothing left to stop me from finally killing him!"

Below the platform, Mavis (possessed) began to speak up once more...

"Thomas is hesitating to attack." she commented. "You can't see the darkness of the Shadow Game he and my dark half are fighting."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" asked an angry Percy. "It's not about connecting the players to their monsters with a rope, like with me, isn't it?"

"No." denied Mavis (possessed). "They've both got someone important to them as sacrifices for the duel. When one duelist's life points hit zero, that sacrifice will be devoured by the shadows. That includes the portion of myself in Mavis's mind."

"But that dark half of yours doesn't care about losing you!" protested Edward.

"Of course he doesn't. He cares only for himself and what he wants. But my dark half knows full well about how much Thomas cares for Emily. That's why he made her Thomas's sacrifice."

Back on the platform, Thomas was looking reluctant to take his turn.

"What's the matter with you, boy?" called Dark Marik. "It's your turn now!"

Still, Thomas didn't do anything. Light Marik, still captive and barely conscious, noticed this.

"Why doesn't he want to destroy me?" he thought. "Especially after everything I put him through?"

A series of flashbacks ensured.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Arkana then held out one arm in a dramatic fashion like a magician would.

"And now prepare yourselves!" he proclaimed. "It's showtime! Dark Magician, attack Thomas's life points directly with Dark Magic Attack!"

(evil) Dark Magician was more than happy to obey, firing off a powerful blast from his own scepter right at Thomas, striking and making him scream in agony as the air all around him fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors.

(new scene...)

Suddenly, the mime began to speak normally...in a mixture of voices.

"We meet yet again, Thomas Billinton." said the voice. "I told you to beware the Quiet One, didn't I?"

Thomas instantly recognized the voice.

"Marik!" he sneered.

"The time has come for me to face you directly!" The mime (possessed) stated. "And when I win, your life will be forfeited!"

(new scene...)

Percy (possessed) started to laugh insanely. "Now be struck by the flames of the underworld!"

A huge fireball shot out of the card and struck Thomas, causing him to yell in extreme pain (LP: 2000).

"STOP IT!" screamed Mavis, sounding like she was about to cry. "PLEASE, STOP HURTING HIM!"

But Percy only continued to laugh savagely, with even Emily joining in the evil laughter.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I don't get it..." thought Light Marik to himself. "Why does he still want to help me?"

Down below; despite breathing hard, Thomas was determined to take his turn.

"M-My...turn!" he struggled to say aloud, slowly drawing a card from his deck.

* * *

 **Turn Fourteen** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 1000)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (5): Kuriboh, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Dark Magician, Soul Taker, and Spell Duplication

* * *

"Remember, Thomas." reminded Emily. "Our real enemy is Marik's dark half. There has to be a way to defeat him."

"I know..." The blue-haired boy winced, taking two cards from his hand. "All I can do...is set these two cards facedown."

Two facedown cards materialized behind Obelisk and Dark Magician Girl. Thomas then took and placed another card (monster card) sideways onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk.

"Finally I'll summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode!"

The familiar beast appeared to the field (Level: 4/DEF: 1200). However, now that it was Thomas's end phase...

"Now, Bowganian!" commanded Dark Marik, with a look of pure excitement on his warped face. "Use your special effect! Fire a crossbow bolt at Thomas and make his pain more worse than it already is!"

Bowganian eagerly obeyed the command, raising and firing an energized arrow from its crossbow-like weapon. The arrow pierced through Gazelle (not destroying it) and struck Thomas through his chest.

"AUGH!" The blue-haired boy cried out, taking a stumble back from the slight damage (LP: 700).

"And now it's little Emily's turn to suffer from the Shadow Game!" Dark Marik cackled in sick amusement.

Emily screamed in pain as one of her eyes was erased into the shadows.

"If Billinton gives up anymore of his life-force to heal Emily-" thought Spencer with bloodshot eyes. "-he could possibly die."

Thomas, as soon as he was able to do so, placed a hand on his Millennium Puzzle. Right away, Emily knew what the blue-haired boy was going to do, and didn't want it to happen.

"Thomas, no..." The darkk green-haired girl begged. "Please don't! Don't give up any more of your life-force! You'll potentially kill yourself!"

But it was no good - Thomas screamed in extreme pain as the Millennium Puzzle's power, at the cost of more of his life-force energy, managed to replenish much of Emily's eye.

"Yes... YES!" yelled Dark Marik excitedly. "Keep it up!"

Poor Thomas could hardly stand. Every time he lost life points, Emily lost parts of her body to the darkness. Then Thomas had to give up parts of his life-force energy to try and keep her replenished and alive. But now it was taking its maximum toll on him. Worst of all, he was also down to 700 life points.

"Got to...keep going." Thomas said to himself weakly. "I can't...let Emily suffer...anymore!"

Dark Marik laughed sadistically. "Oh... feeling under the weather, are we? Well, much of that was by your own doing! Very soon, you'll be devoured by the darkness! ...along with poor, pathetic Emily, anyway!"

"No... I...won't..." Thomas managed to say, coughing up more blood in the process. "As long as...I keep...giving my life-force, Emily...will be...safe."

"Ha! You wish!"

Below the platform, Percy got even more angry and turned to grab Mavis (possessed) by her shirt collar.

"Do you see what's happening now?!" The green-haired boy yelled furiously. "It's because of your dark side everyone is suffering!"

"Percy, calm down!" protested Toby, trying to pull Percy off.

"No... he's right." Mavis (possessed) sighed sadly. "All I've done is cause misery to your friends. He has every right to be angry with me."

"Darn right!" Percy growled. "Now let my friend go, right now!"

Mavis (possessed) sighed once more. "As you wish."

The blonde-haired girl felt her eye droop down. When she opened them, they were normal once again.

"Huh? Where am I? What just happened?" Mavis noticed Percy holding her up by her shirt...doing so also exposed her tummy and navel. "Um, Percy... why are you grabbing at my shirt?" She then got a disgusted look on her face as it turned bright red. "You weren't thinking of..."

"No, of course not!" objected Percy, letting his friend go. "I've learned my lesson from that time. No... this time it was Marik's doing!"

"Say what?!"

And Percy explained what Marik had done to the blonde-haired girl and had said to the spectators.

"So, all this time Marik had a small piece of his power inside my body and soul?" Mavis asked in bewilderment.

"Looks like it." Matt nodded. "And so far, as you've been witnessing before becoming possessed, Thomas has been dueling that dark side while also sacrificing his own life-force energy to keep Emily from being eaten by the shadows...with very little success."

"But if he keeps doing that-" protested Mavis. "-he could die!"

"That is exactly what Marik's dark side is counting on." said Michael grimly. "He knows full well that Emily is extremely special to Thomas, and that's why he put her as Thomas's sacrifice."

"That snake!" growled Zack.

"What's worse-" added James R.. "-is if Marik does lose the duel, then only his good side will be swallowed by darkness... the evil half will remain alive regardless."

"So no matter what happens-" finished Gordon. "-Marik's dark side will be staying, and someone will be Shadow Realm food."

Up atop the duel platform, Thomas felt himself beginning to lose consciousness.

"No..." he mumbled quietly, struggling to stay awake. "Not now..."

But alas...because the blue-haired boy gave up TOO MUCH of his life-force energy to keep Emily from being devoured by the darkness, and the fact his life points were now dangerously low, the Shadow Game became more than he could ever hope to handle. Dropping the remaining cards in his hand, Thomas began clutching his chest in pain as though he were having...a heart attack.

"NO!" The blue-haired boy finally screamed out in intense agony, all thanks to his critically wounded heart. "Not...yet! Just...a little longer!"

But it was no use whatsoever; Thomas's heart soon stopped completely due to both the incredibly lethal injuries inflicted throughout the whole match and the lack of life-force energy he had given up to try and save Emily's life. From there, he finally closed his eyes and slowly began to fall to the ground.

"THOMAS!" cried out the blue-haired boy's friends.

"NOOOOOO!" screamed out the adults (Discord, Spencer and Skiff's parents, and Ishizu) in horror.

It was too late to prevent the inevitable from happening... Thomas collapsed to his knees and landed facedown on the platform, becoming completely motionless.

"Yes!" cackled Dark Marik in evil triumph. "What I've been waiting for has come at last... THOMAS BILLINTON'S DEATH!"

Silence filled the whole area for several seconds. Finally, after thinking the worst has actually happened...

"Get a doctor up here immediately!" cried Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Hold it!" called the referee, just before anything more could be said or done. "I will give Thomas Billinton exactly one minute to get back up and continue the match. If he does not stand within that time limit... then Marik Ishtar will win the duel by default."

No one, and I mean _**NO ONE**_ (not even Spencer), was happy to hear that _**AT**_ all!

"Are you that insane!?" screamed an enraged Gordon.

"Our friend is up there!" added James furiously. "...Badly hurt!"

Light Marik gazed at the fallen blue-haired boy with a look of horror on what was left of his face.

"No!" The reformed Rare Hunter leader thought to himself. "This is all my fault!"

While everyone off the platform was despairing over Thomas's death, a certain someone (who was still captured) was taking it far worse...

"Thomas! THOMAS!" screamed a crying Emily. "WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

But it did no good; Thomas didn't move a muscle and remained motionless. It would seem our blue-haired hero really was dead...

"Is he...?" Poor Molly couldn't finish what she was saying before bursting into tears.

James had to hold the black-haired girl in order to comfort her even though it looked like the red-haired boy was crying, too.

"He just can't be-!" bellowed Percy, beginning to cry himself.

Only one person (or monster) wasn't showing any sign of regret or remorse for his actions just now...

"Yes, he is!" laughed Dark Marik. "Thomas Billinton is dead at long last! ...but notice that none of the so-called holograms or the Shadow Realm have faded away?"

The evil man had made a very good point; Obelisk the Tormentor, Dark Magician Girl, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Bowgania, Granadora, Egyptian God Slime, and all of the remaining set/activated Spell/Trap cards were shown to be still present on the duel stage.

"He's right." said Edward. "Everything's still the same."

"But why?" questioned Toby.

"That's because I want to finish this Shadow Game...to the bitter end! Now bow before me, and I may consider letting you all live to see the dead boy's body burn into ash by the flames of Egyptian God Phoenix!"

"We would rather die than bow before an inhuman beast like you!" roared Gordon.

"Got that right!" put in James.

"Yeah!" finished Henry.

"Very well..." Dark Marik sighed emotionlessly, just before giving a very sadistic smile. "But don't say I didn't try to be generous!"

With that said, the evil man drew his next card.

* * *

 **Turn Fifteen** : Dark Marik (LP: 700)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (2): Monster Reborn and Surprise Attack From Beyond

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn card, the veins on Dark Marik's face bulged as he gave an evil laugh.

"This is exactly what I need!" The evil man thought to himself. "Once Obelisk the Tormentor is finally off the field, I'll finish off the dead boy and his girlfriend with the devastating One Turn Kill attack!" He then spoke aloud to. "First off, since we're on my standby phase, Granadora will give me 1000 more life points!"

Granadora's eyes glowed all red, causing Dark Marik's life points to increase by 1000 points as said (LP: 1700). Over with the dead Thomas, Dark Magician Girl slowly approached the blue-haired boy's lifeless body.

"Thomas..." whispered Dark Magician Girl, with tears falling from her eyes.

The female spellcaster turned Thomas over and placed a hand onto the boy's chest. She felt no heartbeat; only a heart that was completely dead from giving up his own life-force energy throughout the duel. With a look of determination on her face, Dark Magician Girl closed her eyes, kept her hand on the blue-haired boy's chest, and her whole body began to glow all pink.

"I won't let the darkness take you or Emily..."

(new location...)

Inside endless darkness, Thomas was conscious, sitting on the ground with his knees tucked close to his chest, feeling cold and all alone. As a result of his death atop the Duel Tower, he knew that he had lost the Shadow Game to Dark Marik. As a result, all of his friends and potentially the entire world were now gonna suffer at the hands of that evil man.

"I've failed." The blue-haired boy said to himself quietly. "I tried to stop Marik's dark side, but I failed to defeat him. Now everybody else in the whole world will suffer from his wrath, and it's all my fault; for not winning the duel, and not saving Emily. I'm so sorry..."

He closed his eyes in shame as a tear fell from his eye. From there, poor Thomas prepared to be consumed by the darkness all around him... Well, had it not been for one little detail...

"Thomas...!" called a female voice. "It isn't over!"

The defeated blue-haired boy stood up and looked around in desperation.

"Who's there?!"

Immediately, he was met by both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

"Dark Magician? Dark Magician Girl?" asked Thomas in surprise. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here to save you, my Pharaoh." answered Dark Magician. "We won't let you be consumed by the darkness."

"You have to remember what you're fighting for!" added Dark Magician Girl.

"I know what I'm fighting for..." replied Thomas, before sounding solemn. "But even that wasn't good enough... It only resulted in my death. I've let everyone, including you both, down..."

"No, Thomas!"

Thomas looked up. Dark Magician Girl had approaching, gently laid a hand on the left side of the boy's face, and gave him a kind, yet firm, look.

"You must not blame yourself for anything like this." she said. "You did not let anybody down."

"I didn't?" Thomas blinked.

"Besides, Emily and your friends aren't the only ones you're fighting for." reminded Dark Magician. "You're fighting for your other friends, too."

"Us." added Dark Magician Girl. "All of the monster cards in your deck who fight for you."

To prove their point, the two spellcasters crossed their weapons together.

"Together, we will show you!" They both said in unison.

A magic aura spread from their weapons.

"Whooooaaaaa!" cried Thomas, covering his face as light filled the world of darkness.

(new location...)

When the light faded away, the blue-haired boy uncovered his face and gasped at what he saw.

"Wow..."

He was now in the middle of what looked like a village in daylight.

"Where am I?" Thomas asked aloud.

"You're in the Duel Monsters spirit world." The voice of Dark Magician explained. "Now go forth, and you'll meet your destiny."

Thomas walked forth through the village. It seemed to be deserted. Suddenly, he was greeted by a very happy looking Kuriboh...

"Kuriboh?" asked Thomas.

Kuriboh happily floated around the blue-haired boy a few times before taking off nearby.

"H-Hey! Wait a minute!" Thomas gave chase, but soon stopped when he saw something that surprised him. "What the-!?"

Many, many Duel Monsters were gathered and standing before Thomas in a wide open area... They were all the monsters he used in many of his duels, and ranged from the three Poker Knights, the three Magnet Warriors, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Silver Fang, Archfiend of Gilfer, Feral Imp, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, etc.. Surprisingly, both Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon were there, too.

"My monsters!"

"Do you see, Thomas?" said Dark Magician Girl, walking forth. "Every single monster card in your deck will be there for you, no matter what. You are never alone."

Slowly, Thomas walked towards all of his monsters.

"I'm...not alone."

"Yes!" nodded Dark Magician. "You're not. You have all of us with you to the bitter end!"

The rest of the monsters nodded in agreement.

"Alright." mumbled Thomas, walking closer to his monsters. Finally, his voice took a confident turn. "Let's take that madman down once and for all...together!"

More light filled the area as everything faded to white.

(new location...)

Back in the Shadow Realm, the dead Thomas...started to stir.

"Huh?!" came from Dark Marik

"What?!" Emily exclaimed.

Dark Magician Girl opened her eyes, stopped glowing all pink, removed her hand from the boy's chest, and backed away. Thomas's eyes...suddenly began to flicker open.

"NO!" screamed Dark Marik, surprised greatly with what was going on. "This isn't possible!"

It was all true. Slowly getting back to his feet, Thomas Billinton was...

"THOMAS IS ALIVE!" cried Percy loudly.

"Thank heaven!" sobbed Molly happily, hugging James.

"I thought he was dead!" came from Carlie.

Back on the platform...

"Oh, Thomas!" wailed the captured Emily, just as more and more tears came streaming down her face. "I thought we...' _ **I**_ '...had lost you forever!"

Meanwhile...

"How? How?! HOW?!" ranted a horrified Dark Marik. "I've killed you! How could you be alive after all of the life-force energy draining processes you've done!?"

Thomas stumbled as he continued to try and get back up, but Dark Magician Girl quickly embraced the boy in a hug before turning and glaring at the evil man hatefully.

"He's alive, because he isn't alone." The female spellcaster said hotly. "He has the spirit of all his friends AND the monster cards in his deck that are fighting for him, and nothing you do can change that."

"Even then, he shouldn't even have the strength to stand!" argued Dark Marik.

Dark Magician Girl put Thomas's arm around her shoulder to help keep him balanced.

"In that case, ' ** _I_** ' will be his strength."

Slowly but surely, Thomas began to glow all pink and feel the friendship and love from each and every one of the monster spirits from his deck entering his body and especially his critically damaged heart, healing many of the wounds he sustained throughout the whole duel. From there, he and Emily both started glowing all white. Thomas soon fully recovered all of his lost life-force energy. In addition, the captured Emily's whole entire body was completely restored, too. Once Thomas and Emily both ceased glowing all white, Dark Magician Girl carefully went and let go of the blue-haired boy... who then entered a dueling stance in determination.

"Let's finish this duel now, Marik!" he announced with a proud smile, while in his thoughts right about now... "Thank you... my friends."

Dark Marik fell to his knees, gripped both hands to his head, and screamed in a primal rage over the turn of events. Below the platform, all of the spectators cheered for both of their friends' recovery. Spencer, meanwhile, kept a neutral look on his face—yet was pleased that Thomas was alive.

"As I expected from you, Billinton." Spencer thought, before smiling a little bit. "Even a Shadow Game can't seem to kill you."

Back on the platform, Dark Marik, after breathing hard from his roar of anger, slowly got back to his feet and sneered in disgust.

"So, you're relying on your silly monsters to help you, Thomas?" he asked mockingly. "How pathetic." The evil man then gave an evil smile. "Well, at least now I can try to burn you alive once and for all!"

With that said, Dark Marik took a card from his hand and slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"I activate Monster Reborn to bring back an old friend who is ' _ **dying**_ ' to return and destroy you!"

From there, Dark Marik folded is arms and began to chant an ancient language. As he did so, a large image of the Monster Reborn symbol rose up into the sky, forming The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"It's Ra again!" exclaimed Henry.

"Way to stat the obvious!" retorted James.

"Now I shall pay 1000 life points-" said Dark Marik (LP: 700). "-to transform Ra back into its invincible Egyptian God Phoenix form!"

As before, Ra suddenly burst into flames and showed its Phoenix form. In addition, upon losing more life points, more of Light Marik's body faded into the darkness.

"Egyptian God Phoenix..." muttered Thomas.

Below the platform, the whole crowd watched with horrified looks on their faces.

"Can I file this in the category of ' _Not too good_ '?" James asked in the most deadpan of tones.

"If Obelisk goes, then Thomas will have no chance of winning the duel!" complained Carlie.

"Say goodbye to Obelisk!" cackled Dark Marik. "Ra, destroy him now!"

With a mighty screech, Egyptian God Phoenix obeyed and charged at Obelisk the Tormentor.

"OBELISK!" cried out both Thomas and Emily.

Dark Magician Girl quickly looked over her shoulder and shouted something...

"Reveal facedown card!"

Thomas's first set card flipped face-up and revealed itself. Just then, a massive explosion of fire filled and rocked the whole platform.

"There goes your last hope!" Dark Marik grinned in triumph.

"What makes you think Obelisk is gone?" came Dark Magician Girl's voice.

"Huh?"

When the smoke cleared, a face-up card was shown... It was Monster Reborn.

"Monster Reborn?!" exclaimed Dark Marik. "But that card can't be activated on my turn—it's not a Quick-Play Spell card!"

Just then...

"You're right, Monster Reborn isn't a Quick-Play Spell card." came Thomas's voice.

The flames faded away enough to reveal the blue-haired boy, who had his eyes narrowed defiantly.

"Then how-?!" Dark Marik protested.

"When you sent Egyptian God Phoenix to attack-" pointed out Thomas. "-Dark Magician Girl here activated my set Spell Duplication card - which IS a Quick-Play Spell card!"

"What it does-" Emily spoke up, as more of the smoke faded away. "-is it allows Thomas to activate any amount of Spell cards used by you at anytime during the duel!"

"And the Spell card I chose to activate...is Monster Reborn!" finished Thomas.

Dark Marik's eyes widened. "What?!"

"And now take a look at the monster brought back!" Dark Magician Girl pointed upward.

The flames and smoke both died down and revealed that shielding Obelisk from the bombarding attack was...none other than Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon?!" bellowed Dark Marik in outrage.

"From using the effect of Spell Duplication-" explained Thomas. "-I used the effect of Monster Reborn to bring Slifer back to shield Obelisk and my remaining monsters from your Egyptian God Phoenix's attack! From what Spencer told me during our fated duel; ' ** _if an Egyptian God monster is in defense mode and an opponent's monster attacks normally or with an effect...the God monster will automatically take the blow instead_** '!"

Down below the platform...

"That was a very smart play, little Thomas!" called Gordon.

"Yes, indeed." agreed Discord. "Without that Spell card, Thomas would have lost Obelisk right there!"

"To challenge Ra with Obelisk as a sword and Slifer as a shield..." remarked Spencer.

"Hey, Spencer!" exclaimed Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "Look up there!"

The dead Slifer the Sky Dragon fell to the ground and vanished, causing Obelisk the Tormentor to give an enraged roar (a form of ' _ **This is Unforgivable**_!') in response.

"Obelisk...is angry." commented Skiff in bewilderment.

"That he is." agreed Spencer, before entering his thoughts... "And that anger is the key to unlocking Obelisk's greatest ability... can Billinton figure it out?"

"Ra-" commanded Dark Marik. "-return to the graveyard once more."

Egyptian God Phoenix screeched, obeyed, and went back into the evil man's graveyard.

"Does this mean you think you've won? My battle phase has come to an end, after all!"

"Huh?!" gasped Thomas.

"That soon?" came from Emily.

"Yes." said Dark Marik. "And before you ask why, I'll save you the trouble and SHOW you what I mean!" He held out his final card. "Surprise Attack From Beyond!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"Surprise Attack from Beyond?!" gasped Thomas.

"Because it is now my end phase, I can activate this card." explained Dark Marik. "Now I can revive Ra and conduct my battle phase again!"

"A card like that should be illegal!" objected Toby.

"Well, it's not! Now return to me at once, my Egyptian God monster!"

Light (not flames) glowed from Dark Marik's graveyard as Ra returned to the field... this time in its sphere form.

"Ra is in its sphere mode?" blinked Thomas.

"Unfortunately, it is." confirmed Dark Marik. "But that will change rather quickly. All I have to do is read the writing on the card successfully, and Ra will be in its battle mode once more!"

He crossed his arms to both shoulders. Everyone watched the evil man began to speak once more.

" **Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight**." Dark Marik chanted. " **Envelope the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe**."

The sphere started glowing and transforming.

" **Unlock your powers deep within, so that together we may win. Appear in this Shadow Game as I call your name**..." Dark Marik spread his arms out in welcome. " **Winged Dragon of Ra**!"

By now, the sphere had transformed into the full battle mode of The Winged Dragon of Ra...who let out a loud roar.

"Ra's battle mode..." Thomas thought to himself. "And, if my hunch is right, it means Marik is about to perform THAT ability..."

"Behold, Thomas Billinton, I'm about to become one with God once more!" continued Dark Marik (LP: 1), just as most of his body began fading away again. "How, you might ask? Easy... by giving up all but one of my life points, I can add them to Ra's attack points and its One Turn Kill ability!"

Light Marik was shown to be only down to his eye now, while Dark Marik was laughing maniacally atop The Winged Dragon of Ra's head (ATK: 699).

"Is it time?" Emily turned and asked Thomas.

"It is..." confirmed the blue-haired boy. "It's now or never!"

"Behold!" bellowed Dark Marik. "I have become one with God once more!"

He began to evil laugh once more as The Winged Dragon of Ra gave yet another loud roar as it then prepared to attack and finish both of the opponents off. Thomas and Emily then both looked to each other once more...

" **In this one moment, we can beat Marik's dark personality and The Winged Dragon of Ra at the same time**!" The two teenagers spoke in unison.

"And now, Thomas, as soon as I'm able to do so, I'll also tribute all of my remaining monsters and I can add their attack points to my Winged Dragon of Ra's attack points!" continued Dark Marik. "By doing so, it will give my monster a grand total of 6899 attack points!"

He was right; the combined attack points of Egyptian God Slime (ATK: 3000), Bowganian (ATK: 1300), and Granadora (ATK: 1900) would equal 6200, plus the original 699 would equal 6899 attack points for Ra-more than enough to destroy Obelisk the Tormentor and defeat Thomas and Emily. The evil man's vein exposed face then grew more excited as he entered the battle phase once more...

"But before the grand finale, do either of you have any last words you'd like to share with our ' _dear_ ' audience before I—or rather ' _ **we**_ '—begin the assault?"

Thomas smirked. "As a matter of fact... we do!"

Dark Marik raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Emily began. "The moment you've shown all of us what you really are...!"

"Nothing but a coward who always hides behind his Egyptian God, relying on it to kill those before you instead of doing the deed by yourself!" added Thomas acidly. "Ra isn't a monster in this matter, Marik, YOU ARE!"

Dark Marik scowled, but said nothing. This allowed Thomas to continue...

"And now, I reveal my set card!" He then poked a button on his Duel Disk. "Soul Taker!"

The blue-haired boy's second facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"A Quick-Play Spell card?" Dark Marik quizzed.

Below the platform...

"Big brother, isn't that card-?" began Skiff.

"Soul Taker... That Spell card will grant Marik 1000 life points." Spencer said to the younger boy. "In addition, it will also allow Billinton to tribute a monster on his opponent's field."

Skiff gasped. "That means he can get rid of Ra!"

Back on the duel platform, Thomas was explaining the effect of his Quick-Play Spell card.

"Soul Taker is a Spell card that grants you a 1000 life point bonus." explained the blue-haired boy. "But it also allows me to tribute a monster on your side of the field as if it were my own."

Dark Marik grimaced (LP: 1001). "You're...gonna sacrifice Ra?"

The magic of Soul Taker engulfed the field.

"If Thomas offers The Winged Dragon of Ra, then Marik's dark half will be gone, too!" Matt exclaimed.

"But isn't Ra unaffected by cards like those?" asked Mavis.

Atop The Winged Dragon of Ra, Dark Marik would have to agree with the blonde-haired girl's statement about his monster...

"But you're forgetting... The Winged Dragon of Ra is immune to Spell and Trap cards like that!"

However, it turned out Thomas had something else in mind to tribute... The blue-haired boy then gave a slight smile to taunt his opponent.

"Whoever said I was going for Ra?" he asked in a cheeky tone. "My real target is... your _**Immortal God Slime**_!"

Soul Taker immediately switched targets, going from The Winged Dragon of Ra to Egyptian God Slime.

"But why?!" demanded Dark Marik.

"I think it's my turn to say this little line... ' _ **See for yourself**_!'"

Egyptian God Slime was taken onto Thomas's side of the field, and separated back into both Metal Reflect Slime and Revival Jam.

"As it is a fusion monster-" explained Thomas. "-it counts for two tributes. That means I can use it for Obelisk's hidden and most powerful ability of them all!"

Obelisk started to crush the two monsters into dust, causing it to grow and become even more powerful than ever before. Everyone down below the platform gasped at what was happening.

"Take a look at Obelisk!" Henry exclaimed, pointing up at the blue God monster.

"Its attack stat is climbing higher and higher!" added Percy.

"Is it broken?" asked Ben.

"No." said Spencer. "That's another ability of Obelisk."

Obelisk's power climbed higher and higher and higher until its body turned purple with great power.

"This is the key to Obelisk's greatest ability." though Spencer. "And Billinton figured it out well."

"Behold, Marik!" shouted Thomas. "This is the most powerful ability of Obelisk the Tormentor - SOUL ENERGY MAX!"

"S-Soul Energy MAX?!" Dark Marik recoiled somewhat.

Obelisk gave a fearsome roar as its attack stat finished going straight up. It was now listed as the following...(ATK: ∞).

"Whoa!" cried Percy. "Infinite attack points?!"

"THIS DUEL IS DONE!" roared Thomas in a booming voice.

Dark Marik panicked for a moment, but wasn't licked just yet.

"Not yet." said the evil man quickly. "I sacrifice both my remaining monsters and all but one of my life points!"

Granadora and Bowganian both faded away in blue streaks, and Dark Marik grinned a bit as his life points took a hit (LP: 1). The Winged Dragon of Ra then gave a roar as it grew even more powerful (ATK: 699 - 4899).

"By doing so, I've made my Winged Dragon of Ra stronger than before."

"It's still no match for Obelisk!" argued Thomas.

"Then go ahead and attack The Winged Dragon of Ra, boy!" Dark Marik dared. A demented look then appeared on his already warped face. "If you think you can win the duel with one attack, then show me!"

"Obelisk!" commanded Thomas. "Attack The Winged Dragon of Ra with Fist of Fury!"

Obelisk the Tormentor gave off yet another angry roar before charging both its fists and punching them forth towards the seemingly vulnerable Winged Dragon of Ra. Upon collision, there was a massive explosion that clouded and rocked the whole platform/tower...again.

"Not again!" James complained, bracing himself from the force of the attack.

"Did Thomas win?" asked Henry, also bracing himself.

Back on the platform...

"Did it work?" asked Emily.

"We're about to find out." answered Thomas, upon recovering from the force of the attack.

When the arena stopped shaking, and part of the smoke cleared away, Obelisk the Tormentor was shown...to be kneeling in great pain.

"What the-?!"

Down below the platform, everyone else was shocked to see this, too.

"Obelisk looks like it's in pain!" came from Mavis.

"Obelisk's attack should have worked!" protested Spencer, as his eyes became bloodshot.

When the smoke cleared, it was shown that The Winged Dragon of Ra...had survived without a scratch.

"Surprise!" announced Dark Marik from atop his Egyptian God monster's head, and then began to laugh wickedly.

"But how?" exclaimed Thomas in shock. "Obelisk should have destroyed Ra!"

"Why not tell that to my other set Spell card?" teased Dark Marik, pointing down towards the ground. Down below, there was a face-up Quick-Play Spell card called... "Class System!"

"Class System?!" gasped Spencer.

"One of the most broken cards in the whole game!" came from Michael.

"Marik was packing one of those for emergencies like this!" added James R..

"No fair!" complained Carlie.

Back on the duel platform...

"I must applaud the both of you... that was a really good try on attempting to beat my Egyptian God monster! ...but thanks to this powerful Quick-Play Spell card-" explained Dark Marik. "-if a monster you control uses an effect or just plain old attacks a monster I control, and it has a star level that is less than or equal to my own monster, your attack or effect...will be negated entirely!"

"Since Obelisk and Ra are equal in level..." grumbled Thomas.

"...Obelisk's Soul Energy MAX effect was cancelled out." Emily finished.

"That is correct!" Dark Marik confirmed, chuckling evilly. "Now there is nothing left for you to even do to stop my great beast! Thanks to Surprise Attack from Beyond, this is the final battle phase of your life, Thomas Billinton!"

Thomas scowled in frustration. Meanwhile, Obelisk's attack went back down to its original amount and its color went back to just blue (ATK: ∞ - 4000).

"Looks like Billinton missed his chance." thought Spencer grimly.

Everyone else in the audience else just couldn't believe it. Was Thomas actually about to lose to Dark Marik?

"Is this really the end?" asked Zack.

"It sure looks like it." said Michael gloomily.

"Oh, the indignity!" groaned Gordon.

On the platform...

"Winged Dragon of Ra! Destroy Obelisk and everyone else atop this tower..." commanded Dark Marik. "GOD BLAZE CANNON!"

The Winged Dragon of Ra finally went and fired an extremely powerful blast of fire towards Obelisk the Tormentor. Dark Marik's vein-exposed face contained wicked glee at his impending victory.

"I win!"

"Are you sure about that?" Thomas suddenly asked, now smirking.

"What?!" Dark Marik gasped, losing his own smirk.

"Facedown card, open!" The blue-haired boy announced, holding his hand out as his third set card flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Magical Dimension!"

Unlike the other Magical Dimension Spell card, this one had a much different artwork and likely a different effect.

"Unlike the previous Magical Dimension card I've used in a number of duels before this match, this version works a bit differently."

Below the platform, much of the spectators were confused on the effect of this new version of the Magical Dimension Quick-Play Spell card Thomas used once before.

"Why's he using a different one?" Percy questioned. "The other one was just fine."

"Let's see what Thomas-boy has planned." suggested Discord. "I think this card might be just the ticket in helping him turn the duel around..."

On the duel platform, Thomas began to explain his new card's effect...

"First, just like the original copy, this powerful Spell card requires a spellcaster-type monster to be on my side of the field! That means my Dark Magician Girl!"

Dark Magician Girl winked and posed for battle.

"Second, I must now make a double sacrifice of monsters." Thomas added, holding up two fingers. "Those tributes will be done by both Gazelle and...Obelisk!"

"What?!" cried Dark Marik in surprise. "You would sacrifice an Egyptian God?"

"Yes! And by doing so, I can evade your attack and end the battle phase!"

Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Obelisk the Tormentor (more slowly) both were absorbed into magical tornados, causing the Blaze Cannon attack to miss its mark once the two monsters were gone from the field.

"This is known as...Sacrifice Escape!" explained Thomas.

Despite being initially surprised at the play, Dark Marik started laughing like a madman afterwards.

"Well now, I guess you wish to die more quickly than I thought." he commented teasingly. "Without Obelisk the Tormentor, you have no chance of beating me!"

"Obelisk has served me well-" said Thomas, closing his eyes briefly before opening them while filled with burning determination. "-but now I must call upon my final hope."

"And what hope do you have left? You've escaped my attack, yes... But you still have nothing left to stop Ra from killing you and Emily on my NEXT turn!"

"That's where you're wrong!" snapped Thomas. "I have the support of my friends! Both human and the monster cards inside my deck! And together, we will take both you and your Egyptian God monster down, Marik!"

Just then, rising from the ground was a familiar golden, spellcaster-shaped casket, but this one had no chains and was colored and designed a bit differently than the original version of the card...

"Magical Dimension has another effect." The blue-haired boy continued, readying one of the final two cards from his hand. "Once your battle phase has been negated, I'm allowed to special summon from my hand one spellcaster-type monster in attack position!"

"What?!" cried Dark Marik in surprise.

The casket started to open itself up. It was shining white light on the inside.

"Show yourself... DARK MAGICIAN!" announced Thomas, thrusting his right hand forth dramatically.

From there, the shining white light faded away, along with the casket. Once the light was gone, standing where the casket originally stood was the blue-haired boy's ace monster in all his glory (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).

"Yes! Thomas has his two ace monsters out!" cheered Percy. "Not only that, he was able to evade Ra's attack and negate Surprise Attack from Beyond."

"I see now..." thought Spencer, smirking with approval. "Obelisk was a decoy to summon Dark Magician. I'll admit it was a clever move, Billinton..."

"Now that I finally have both of my ace monsters out-" said Thomas confidently. "-they will be your ultimate undoing!"

Dark Marik suddenly laughed. "And what could those puny magicians do against my Winged Dragon of Ra?" he asked mockingly. "Do they plan to turn it into a newt?"

"I want you to observe as I activate my final facedown card!" The blue-haired boy shouted, as he poked a button on his Duel Disk. From there, the only set card left on the field flipped face-up and revealed itself to be... "Ragnarok!"

"That's the one Spell card that will decide everything!" exclaimed James.

Back on the platform...

"Ragnarok?" Dark Marik blinked, recognizing the card. "Isn't that-?"

"That's right!" confirmed Thomas, cutting off his opponent. "With Ragnarok now activated, your Egyptian God will fall here and now! This almigty Spell card can only be played when I control on the field any two spellcasters with the names ' _ **Dark Magician**_ ', ' _ **Dark Magician Girl**_ ', ' _ **Dark Sage**_ ', or ' _ **Magician of Black Chaos**_ '. When I do so, I can go and banish every remaining monster from my hand, deck, and graveyard to allow the two ' _ **Dark Magicians**_ ' I control to go and destroy every single monster on my opponent's side of the field and remove them from the game!"

The blue-haired boy narrowed his eyes fiercely and point forth at The Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Marik! Since you're currently fused with The Winged Dragon of Ra, YOU will go alongside it!"

Dark Marik almost looked worried at first, but then smirked with satisfaction. "But once I'm gone, what will that mean for my weaker self?"

"What are you talking about?" Thomas demanded.

"Even if you do destroy Ra right now, you'll leave me with only one life point! And, as you can see right now, my dominant personality doesn't even have the strength to survive on one measly life point!"

Emily then realized that the evil man had a very good point, indeed.

"He's right!" The dark green-haired girl said to Thomas. "We could end up potentially killing him in the process!"

"That's correct!" Dark Marik confirmed, not losing his smirk. "By destroying Ra, you'd be sacrificing the life of my dominant half in the process!"

Thomas grimaced in horror at what he had been about to do; another unforgivable act (namely killing an innocent person). Dark Marik started to taunt his opponent over the situation.

"How ironic..." The evil man joked with sick amusement. "You're willing to let my weaker self die to defeat me... Especially after promising my dear ' **sister** ' you would save him."

Thomas looked down off the platform towards Ishizu, who had a look of pure horror on her face. She would potentially lose her brother forever if the blue-haired boy went through with his play...

"He's right..." Thomas thought. "I can't go through with my play to rid the field of Ra, lest Ishizu loses her brother in the process!"

Dark Marik laughed maniacally. "So long as I have ' _him_ ' as a living sacrifice, I can never lose to anyone... especially to you!"

"What a snake!" snapped James. "Using his own host as a living shield!"

"How can Thomas win now?" complained Henry.

"Thomas can't win at alll!" exclaimed Dark Marik. There was a look of pure cruelty and insanity on his vein-exposed face. "Not unless he is prepared and willing to kill my weaker half just to get at me! But no matter what happens now, I'll be staying in this body forever! While my weaker self will be gone along with the boy AND the girl!"

And the evil man began to laugh psychotically once more. Yes, this situation looked incredibly bleak for not only Thomas and Emily, but Light Marik as well...

* * *

 **To be Continued!**

* * *

This is the final chapter of 2016. Stay tuned for the next one in early January.

Happy New Years everyone!


	75. The Final Battle of Darkness (5)

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Atop the Duel Tower and inside the Shadow Realm, Thomas was in deep trouble. He had both of his ace monsters on the field (Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl) and a face-up Spell card (Ragnarok), but that wasn't the reason why the blue-haired boy was in a tough position. Not even close... The real reason why he was in such a tight spot was due to Light Marik (Dark Marik's offering) being very close to dying, and likely would die if Thomas did go through with his game winning move.

"So..." taunted Dark Marik, while still merged with The Winged Dragon of Ra. "Are you gonna go through with your play...or not?"

Thomas knew that if he did, then Light Marik would possibly be killed. Unfortunately, he had also wanted to defeat Dark Marik and save Emily's life. What was the blue-haired boy going to do now?

"I'm trapped." Thomas thought to himself. "No matter what happens now, someone's gonna be sacrificed to the darkness..."

Below the platform, James yet again swore aloud in frustration at the situation his two friends were in.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" complained the red-haired boy. "How's anybody supposed to defeat that guy if he keeps finding ways to save himself?"

"You really don't want me to answer that question." Gordon replied in a deadpan tone.

Dark Marik suddenly laughed some more. "I have an answer if anyone's interested!"

Everyone in the audience was silent (and glaring at the evil man in anger) over the statement... but Dark Marik began explaining anyway for the kicks and giggles...

"The only way to destroy me is by destroying my weaker half in the process." he stated, before looking up at Light Marik. "That means no matter what you do, even if you destroy me while I am merged with Ra, both of us will die!"

"That is a load of rubbish!" shouted Discord. "If Marik is sacrificed to the darkness when Thomas-boy goes through with his attack, then you'll remain alive no matter what happens in the outcome! You said so yourself!"

"How right you are, Mr. Crawford!" proclaimed Dark Marik insanely. "It is a brilliant strategy made by me and only me..." His cruel smirk grew more widely wicked. "As you all can clearly see by now, no one can ever win against someone like me in a Shadow Game... Especially if there is an offering, like my dominant personality here, on the line!"

The evil man started to laugh maniacally once more at his own, seemingly brilliant, strategy. Yes, it was all looking really bleak right now for both Thomas and Emily. No matter what happened next, Dark Marik would win the Shadow Game in the end (even if he was defeated in the duel). It looked like it was all over for Light Marik, I'm afraid... Well, it would have been all over for Light Marik had it not been for one little thing...

"MASTER MARIK!" screamed out a new voice (male).

Everybody on and off the platform looked to nearby and became very surprised at what they saw. Staggering up from the elevator, and being helped by both Liz and Ryan, was a now conscious Odion!

"I SHALL PROTECT YOU!"

Up in the air, the eye on the remains of Light Marik's face widened.

"Odion?" he whispered weakly.

* * *

 **Title: The Final Battle of Darkness, Part 5**

* * *

Back up on the platform, Thomas and Emily were both surprised to say the least.

"It's him..." whispered Thomas (LP: 700).

"Odion..." added Emily.

"Odion!" gasped Ishizu, shocked to see that her adopted brother was back on his feet.

"What's he doing here?" questioned Percy, before noticing his sister and brother-in-law. "Liz, Ryan, you both brought him here?"

"He asked us to." said Ryan.

"We were looking after Lady and Duck when we-" trailed Liz.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Inside the medical room aboard the blimp, Ryan and Liz were both looking after Lady.

"How much time does she have to live before she could never wake up?" Liz asked her husband.

Ryan looked at his watch. Upon seeing the time, he got an upset look on his face.

"Over half-an-hour left, I'm afraid." sighed the purple-haired young man.

Liz gave a sad sigh of her own, but then suddenly perked up like she heard a sound of a sort.

"Did you hear that, Ryan?"

"What?" asked Ryan. "What's the matter?"

"I thought I heard movement." said the blonde-haired young woman, looking to the doorway. "Outside."

Upon exiting the room, the couple found Odion struggling to walk through the hallway.

"That was Percy's opponent." exclaimed Ryan. "The fake Marik... no, Odion."

"What's he doing up?" Liz quizzed. "Last I remember, he was out cold."

"I...have...to save...Master Marik..." said Odion weakly to himself.

Unable to stand it any longer, Liz and Ryan both ran over to the injured man.

"What are you doing up? You should be resting." Ryan pointed out.

"I...must...get...to...Master...Marik." replied Odion wearily. "I...must...save...him!"

"From Thomas?" asked Liz.

"From himself."

While trying to continue on, Odion suddenly slumped against the wall like he was gonna faint again.

"Here, let us help you." offered Liz, kindly taking Odion's arm, while Ryan took the other arm.

"Thank you..." The Egyptian man groaned. "You're both...very kind..."

The two adults took Odion under their shoulders and helped him along.

"So, um, if you don't mind me asking-" said Ryan, once he and Liz managed to get Odion outside the blimp. "-but why do you want to save Marik from himself?"

"I am the only one who can help him keep his darker half at bay." answered Odion.

"Darker side?" Liz blinked. "What do you mean by darker side?"

As she and Ryan continued to help Odion to the Duel Tower, the Egyptian man began to explain more in detail on what Marik's dark side was.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended. Odion slowly moved forth towards the platform! ...but mainly to Dark Marik.

"I only hope I'm not too late." The Egyptian man thought to himself. "I remember Master Marik's words before he faded away..."

Up atop The Winged Dragon of Ra's head, Dark Marik holded his arms and gave a sneer upon seeing that Odion was still alive.

"Tch! So, you were alive all along, Odion..." he grumbled. "You're far tougher than I first anticipated! ...but even showing your face around here won't actually make a difference to me at all." The evil man then grinned evilly. "Do you know why that is the case? Because I won't be switching out for my weaker half anytime soon!"

Light Marik weakly looked down towards his servant/friend/brother.

"Od-ion..." The reformed Rare Hunter leader thought to himself weakly.

Odion continued to breath hard while weakly walking forth, much to everyone else's concern on the Egyptian man's ill health.

"Are you okay, Odion?" asked James, looking concerned.

"Man, you can't even walk straight." James R. added in a worried tone. "Try not to overdue it."

As he walked towards the platform, Odion stumbled slightly and almost collapsed again.

"Hey!" Percy cried out, about to run over and help the Egyptian man before Ishizu stepped in to stop him.

"Let him be." requested Ishizu calmly.

"But, Ishizu-!"

The Egyptian woman looked back towards Odion. "This is something Odion needs to do by himself."

Odion, meanwhile, finally managed to reach the platform and looked up to Dark Marik while still breathing hard. The evil man gave a snort of amusement upon seeing the carving on the left side of the Egyptian man's face.

"Keh! What a repulsive carving!" teased Dark Marik. "One that has no more meaning. My weaker half's mind is like a candle flame in the wind... he doesn't even have the strength to speak, let alone the power to live!"

He then started to laugh savagely at his enemy. Odion, meanwhile, started to speak up in utter defiance...

"You're wrong... I know the real Master Marik can fight you and regain control of his body and soul."

"Just look at him!" barked Dark Marik, looking to his left. "Only a single fragment of him remains alive, and if I go down in this Shadow Game - so does he!"

That was true indeed; the single eye of Light Marik was all that remained of him (and was also looking very weak by now). Either way, Odion wasn't about to give up on his master just like that... Not even close! He'd be forever damned if his adopted brother was lost forever to the darkness.

"Master Marik!" called Odion, refusing to believe that Light Marik would die if Dark Marik were to lose the Shadow Game. "You have to regain control! The cruel fate of Tomb-Keepers is what brought this tragedy upon us. Resentment towards the Ishtar clan..."

Another flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Back to when Marik received the carvings on his back and spawned his dark half.

"I know you've shown that sign of resentment to the laws of our clan." Odion narrated. "Anger and hatred lying dormant within you is what created the evil that stands before us."

The scene switches to when Odion was ruthlessly whipped by Mr. Ishtar into unconsciousness...which spawned Dark Marik for the first time. The Millennium Rod glowed all gold and 'Marik' laughed quietly.

"Well now, this item seems to accept me." The possessed boy said snidely.

"Put it down!" command Mr. Ishtar. "I command you!"

'Marik' turned and glared at his Father in anger.

"Shut up!"

"Marik, you-!" snarled Mr. Ishtar.

'Marik' responded by turning and aiming the Millennium Rod at his Father. Suddenly, Mr. Ishtar was thrown by the Rod's power into a wall. As 'Marik' chuckled and approached his 'Father', removed the handle of the Rod and revealed a terrible secret about the item... The Millennium Rod was actually half rod—half dagger. 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar and readied the weapon.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the chamber, Mr. Ishtar's screams echoed followed by 'Marik's' insane laughter.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside, Mr. Ishtar was now lying in a pool of blood (some blood could also be seen on the walls).

"So much for him." 'Marik' chuckled sadistically, before looking to the immobile Young Ishizu on the wall. "Now for you, sister!"

"N-No... stop, my b-brother!" begged Young Ishizu.

'Marik' ignored her cries and began to approach with the dagger, intending to stab her to death like he ('Marik') did to his Father! ...well, at least until...

"M-Master..." came the weak voice of Odion.

'Marik' stopped approaching Ishizu and looked towards that wounded brother of his. Odion was actually still alive despite the severe loss of blood.

"Still alive are you?" 'Marik' sneered, turning his attention to Odion and raising the dagger up. "This time, I'll make sure you are sent to-"

Odion weakly raised is head, showing the markings on the left side of his face. Suddenly, 'Marik' dropped the Millennium Rod and fell to his knees in extreme pain.

"W-What's-?"

When 'Marik' brought his head back up, he had his normal look back.

"W-what happened?" The young boy asked weakly.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Dark Marik immediately grew furious at the Egyptain man's defiance.

"Be silent!" he bellowed, aiming the Millennium Rod at Odion and firing a blast of energy at him.

Odion was struck and sent flying back into the wall, leaving a nasty imprint on the stone wall.

"Odion, no!" cried Ishizu, scared for her older brother's safety.

But Odion merely stood back up and slowly walked back to the platform whilst speaking some more.

"Master Marik, you're trying to seal yourself into hopeless darkness." he said. "Even if you linger in that darkness, you must live on. It's not only the Tomb-Keeper's fate, but the fate of all humans."

The eye of Light Marik listened on, but Dark Marik merely flipped out some more.

"SHUT UP!" The evil man roared, aiming the Millennium Rod out once more. " _ **SHUT UP**_!"

Another blast sent Odion back again. The weakened Egyptian man crashed into the railing...but thankfully didn't fall over.

"Humans don't live because they're looking for hope." Odion went on, getting back up and walking over again. "They find hope because they live."

The lone eye of Light Marik listened on some more to the passionate speech.

"That is not just the fate of a Tomb-Keeper, but of every human being!"

Light Marik's eye widened with determination. "Every human's fate..." he thought. "I know what I must do now..."

The eye immediately faded away. At that point, Dark Marik immediately felt his anger reach its breaking point...

"THAT'S IT!" Dark Marik screamed in rage, pointing the Millennium Rod at Odion once more... This time, it was in preperation to kill him. " **PREPARE TO DIE**!"

Suddenly, just before the evil man could fire a devastating blast, he felt something inside his messed up head trying to fight for control and brought a hand to his right side of his face while groaning in agony.

"Thomas, look!" exclaimed Emily. "Something's happening to Marik's dark side!"

Thomas looked and noticed that the dark green-haired girl was right.

"You're right! It looks like he's struggling with something in his mind..."

Dark Marik continued to clutch his face while screaming in pain. Odion watched this happen and began to speak again.

"That's it, Master Marik..." he said quietly. "It is not through death that people go into the light. There is light only in life... You must fight that great evil within you with all your light."

Still holding onto the rightside of his face, Dark Marik screamed in agony one last time while standing atop of The Winged Dragon of Ra's head.

"WHY?!" The evil man exclaimed angrily. "You shouldn't have any strength left within you...!"

Upon taking his hand away from his face, Light Marik's eye was now attached to Dark Marik's left side of his face.

"Thomas, attack me now!" Light Marik commanded as soon as he was able to speak.

"Marik!" exclaimed Thomas.

"More like Marik's good half!" Emily corrected.

"Hurry and call out your attack!" Light Marik repeated. "Do it now!"

"Keep quiet, you parasite!" snapped Dark Marik in pain.

But Light Marik ignored his dark half. "You have to attack, Thomas!" he insisted. "I can't hold on much longer!"

"But..." Thomas began, but got cut off.

"I've committed an unforgivable sin... A crime so unforgivable, that a Tomb-Keeper like myself cannot be forgiven for it. It was my hatred for the Pharaoh that lead to the creation of my dark side, the death of my Father, and the betrayal of my family's name."

"Didn't I tell you to keep silent?!" roared Dark Marik, trying to keep in control. "I'm in control now!"

"You've pushed me about for the last time!" argued Light Marik, now sounding incredibly angry with the evil man. "You killed my Father and made me into a monster! Now I'm gonna make sure that you and I both pay for everything _WE_ have done...!"

"Master Marik..." came Odion's voice.

Light Marik then turned his attention to no one in particular. "Despite all that I've done, do you think someone like me can head towards the light?"

"Shut up... SHUT UP!" screamed Dark Marik some more.

"Is there some way I can put an end to this never ending sorrow and hatred?" asked Light Marik towards no one in particular once again (Odion, Ishizu, Thomas, Emily, who knows), before finally addressing Thomas in desperation. "Thomas, I'll find out in your next attack!"

"I said **SILENCE**!" ranted Dark Marik again.

"Hurry and strike me down, now!"

"Thomas... I think Marik is being serious in this." Emily said to Thomas. "He's betting everything we have in this final attack."

"I know." agreed Thomas, closing his eyes briefly. "I can...feel it in his heart."

Light Marik stared down with hope in his soul. He hoped that his former enemy can pull it off...

"Very well, I'll believe in your strength and give it all I've got!" Thomas thought only to himself, before speaking aloud and beginning the **final play** of the whole duel. "Here I come, Marik! I now activate the power of my Ragnarok Spell card!"

Dark Marik had become greatly panic-stricken, watching as Thomas took the only remaining card from his hand, several cards from his deck, two from his extra deck, and only a few from his graveyard.

"Again, when I control any two monsters with the names ' **Dark Magician** ', ' **Dark Magician Girl** ', ' **Dark Sage** , or ' **Magician of Black Chaos** ' on my side of the field, I can proceed to banish every remaining monster card from my hand, deck, extra deck, and graveyard to allow my two ' **Dark Magicians** ' to go and wipe out every monster you control on the field and remove them from play!"

"S-Stop...it!" wailed Dark Marik. "Y-You can't...win!"

"Too late!" thundered Thomas.

The sky started to turn all yellow as purple orbs floated out. Out of the first two orbs came the spirits of Slifer the Sky Dragon and Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Slifer and Obelisk!" James R. exclaimed.

"More and more monsters are appearing!" announced Michael.

The remaining orbs revealed to be the spirits of Thomas's remaining monsters; the Poker Knights, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Kuriboh, Archfiend of Gilfer, Buster Blader, Silver Fang, the Magnet Warriors (Valkyrion the Magna Warrior included), Black Luster Soldier, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Big Shield Gardna, Giant Soldier of Stone, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, Dark Paladin the Ultimate Magical Swordsman, Magician's Valkyria, Feral Imp, Kuriboh, etc..

"Look at them all!" gasped Henry.

"Even my Red-Eyes Black Dragon is helping out!" Percy added, looking positively amazed.

"The power of Ragnarok envokes the spirits of all the monsters I have ever used." explained Thomas, holding up many of his remaining monster cards. "Now go forth, my friends! Take down Marik's Winged Dragon of Ra...here and now!"

The monster spirits obeyed and charged into battle. Everyone in the crowd couldn't believe just how many monster spirits there were, and more were still continuing to appear in a rapid pace.

"It's Thomas's monsters on parade!" said Molly, giving a yelp as the spirit of Kuriboh soared past her.

"This is amazing!" admired Skiff, seeing spirits of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Skull Archfiend of Lightning, Jack's Knight, Buster Blader, Berfomet, Silver Fang, Feral Imp, and Big Shield Gardna.

Spencer kept a neutral expression on his face over this great show... although he was secretly impressed. Before long, the monster spirits all started to approach the defenseless Winged Dragon of Ra (and Dark Marik).

"Stop it! STOP IT!" screamed Dark Marik in panic. "Call them off... CALL THEM OFF, RIGHT NOW!"

But it was no use at all; he was powerless to stop the play. Slifer the Sky Dragon coiled itself around The Winged Dragon of Ra as Obelisk the Tormentor held it down. Meanwhile, the rest of the much smaller monsters down below kept hold of Ra's lower body.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!" ranted the evil man some more.

Suddenly, little Kuriboh floated up towards Dark Marik and made a couple of taunting ' **Kuribi** ' sounds aimed directly at him before going back down to join its friends. The monsters all started floating towards the sky. Down below, Dark Magician looked to his apprentice.

"The time has come." The purple-haired spellcaster coached.

"Right." nodded Dark Magician Girl.

The two ace spellcasters leaped into the sky to join their allies in taking The Winged Dragon of Ra down for good. Dark Marik was still wailing away in rage and terror when Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both showed up, glaring at the dark being angrily.

"Y-You...!" seethed the evil man in pure hatred.

"Your reign of terror is at an end!" declared Dark Magician.

"Never again will you try to hurt innocent people!" added Dark Magician Girl sternly.

"Now, my two Dark Magicians!" commanded Thomas. "Finish him off!"

The two spellcasters obeyed and crossed their scepter and wand respectively and began charging a mighty blast. The sky unveiled a Spellbinding Circle-like hexagon, all whilst Dark Marik continued to scream in rage and horror.

"Dark..." chanted Dark Magician.

"Burning..." chanted Dark Magician Girl.

"MAGIC!" The two spellcasters shouted in unison (Thomas added his voice in for dramatic effect).

The two spellcasters fired the blast, which consumed The Winged Dragon of Ra as well as Dark Marik (and Light Marik).

"Odion... Ishizu..." thought Light Marik.

As for what Dark Marik was feeling...

"UUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-!" screamed the evil man in some more pain.

The whole arena was covered by a bright light, and everyone covered their eyes. Finally, when the light faded away, Ra and the other spirit monsters...were all gone. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both lowered themselves back onto Thomas's side of the field.

"That...was way past cool..." muttered Gordon. He was amazed at what happened just now.

"You said it." agreed Henry. "It looked way better here than when Thomas used it against Lady..."

"Did it work this time?" asked Percy.

Up on the platform, Thomas and Emily were both thinking the exact same thing...

"Did...we do it?" Emily asked. "Is Marik's dark side finally gone?"

"I don't know." Thomas replied. "But...I only hope we did the right thing."

As the smoke cleared, the two teenagers could see a silhouette.

"Could it be?" Emily whispered.

Once the smoke was gone, there ' _he_ ' was...

"It can't be!" Matt gasped.

"How is it possible?!" added Ben.

...it was Light Marik. The reformed Rare Hunter leader was back in control of his own body.

"That's right." confirmed Light Marik. "I'm back."

"Good Marik's alive!" cried Mavis.

"But where's his evil half?" quizzed Molly curiously.

"Likely gone." answered Discord.

"Spencer, does this mean Thomas wins?" asked Skiff, looking to his big brother.

"No." answered Spencer. "Marik still has a single life point left."

"All Thomas has to do on his next turn is attack with either of his Dark Magicians and he's won." Toby explained to the rest of the gang.

Ishizu and Odion both watched Light Marik proudly.

"Master Marik-" thought Odion. "-you had the strength to live within your heart the whole time. That strength has allowed you to withstand the darkness in your heart and dispel your dark half."

"Thomas Billinton..." said Light Marik formally, grabbing and tossing his cape aside. "I still have one life point remaining. Because of that, the duel is still on!"

"On my next turn, the duel will end." nodded Thomas.

Suddenly, Emily gasped. "Thomas, look over there near Marik!"

Thomas looked and could not believe it. In the spot Light Marik originally was as a sacrifice, was the eye of...Dark Marik.

"Where... where am I?" groaned Dark Marik. He suddenly realized he was the offer and not Light Marik. "How did I get here?! What's going on?!"

Below the platform...

"That's Marik's dark half!" Zack declared in realization.

"Because good Marik was able to overpower him during the whole Ragnarok sequence-" exclaimed James R.. "-the evil half has become the sacrifice instead!"

Back atop the duel platform...

"This can't be possible! There's no way my weaker self even had the strength to overtake me and take over the body!" Dark Marik thought to himself in utter horror. "Now I'M the sacrifice and stuck with only a single life point!"

The evil man, now realizing the situation he was in, and knowing what it was like to be a living sacrifice instead of it being someone else, started to try and reason with Light Marik.

"L-Listen to me, Master..." began Dark Marik. "You and I are the exact same! I've always thought of us as friends sharing the same body! You can be in control again, and we can also still win the duel while on one single life point! **_Kill_** Thomas Billinton and Emily Sterling, please! It was all because of them you had to suffer from the terrible fate of the Tomb-Keepers... Get revenge for you and your ancestors! M-Maybe if we also gain the other Millennium Items, we— _y-you_ —could become the new Pharaoh and rule this modern world! ...just don't lose this Shadow Game now, I beg of you!"

Light Marik looked to his dark half sternly. "You are the dark side that I created, spawned by my suffering as a result of the very same fate! You can no longer control my subconscious."

"But, Master...!" Dark Marik protested. "Thomas Billinton was the one who-!"

"NO!" interrupted the reformed Rare Hunter leader, now sounding firm. "All of this was _**YOUR**_ fault! You were the one who murdered my Father and made me believe that Thomas's bloodline was responsible for it!"

"What?!"

Light Marik turned and gave the lone eye an extremely fierce look. "I will _**destroy**_ you with my own hands!"

"You lie..." sneered Dark Marik. In his unstable thoughts... "The fool... Is he saying he'll kill himself just to finally get rid of me?"

I'm afraid to say he was wrong, very wrong... The reformed Rare Hunter leader instead began to put the palm of his right hand onto the deck. The evil man took notice of the action and began to get very worried about it.

"Wh-what are you doing?! STOP!"

"Marik..." Thomas muttered.

"I will not die." Light Marik said calmly, after a full minute of silence. "The crimes I've committed will never be forgiven, but I will live on despite those sins... bearing them like the carvings on my back."

Odion silently watched his master carefully, who then addressed Thomas.

"And I'd like to chase the light of hope once again amidst the darkness of my destiny." The reformed Rare Hunter leader continued. "Thomas Billinton, I'd like to thank you for rescuing me in this duel. This Shadow Game is also over and done...in the only possible way."

"What?" blinked Thomas.

Light Marik closed his eyes as a flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Young Marik was chained onto a table while lying on his stomach while his own Father, with a cruel smile on his face, heated a dagger over a burning candle.

"The time has come, my son." he said calmly. "Today you shall bear the honor every Ishtar has held of guarding the Pharaoh's tomb until the arrival of his chosen descendant."

With that said, Mr Ishtar began carving the symbols into Young Marik's back, all while the poor boy screamed in agonizing pain through the gag on his mouth.

(new scene...)

Hours later, Young Marik was lying on his bed by his stomach with bloodied bandages around his torso. He was in a very bitter mood when Odion arrived to change the bandages.

"GO AWAY!" snapped Young Marik, just before grimacing in pain.

Suddenly, he saw that Odion had his face all bandaged up.

"What's with your face?"

"I've performed my own ritual since your Father would not allow me into the clan." said Odion, just as he undid the bandages to show his new markings. "You will never be alone again, Master Marik."

The sight of the markings on Odion's face seemed to have calmed Young Marik down.

(new scene...)

Mr. Ishtar was thrown by the Rod's power into a wall.

"My son..." he groaned weakly.

"Marik!" objected Ishizu. "What are you doing?"

Suddenly, 'Marik' turned to his own sister and used the Millennium Rod's power to slam her against the wall, too.

"Stay out of this, sister!" 'Marik' snapped. "You'll have your turn to get a blood bath shortly."

"N-No... You're not...Marik!" winced Ishizu, now stuck against the wall.

'Marik' snickered before turning his attention back to Mr. Ishtar. "And now, 'Father', it's time for you to meet your fate."

Suddenly, he removed the handle of the Rod and revealed a terrible secret about the item... The Millennium Rod was actually half rod—half dagger. 'Marik' advanced sinisterly towards Mr. Ishtar and readied the weapon.

"No! Stop!" cried Mr. Ishtar in horror, but it was all in vain.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, just as Light Marik finally moved and placed his right hand atop his Duel Disk, thus causing Thomas to gasp in complete surprise at the action.

"He's...surrendering!" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "He conceded defeat... meaning his life points will drop to zero automatically."

"The terrible fate of the Ishtar clan lasting 3000 years-" Light Marik spoke on. "-the tragedy caused by me shutting myself in darkness. I must put an end to it once and for all! By using my own hands, that will at least be some atonement for the sins I've committed."

Dark Marik wailed further. "N-No! You wouldn't... YOU CAN'T!"

"This will be the first step...into the light!"

"No... please... DON'T SURRENDER!" bellowed Dark Marik in complete terror.

"Be gone!" shouted Light Marik. "Never take over me again, my dark side... You are **DISMISSED**!"

With one final scream, the remains of Dark Marik vanished into the shadows as the remains of Light Marik's life points automatically reached zero (LP: 0).

* * *

 **DUEL RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins by default.**

* * *

"I've lost everything, Thomas... no, the descendant of the Pharaoh." Marik pointed out. "The Shadow Game...is yours!"

The referee finally spoke up with the final results...

"Marik Ishtar has forfeited the final duel." The suit announced, raising a hand high into the sky. "That means winner of the match, AND of the Battle City Tournament, is none other than Thomas Billinton!"

Suddenly, the purple fog of the Shadow Realm began to fade away.

"The duel...is over." said Dark Magician, looking to his apprentice.

"Our work here is done." added Dark Magician Girl, looking to her teacher with a smile.

The two spellcaster-type monsters finally faded away. Suddenly, Emily was released from her invisible shackles and she started to fall onto the ground... Fortunately, Thomas was quick to catch her now unconscious body.

"Emily!" The blue-haired boy exclaimed in worry.

As soon as the platform lowered enough, everyone that wasn't Spencer, Ishizu, or Odion started to climb up and approach their two friends.

"Is she-?" Molly began, but got cut off.

"No." said Thomas immediately, feeling a pulse on Emily. "She's only resting."

Slowly, the dark green-haired girl's eyes slowly flickered open. The first thing she saw...was Thomas smiling at her.

"Emily..." he greeted positively.

"Thomas?" Emily groaned, feeling a headache coming on. "W-What happened to me?"

That was when Marik spoke up... "You had been captured by my destroyed dark half." The reformed Rare Hunter leader explained, now walking towards to the group. "He used you as Thomas's living sacrifice in the Ultimate Shadow Game. Thomas ended up almost killing himself just to keep you from being lost to the shadows."

Emily nearly freaked out upon seeing Marik and hearing of the actions from the final duel, but Thomas managed to somewhat calm the dark green-haired girl down.

"Easy there." The blue-haired boy said softly. "That's good Marik. His dark half has been destroyed forever."

"But-" Emily protested, looking like she wanted to start crying. "-after hearing what had happened, and how we—' _ **I**_ '—almost lost you..."

"Everything's alright." Thomas smiled comfortingly, giving the dark green-haired girl a hug. "I'm here now..."

Emily, now bursting in tears, immediately returned the hug while sobbing softly. Odion and Ishizu, meanwhile, both looked over to Marik.

"Marik... our future was not lost after all..." thought Ishizu, before looking back over to Thomas and his friends with a soft smile. "Thank you... future Pharaoh."

"Master Marik..." thought Odion. "I've finally done it."

Thomas, as he continued to comfort his crying friend, looked over to Marik with a smile.

"Marik, while you did lose this final battle, you were victorious in the duel against your heart." The blue-haired boy commented positively.

Marik nodded in agreement. It was then Percy spoke up...

"Um, I hate to interrupt this...sad exchange." he said. "But shouldn't we focus on one new detail?"

Thomas blinked. "And what's that?"

James suddenly raised his voice. "YOU'VE WON THE TOURNAMENT!" The red-haired boy yelled happily.

Almost immediately, the rest of Thomas's friends began cheering, too.

"We're so happy for you!" came from Mavis.

"Your second full tournament win!" added Edward.

Thomas smiled...and immediately looked at his deck.

"Thank you, my friends." he said quietly to his cards. "I could not have done it without each and all of you."

(new location...)

Suddenly, Thomas found himself alone in darkness...well, until spirits off every single monster that was featured in the Ragnarok sequence made an appearance.

"M-My friends..."

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both walked forth to address their friend/master.

"Is something the matter?" asked Thomas.

"No." smiled Dark Magician. "But we called you here to tell you..."

"We're all so proud of you." added Dark Magician Girl. "You have found the light in the end of the tunnel..."

The spirits of all the monsters Thomas has ever used began to cheer and/or roar in triumph. The blue-haired boy was smiling more widely than ever before.

(new location...)

Back atop the Duel Tower, Marik was speaking to Odion and Ishizu.

"Sister..." began Marik, looking deeply ashamed with himself. "I... I don't know what to say."

"You've no need to say anything." said Ishizu kindly. "I'm just glad you're safe."

"Both of us are." Odion added.

The three siblings embraced in a hug.

"For thousands of years, our family has suffered a cruel fate as we lived in the darkness-" Ishizu spoke on. "-but it was your destiny to end it."

"Sister..." Marik thought to himself.

"You foolishly pursued revenge and brought along more tragedy. Perhaps we, the Ishtars, were assigned the duty of guarding the Millennium Items... so that the descendant of the Pharaoh could teach us that one message."

"Sister..." The reformed Rare Hunter leader spoke up, as his big sister listened carefully. "Do you think our family can escape the darkness and live?"

"The three of us, after all, are not just of the same tribe-" Ishizu pointed out. "-but as a family."

"'We?'" asked Odion hopefully.

"Yes, all of us. And this includes you, Odion."

This was what Odion had been wanting all his life; to be part of the Ishtar family. Closing his eyes, a teardrop of happiness fell down his face.

"Thank you..." The Egyptian man thought.

Finally, Spencer spoke up... "With all the sappiness aside-" he snorted. "-Marik must now give up his rarest card to Thomas. And, with you as the official winner of the Battle City Tournament, you are now the Duel King of the Island of Sodor... I congratulate you on your win, Billinton."

"Thank you, Spencer." nodded Thomas, holding the Fiend's Sanctuary card out. "I never would have won the duel without your help."

He then tossed the Quick-Play Spell card over to Spencer, intending to return it to him.

"Whatever." grunted the silver-haired boy, pocketing his card. "But don't go thinking that the title of Duel King will be yours forever."

"I know..." Thomas agreed. "We'll have to face each other again soon enough."

"Now then-" Skiff spoke up. "-go ahead and take your prize from Marik."

Over with the Ishtars...

"Marik-" said Ishizu. "-it's time for you to fulfill the final duty of our family."

"Right."

The reformed Rare Hunter leader walked over to Thomas.

"Thomas Billinton..." Marik began formally. "As I have lost to you in the final duel, I must relinquish control of The Winged Dragon of Ra to you." He held out the third Egyptian God card. "It's yours now... so take it, please."

Thomas took hold of the The Winged Dragon of Ra card. He was now holding all three God cards in his left hand.

"I have all three Egyptian God cards." The blue-haired boy thought to himself.

"In addition-" Marik went on. "-all of the duelists who had fallen to the Shadow Games started by my dark half have been brought back to life."

"That's great news." smiled Thomas. "So Lady and Duck should both be fine."

Unfortunately, there was a ' **third person** ' alive also.

"Don't forget me, too..." chuckled an image of Montague, who had appeared beside Thomas before fading away.

"Also..." continued Marik, taking off his shirt. "I must show you something else."

He turned around and showed the carvings that were on his back. Everyone that wasn't Ishizu, Odion, or Spencer couldn't help but grimace at the sight.

"Those carvings..." Molly winced.

"How awful!" added Carlie.

"What kind of monster would do that to you?" asked Ben.

Thomas gazed long and hard at the carvings in his thoughts...

"These are the same carvings we saw in the museum. So this is how the Tomb-Keepers guarded the answers to all of my questions?"

"Those hieroglyphs contain a prophecized message." Ishizu pointed out. "It was passed down from the first Tomb-Keeper who served the Ishtar family." She began to explain the prophecy. "'In the future, one will come... who will wield the three Gods depicted on the stone slab. This will be proof that the descendant has been chosen.'"

Thomas gave a loud gasp as the Egyptian woman continued to speak...

"That chosen one is you, Thomas Billinton. Soon, you will fulfill your destiny and all will be truly made right."

"And now, for the final act of my destiny, I surrender my Millennium Rod to you." added Marik, holding his Millennium Item out. "It is one of the Millennium Items my family risked their lives to protect. As of now, I have no more need for it."

Thomas gratefully took the item, and the reformed Rare Hunter leader also removed the Millennium Ring from around his neck.

"And take this, too."

"Thank you." nodded Thomas gratefully, taking the Millennium Ring.

Just then...

"Are you all done with the sappy talk?" asked Spencer haughtily. "We've no reason to stay now that the tournament's all over with. Now everybody back to the blimp and get ready to go home."

"Why the rush?" demanded James harshly. "Maybe we'd like to celebrate a bit longer!"

"You're free to do so... if you want to sink with the rest of the island."

"WHAAAAT?!" came from James R., Zack, James, Gordon, and Percy at once.

"I knew it..." Thomas sighed unhappily. "You're going to blow up the whole island."

"HE'S WHAAAAT?!" James R., Zack, James, Gordon, and Percy all exclaimed again.

"Overly dramatic much?" Liz whispered to her husband, sounding somewhat sarcastic.

"I'll say, dear." agreed Ryan quietly.

"I've planned to destroy it after the tournament ended no matter what." explained Spencer, and he then told everyone about Gozaburo Gresley.

A few minutes later...

"I...guess we kinda get your point with that Grandfather of yours." said Henry at last. "I'd be doing the same thing if I were in your shoes."

"Now if you want to live-" Spencer remarked sternly. "-I suggest you all return to the blimp and leave at once."

From there, the silver-haired boy, Skiff, and their parents all walked away, leaving everybody else behind.

"Come on!" exclaimed Percy, running towards the exit of the Duel Tower. "Lady could wake up at any moment!"

"Wait for us, Percy!" called Liz.

The rest of the gang immediately followed.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere inside the Duel Tower later on, Spencer, Skiff, and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) had arrived inside a new chamber.

"This is it." whispered Spencer.

"Spencer, dear..." began Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"As long as this island and tower are standing-" Spencer said rather coldly. "-our family will never escape from the curse of Gozaburo Gresley."

With that said, Spencer walked up to a large computer console of sorts.

"Skiff? Dad?"

Mr. Gresley (Boxford) and Skiff both approached the console also and started typing away.

"Preperations are almost finished." reported Skiff.

"Good." smiled Spencer.

"Imputing the password." came from Mr. Gresley (Boxford).

As soon as the code was put in, a device opened up up to reveal a keyhole of a sort.

"One last time, Spencer-" Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) said once more, holding out a key to the machine. "Are you absolutely sure?"

Spencer quietly took the key, inserted it into the machine, turned it, and punched in one final code.

"Farewell... Ghost of Gozaburo Gresley." The silver-haired boy said aloud, pressing a button.

With the code complete, the whole room began flashing red as a voice message was soon heard...

"Selfdestruction sequence has begun... Sixty minutes until explosion."

(elsewhere...)

Back aboard the blimp, Percy raced excitedly into the medical room to see if his girlfriend was alright.

"Lady!" he called, expecting the beautiful blonde-haired girl to be awake. Unfortunately, all Percy got was great disappointment and sadness when he finally entered the room... "Huh?"

Lying in bed and still in a coma...was Lady Stone.

"No..." Percy said quietly, running over with a scream. "NO!"

"Percy! Is Lady awake?" called the voice of Emily.

The rest of the gang entered... and saw the poor green-haired boy crying over Lady's body.

"Percy?" Liz asked quietly.

"We were too late." sobbed Percy. "Lady's...dead!"

"It can't be!" cried Molly. "It just can't!"

"Percy..." Thomas said quietly. "I'm so sorry..."

Poor Percy didn't seem to hear... He only continued to cry and sob into the beautiful blonde-haired girl's chest.

"Oh, Lady! Please come back to us! ...come back to _**me**_!"

Liz started to cry also, and Ryan tried his best to console his wife. Everyone else held their heads solemnly... Just then, the gang heard a moaning sound.

"Huh?" came from Matt.

"What?" Michael added.

Over in the bed, Lady...was stirring a bit.

"She's waking up!" exclaimed Mavis.

Percy didn't pay any attention at first. Finally, Lady's eyes flickered open.

"Ooh..." she moaned groggly. "Where am I...?" From there, the beautiful blonde-haired girl noticed the crying green-haired boy. "Percy?"

Hearing the beautiful blonde-haired girl's voice made Percy lift his head.

"L-Lady?"

"What happened to me?" asked Lady wearily. "And why do I feel so light headed?"

She never got an answer. Percy instantly tackled his love interest into a tight hug while continuing to cry...but out of happiness and relief.

"Oh, Lady! Thank God you're alive! I thought I'd never..."

It was a joyous reunion for the couple while everyone else watched the heartwarming scene with smiles and/or tears.

"Man, I just love happy endings!" sobbed James happily.

Molly noticed and smiled teasingly. "Are you crying, James?"

Hastily, James dried his eyes and put on a tough guy attitude to conceil the fact he was crying.

"N-No! Of course not!" The red-haired boy denied. "I-I just got something in my eye."

Suddenly, a new voice could be heard from down the hall.

"Is anyone else here hungry, or is it just me?"

"That sounded like Duck." said Henry.

Inside one of the rooms, the Great Western green-haired boy was busy raiding the fridge. Duck didn't know what had happened to him, but apparantly he was feeling very hungry all of a sudden. Thomas, James, Carlie, and Ryan had arrived inside the room at that point.

"Duck!"

"Oh... hello everyone." greeted Duck cheerfully, happy to see his friends. "The most strangest thing has happened to me; I had just woken up aboard this blimp while starving... almost like I haven't eaten any since yesterday morning."

"Do you even know what happened?" asked Thomas.

"Not really, Thomas." Duck admitted, before taking a large gulp of milk straight from the carton. "I was in the city park during day two of the Battle City Tournament when I suddenly blacked out and found myself here aboard this great blimp a day later."

"Huh?"

Toby, Mavis, and Edward each showed up right here to join Thomas, Carlie, James, and Ryan in speaking to Duck.

"You really don't remember anything?" asked Edward.

"Nope. Nothing at all." shrugged the Great Western green-haired boy. "So, what all happened while I was blacked out?"

Yeah, this could take a while to explain...

(elsewhere...)

Inside the cockpit, some shocked voices could be heard from some of the suits.

"Are you serious?! Masters Spencer, Skiff, Jim, and Mistress Leslie aren't back yet?!" demanded a suit anxiously.

"Where on Earth could they even be!?" asked another suit.

It was then Thomas and the gang arrived.

"Is something the matter?" asked Gordon.

"Master Spencer and his family have not come back yet." explained the suit.

"They're not?!" gasped Percy.

"How come?" added Ben.

Thomas gazed at the Duel Tower long and hard. "You don't think... he couldn't accept his loss and wished to just...kill himself?"

"Rubbish!" said James. "Even Spencer's not that stupid! Besides, that would also mean killing his parents and Skiff, too."

"Maybe they found another way off the island?" suggested Emily.

"We'd better go look for him just in case." Thomas stated.

And everyone else agreed to that idea...

"I guess it can't be helped." sighed Zack.

"But that Spencer is still a royal pain in the keister." grumbled James R..

The suits turned to the main pilot of the blimp.

"Start up the engines." ordered the leader of the bodyguards. "We'll need to be ready in case Master Spencer returns!"

"Starting up the engines." said the pilot, flipping the switch.

(elsewhere...)

Outside the blimp, the engines started to activate! ...but then it happened - the engines suddenly stopped all by themselves.

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the cockpit, everyone heard the engines stop.

"What just happened?" asked Henry, not liking the sound of the engines stopping like that.

The pilot looked at the condition of the blimp's duel supply. "I don't know... our fuel supply is good, but something is still wrong."

"Oh, that's just terrific!" snapped James sarcastically, pacing around and trying to keep himself calm over the situation (and clearly failing). "Now we're ALL going to be blown to kingdom come because the engines decided to cough out on us!"

Suddenly, a loud shout could be heard from the main engine room.

"That's coming from the engine room." exclaimed Gordon, leaving the cockpit. "Let's go see what the problem is!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside the engine room, a mechanic was staring in complete horror at the mess.

"How...? Who...?"

At that moment, the rest of the gang arrived.

"What in blazes happened here?!" asked a suit, looking shocked at the state of the engine room.

Thomas looked around. There were trashed consoles, ripped wires spewing sparks, etc.. It was easily a mechanics' worst nightmare.

"Whoa! It looks almost like ' _New Junk City_ ' in here." remarked Ben.

"Someone must have snuck in here when no one was around to sabotage the whole engine room." Discord figured.

"But who?" demanded Zack.

Suddenly, Thomas exclaimed something in shock... "Marik's dark half... Marik's dark half was the one who did the deed!"

All eyes were to the blue-haired boy.

"He must have come here to sabotaged the controls just before the big duel!" added a worried Percy. "But why would he even do that?"

"I believe you know the answer to that, Percy-boy." said Discord grimly.

"Marik's dark half must have overheard Spencer's plan to destroy the island during his duel with Thomas in the semi-finals." gasped Edward. "So that evil half wanted to make sure that we all perished just in case he failed to win against Thomas."

Yes, this looked like a very grim situation for the whole gang. Why? Oh, let's see... Spencer and the rest of his family were missing, Dark Marik had destroyed much of the engine room before the duel, AND to make things even worse there was a time limit counting down!

(elsewhere...)

Back inside the hidden room deep within the Duel Tower, the countdown had just reached 45 minutes.

"Forty-five minutes until explosion..." said the computer.

* * *

 **To be Continued!**

* * *

First new chapter of 2017... I hope you all enjoy it to the fullest!


	76. The End of Boxford Corp Island

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

It was quiet on Boxford Corp Island—well, almost quiet... had it not been for the fact that a time bomb inside the Duel Tower that was about to go off, and something (someone) else was also missing...

"Spencer!" called the voice of Thomas.

"Come on, Spencer!" called Percy. "This isn't funny!"

"Skiff!" Mavis exclaimed. "Where are you?!"

"Aunt Leslie! Uncle Jim!" called out Gordon.

Right now, the gang was outside the blimp searching for Spencer and his family...to no luck so far.

"Well, we can't find them-" said James, kicking at some nearby junk. "-and now we're all going to die because the blimp's been sabotaged!"

"Spencer-boy and the others couldn't have gone far." Discord replied thoughtfully. "This island isn't very big."

"Alright, we'll split up." Thomas instructed. "And meet back here in twenty minutes."

Everyone nodded and took off in different directions.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere inside the Duel Tower, Spencer, Skiff, and Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford) were making some final adjustments to the console.

"Billinton..." thought Spencer. "I faced you atop this tower and lost."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Spencer still couldn't believe everything he worked so hard to obtain was now all for nothing.

"My Battle City..." he thought. "My hatred for that man Gozaburo... Standing atop of this tower, I was suppose to become the Duel King and rid my family of his curse forever... but now..."

He envisioned Thomas standing atop of the Duel Tower in triumph.

"Billinton... all I ever wanted was to defeat you fairly..."

The poor silver-haired boy tried reaching out to the tower, but it faded away before he could touch it. Before long, the ground beneath his feet collapsed and suddenly caused him to snap out of his vision.

"I-I've lost... everything..." Spencer muttered in complete defeat.

Thomas then spoke up. "Like for me... my goal to become a True Duelist...is Battle City! Percy, for instance, is still fighting to find that very place."

He cast a quick glance to his green-haired best friend, who looked a bit puzzled at first, but quickly flashed a smile. The blue-haired boy then took a quick glance down to his Duel Disk. He picked up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and held it up.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon is no ordinary card-" said Thomas. "-its strength comes from the bond of my friendship with Percy, and it means that I never duel alone. To be frank, I would have lost to you if I didn't have it in my hand when you played your Flute of Summoning Dragon Spell card. That is why I won. Because I had the support of my friends, along with the belief in the Heart of the Cards."

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Spencer." Skiff had suddenly said. "All the systems are set."

Spencer didn't seem to hear... He was still busy thinking in his thoughts over his loss...

"The power of friendship, huh?" The silver-haired boy thought, giving a scoff. "That is just ridiculous!"

"Spencer?" came the voice of Mr. Gresley (Boxford), snapping his son out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Yes?" Spencer asked at last.

"Everything is set. The self-destruct sequence can no longer be deactivated."

The silver-haired boy sighed heavily. "Good... Now come; it's time for us to leave the island."

"Are we taking the blimp?" asked Skiff.

"No..." denied Spencer. "We'll be taking a rather special jet I had prepared."

With that said, he pushed a button on the console and caused a nearby elevator to open up.

"This way."

* * *

 **Title: The End of Boxford Corp Island**

* * *

Back inside the cockpit of the blimp, the suits and pilots were busy trying to get the blimp to activate and take off.

"Come on... come on!" grunted a pilot. At first the blimp started to work... "Yes! We did it!"

...but then it stopped.

"Not again!" groaned a dismayed Zack.

Swearing in frustration, the main pilot bashed his hands atop the console.

"We can't give up!" spoke up another suit. "Our jobs and lives are on the line!"

(elsewhere...)

Inside an elevator within the Duel Tower, Spencer and his family were riding it and waiting to get to where they were going.

"Battle City wasn't just a fight to become Duel King-" Spencer thought to himself. "-it was a fight against Gozaburo as well."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Young Jim, Leslie, Jessie, and Paul had all arrived at the mansion of Gozaburo Gresley.

"Welcome... to your new home." said the limo driver to the four kids.

"This is so amazing!" said Jim in amazement.

"My gosh! We're living a luxurious life now!" cheered Leslie.

It was then the kids' new Stepfather spoke up sternly.

"Listen up!" he said. "I never insisted on bringing all four of you here. Two of you were to become heirs to my company."

"Heirs?" quizzed Paul.

"Yes..." nodded Gozaburo. "There will be a time where I'll be gone, and the company will need to live on."

"So, who have you decided on?" asked Jessie.

Gozaburo smiled...in a cruel way. He was looking at two of the kids with interest.

"Jim and Leslie."

"Us?" The two kids blinked.

"But of course." Gozaburo confirmed, faking kindness. "Jim, you seem to be a very intelligent young boy. And Leslie... you seem to care deeply for your friends."

The two kids, not realizing what they were getting into, both nodded silently.

"Alright then." said Jim, feeling uneasy.

(new scene...)

Unfortunately, that proved to be a very big mistake on their part. How so? Because for the next several years or so, Jim and Leslie were both forced into an accelerated schooling program... and it was a complete nightmare to them.

"The subjects for today will be economics!" said the mean teacher. "Begin!"

They were even threatened with punishment should they slack off.

"So...tired..." Leslie moaned, about to collapse into a deep sleep.

Suddenly...

 ***WHACK!***

Leslie woke up with a slight shriek to the sound of a switch being slammed on the table. The action was shown to be done by her monster of a Stepfather...

"No slacking off!" snapped Gozaburo in a mixture of anger and glee.

"Y-Yes, Father..." The poor girl whimpered, trying not to show any fear.

(new scene...)

Later on, Jim was outside the office of his Stepfather with something in hand. He knocked on the door.

"Come in." called Gozaburo's voice.

Jim opened the door and walked nervously in. The company CEO was seated as his desk with his back against one of his two stepsons.

"Yes, Jim?" asked Gozaburo in a surprisingly calm and polite tone.

"Father, I-I have something I'd like to show you." said Jim nervously. "S-Something I've been working on for a while now."

"Well, let's see it then." Gozaburo stated, turning around and showing some surprising interest.

Now feeling confident, Jim took out a folder containing some blueprints.

"They're blueprints."

"Blueprints?" quizzed Gozaburo. "Whatever for?"

"Virtual Reality Pods." explained Jim, handing his Stepfather the blueprints. "I'd been thinking of using them to make gaming much more fun..."

"Bah!" snorted Gozaburo, tossing the blueprints over his shoulder. "Games are nothing but foolish wastes of time and money! This company uses its time properly on creating weapons!"

"Weapons?!"

"Yes, weapons!" The CEO confirmed. "This is a war company, and we make our money by developing weapons for the military!"

Jim as outraged. "But that's... that's-"

"That's what?" asked Gozaburo threateningly, standing up from his seat.

"That's not right!" argued Jim bravely. "Making money by hurting people!"

"That's the way of business! Now I want to here no more of this gaming nonsense from you...or else!"

With a snap of his fingers, two suits came in with firm looks on their faces.

"Take young Jim away." ordered Gozaburo, looking through the blueprints. "With a few modifications, these things would make great training modules for combat."

"You can't do this!" protested Jim, as the suits dragged him away. The last words he said to his ' _Father_ ' were as followed... "I'll get you for this, Father! I'll get you for this if it's the last thing I ever do!"

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Now, this island will sink along with all traces of what's left of Gozaburo's horrid legacy."

(elsewhere...)

Outside the Duel Tower, Thomas and his friends were all still looking for Spencer and his family.

"Nothing..." grumbled Gordon, looking behind a large junk pile.

Eventually, after enough time had passed, everyone returned to the blimp.

"Anything?" asked Thomas hopefully.

"No sign of them." sighed Toby.

"Cinders and Ashes..."

"Maybe they returned to the blimp while we were gone?" suggested Molly. "And the guys there managed to fix the engines, too?"

"I don't know..." remarked Edward, still remembering how badly wrecked the engine room looked. "The engine room looked like it was damaged beyond any hope of repair."

"What are we going to do now?" asked Mavis. "The island's gonna blow up soon."

It was then the group saw Duck and Lady both running towards them.

"Guys!" called Duck. "Did you find them?!"

"No." grumbled Gordon. "And the blimp's been sabotaged and rendered unrepairable. Only way out of here now is to start swimming."

Suddenly...

"Wait just a darn minute..." James spoke up. "Wasn't there another vehicle here?"

"The helicopter with the medical team!" cried Emily.

Everyone was looking at the copter nearby... Suddenly, the gang was glad Percy had fallen into that brief coma from losing his duel against Dark Marik.

"How much time do we have left?" asked Discord to one of the suits.

"Five minutes, Mr. Crawford." said the suit, looking at his watch.

"Quick, get everyone else aboard the blimp to the helicopter."

"At once, sir!" obeyed the suits.

The suits ran for the blimp, while the gang made their way to the helicopter.

(elsewhere...)

Inside a hallway aboard the blimp, Marik, Ishizu, and Odion were each waiting for take off when a suit showed up.

"We must abandon the blimp!" exclaimed the suit.

Without a second to spare, the Ishtars left the blimp to join the others.

(elsewhere...)

Outside, everyone had managed to get aboard the helicopter with a minute to spare.

"What about Master Spencer and his family?!" demanded a suit.

"We can't wait any longer!" argued Discord.

"We have to get out of here now!" added Ryan.

"But we can't leave them behind!"

"Dang it, man!" snapped James. "If you wanna be blown to kingdom come waiting for Spencer, then be my guest!"

There were no more arguments over the matter. Finally, the helicopter started to take off.

"Ten seconds!" announced Discord, looking at his watch.

"We're not gonna make it are we?!" panicked Henry.

The helicopter got further and further from the island when, at last, it happened...!

"The bomb is exploding!" exclaimed Discord, becoming more and more anxious.

 ***BOOM!***

 ***BOOM!***

 ***BOOM!***

 ***BOOM!***

The tower began to explode and reduce itself to rubble, while the whole Island was engulfed in an explosion of fire.

"Whoa..." breathed Henry.

"Cool explosion!" commented James.

Soon, the island was nothing but smoke. Inside the helicopter, everyone was looking out the big window at what had happened.

"Aunt Leslie... Uncle Jim..." whispered Gordon.

"Spencer and Skiff..." added Molly.

"Do you think they're-" Toby started to say.

Suddenly, Percy looked. Something appeared to be rising from the smoke. It was shaped like a very familiar dragon.

"Check it out!" The green-haired boy called.

Everyone gathered to see out the window. The figure emerged from the smoke...and revealed itself to be a roaring Blue-Eyes White Dragon!

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" gasped Thomas.

But it wasn't the real thing. It was a jet that resembled the monster. Inside the jet, seated in three co-pilot seats were Skiff and both Mr. and Mrs. Gresley (Boxford). And in the main pilot seat was none other than...

"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" cackled Spencer.

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" cried out a very surprised-looking Percy.

The Blue-Eyes jet flew beside the rescue helicopter.

"Hey, everyone!" called Skiff through the radio.

Almost everyone inside the helicopter had an absolutely hilarious look of shock on their face.

"So, they... they made it in a jet?" asked a bemused Henry.

"I don't believe it..." sighed Emily, pressing a hand to her forehead wearily.

"They worried us for nothing?!" groaned James R..

"Oh, the indignity!" moaned Gordon with a facepalm.

Inside the Blue-Eyes jet...

"Hey, Spencer?" asked Skiff. "Why didn't they get on the blimp?"

"Something must have gone wrong." said Spencer teasingly. "That or the blimp just didn't like them..."

Back inside the helicopter, a highly miffed Percy stormed into the cockpit, grabbed the radio, and prepared to yell at Spencer.

"H-Hey!" protested a pilot.

"You jerk! This is your fault for almost letting us get blown to kingdom come!" The green-haired boy shouted into the radio.

"You nearly had us scared to death!" added a fuming Gordon, upon storming into the cockpit.

"What do you have to say for yourself!?" Even sweet-natured and quiet Molly was cross with the silver-haired boy.

Inside the Blue-Eyes jet, Spencer gave a small cheeky grin, but said nothing. It was then Skiff spoke up...

"We're not coming back with you guys." he reported.

"Why not?" The voice of Gordon came from the radio.

"We're going off to begin work on our new amusement park."

"To do so-" added Mr. Gresley (Boxford). "-we're heading for the American branch of Boxford Corp in the United States."

"Meaning we won't be seeing all of you for a while." finished Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"I'll invite all of you to the park one day when it's finished." Spencer finished. "But I wouldn't go thinking this is the end of our ' _relationship_ '... You all haven't seen the last of me!"

The Blue-Eyes jet started to fly away from the helicopter. Inside the copter, Thomas watched as his rival started to leave.

"Spencer..." he said quietly, before going into his thoughts. "So... this is your new goal in life..."

Inside the Blue-Eyes jet...

"Billinton..." Spencer thought. "Our battle is not over by a long shot!"

Just before the jet could start to make a u-turn, the two rivals flashed each other a nod of respect. Finally, the command was given!

"Let's go!"

"We're off to America!" cheered Skiff.

From there, the jet then shot off into the distance and disappeared. Inside the Blue-Eyes jet...

"Spencer..." began Mrs. Gresley (Boxford).

"Yeah?"

The woman smiled. "You... you've made the right choice."

"Thank you." Spencer smiled back.

Yes, it looked like Spencer had finally let go of his hate and moved on with his life. Where will that life take him? Who knows...

(elsewhere...)

Meanwhile, the recue helicopter was still making its way back to the Island of Sodor. Inside the copter, everyone waited patiently.

"Man, I can't wait to get home!" remarked James.

"Me neither." agreed Henry. "Wait until everyone hears about what we went through."

"A nice hot bath for me." proclaimed Mavis.

Thomas then looked over to Matt, Michael, Carlie, James R., and Zack.

"Thanks for coming with us." he said pleasantly. "I'm glad we got to meet you."

"Likewise, Thomas." Matt smiled, holding his right hand out. "Maybe one day, fate will force us to duel each other."

"I'll look forward to it."

The two teenagers shook hands. Carlie then turned to Ben, looking very sad indeed.

"I guess now it's time for you to go home." she said sadly.

"Yeah..." sighed Ben. "Once we return to the harbor, I'll have to board a ship to return to the US."

"It's not fair!" protested Carlie, growing more and more upset. "I want to go back with you."

"I know! But you have your own family now..." Ben was referring to Discord, Matt, Michael, James R., and Zack, obviously. "And...I have my own to go to."

That did it. As much as the brown-haired girl loved her adopted Father and her friends/brothers, she finally broke down to cry.

"Please don't cry, Carlie..." said Ben, giving his sister a hug. "I know you miss Mom and Dad very much, but it's for the best. You're needed here..."

"But I can't help it!" wailed the brown-haired girl.

"Ahem!" Discord tried to make himself know. "I think I might have an idea to remedy the family situation."

And so he explained his idea...

"Once we get back home-" The creator of Duel Monsters explained. "-I will personally contact Carlie's family and arrange a visit."

"You'd...do that for me?" whimpered Carlie, hoping that this wasn't a cruel joke.

Discord gave a warm smile. "Anything for my adopted daughter."

And thus, they embraced. Finally, Edward could be heard calling out something to everyone...

"We've made it! We're back home!"

He was right, of course. The helicopter was now approaching, and lowering down to the ground, the Island of Sodor. The group were back home once more!

(new location...)

Minutes later, everyone had gathered in the harbor to see the Ishtars off.

"It's all thanks to you-" Ishizu said gratefully. "-Marik has been freed from the curse of darkness that has been plaguing his heart."

"I thank you for that, Thomas." added Marik.

Everyone else smiled, but then Ishizu spoke on...

"We three will now take a new path... and rebuild the Ishtar family in a shining future."

From there, Marik stepped forth towards Thomas... namely to speak to the blue-haired boy.

"I apologize for all the trouble I've caused all of you-" he said with honesty. "-and especially for blaming your bloodline for what happened."

"It's alright." Thomas reassured.

"And know that there will be a day where you will visit the land of Egypt." continued the reformed Rare Hunter leader. "When that day comes, I hope we will see each other again...as friends."

"That would be nice, indeed."

With that said, the two former enemies shook hands. Minutes later, Marik, Odion, and Ishizu were on a boat bound for Egypt...

"Goodbye!" called James.

"Have a good ride home!" came from Henry.

"Take care!" added Mavis.

Soon the boat was out of sight. It was then Discord, along with his kids, looked to the Island of Sodor teenagers.

"Well, it's been fun, but Industrial Illusions can't run itself, you know." chortled Discord.

"Take care, Discord." said Emily. "Hope we'll see you again, soon."

Discord looked like he was in thought so far. Suddenly, he gave a wink.

"Perhaps you all just might."

With that said, the creator of Duel Monsters and his adopted kids all left the harbor for the airport. It was then Ryan and Liz both looked towards the gang, but mainly towards Percy...

"As much as we want to remain on the island for a bit longer-" The purple-haired young man began solemnly. "-we have to get going, too."

Percy felt very sad that his brother-in-law and older sister were both also leaving.

"You can't leave now-" he protested sadly. "-we were just starting to catch up."

"I know, my little Percy..." Liz replied, looking very sad herself. "But Ryan and I were only here for the tournament, and now we have to leave for the next big city in our European trip."

The two siblings approached and hugged each other very tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you, Liz!" sobbed Percy.

"And I'll miss you, my beloved little brother!" Liz also cried.

Everyone else watched this heartbreaking scene silently, but Lady then walked towards her saddened boyfriend and laid a hand of his back.

"Easy, Percy..." she said kindly. "I'm sure you'll see your sister again."

The blonde-haired young woman then looked to the beautiful blonde-haired girl.

"Lady, I want to say... I'm so sorry for hurting you that fateful night." Liz apologized sincerely.

"It's quite alright." replied Lady, smiling sadly. "You didn't mean to say those things. Besides, I rather deserved it..."

Before anything more could be said, a loud horn could be heard from the nearby waters.

"Well, there's our boat ride." sighed Ryan. "I guess it's time for us to depart."

"Take care, you two." waved Edward.

Liz and Ryan both waved goodbye as they approached their ship bound for 'Calais - France'.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

"Farewell!" called James.

"Visit again soon!" added Emily.

"Maybe write to us from whatever city you're in!" came from Toby.

"I love you, Liz!" Percy exclaimed to his older sister.

"I love you too, Percy!" called Liz in reponse to her younger brother.

With that all said, the boat departed from the harbor. Everyone continued to wave until the boat was completely out of sight...

"I guess that's that." said Henry.

"Battle City is truly over." added Molly.

"Not completely." commented Thomas.

All eyes were then glued to the blue-haired boy.

"Why not?" asked Toby curiously.

"We still have one thing to do."

Suddenly, Lady remembered exactly what Thomas was talking about.

"You're right!" she exclaimed. "We have to get a hold of Lady Hatt."

With that, the friends raced out of the harbor and towards the school.

(elsewhere...)

Inside the Billinton household three days later, it was very early in the morning (5:00, that is). Thomas was inside his room, dressed, and looking over his deck one last time.

"Today's the big day." The blue-haired boy said to himself. "It's time to keep that promise I've made with Percy."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Percy nodded before a card was shown to him.

"Here you go, Percy." Thomas said. "Red-Eyes is yours once again."

But to his surprise, Percy shook his head no.

"It isn't mine to take, Thomas." he said quietly.

"What?" Emily quizzed. "But, Percy-!"

"Let him talk, Emily." Thomas interrupted. "What do you mean, Percy?"

"I can't take it right now." explained Percy. "If I were to take it back that easily, I won't be a True Duelist. And Red-Eyes wouldn't accept it, either. You and James are both True Duelists...though you are one more-so. When I dueled James back at the San Francisco tournament, I was fighting for mainly myself. That's why I came here. You guys always play honestly with any opponent. You really gave me a lesson—what I lacked is the player's self-esteem."

Emily and Edward both smiled as Percy went on with his passionate speech.

"The Red-Eyes Black Dragon has always been my special card." he said. "He is and always will be my partner. That's why I can't take it now. If I did, then Red-Eyes wouldn't be happy. Thomas, you can have the card temporarily. Besides, I've prepared a new deck for the tournament. With these cards, I'm still qualified to participate. Just in case, I still have both the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard both to wager." As he spoke, he looked at his Duel Disk and drew the top two cards from his deck, holding them both up to Thomas, Emily, and Edward, revealing them to be the Flame Swordsman and Time Wizard monster cards respectively. "They are my last rare cards. I want to become a True Duelist like you, Thomas. In Battle City, I must show you — when I win in this tournament, when I become a True Duelist, please accept a proper duel with me."

"Oh, Percy." Emily began, smiling as tears fell from her eyes. "That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard you say to anyone."

"Agreed." Thomas nodded, also smiling. "I'll take good care of your Red-Eyes Black Dragon card for the time being."

Percy smiled as he and Thomas shook hands, sealing the deal.

"You are the best friend I could ever ask for." Thomas stated.

"Like wise." Percy agreed, turning around. "Well, I'm off to find me some duels."

"Good luck." said Thomas.

With that, Percy headed off.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and the one card Thomas was looking at for the moment...was Percy's Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"Percy deserves a fair chance to try and get you back." Thomas thought to himself.

(elsewhere...)

Minutes later, after making some changes to his deck, the blue-haired boy was sneaking downstairs into the living room towards the front door. He almost thought he would make it without being spotted by anyone, but I'm sorry to say Thomas was wrong on his part...

"Thomas?"

Thomas cringed, thinking it was his parents catching him... but saw it was only his twin sisters Annie and Clarabel...

"Are you going somewhere, big brother?" asked Clarabel tiredly.

"J-Just for a bit of a walk." said Thomas hastily. "I'll be back within the hour."

The twin sisters nodded understandingly. With that said, the blue-haired boy left the house.

(elsewhere...)

Somewhere in the middle of the town square, the rest of the Tidmouth Teens were waiting for Thomas to show up.

"The sun's nearly up." Gordon remarked.

"You think he forgot?" asked Henry.

"Of course not!" Edward pointed out. "Just look at Percy's face right now."

Gordon and Henry both did so, and were suprised at what they saw...

"That look..." Gordon muttered.

"It's like...he knows Thomas will come." added Henry.

It was true; the green-haired boy had a look of determination and confidence on his face. It was like he KNEW Thomas would show up for their promised duel. Suddenly, Emily looked out and called to her friends.

"Here he comes now!"

Yes, slowly walking into the area was Thomas. He also had a look of determination and confidence on his face.

"The time has come..." Thomas thought to himself.

Over with Percy...

"...to carry out our promise..." The green-haired boy thought to himself.

Back with Thomas, the blue-haired boy grabbed hold of his jacket and threw it off, now wearing it like a cape. The sun was starting to rise as the two duelists soon faced each other.

"We've made it, Percy." commented Thomas. "We've survived the perils of Battle City."

"Yeah..." agreed Percy. "But even then... our own Battle City isn't over yet!"

"That's right... and I have something that belongs to you."

Percy smiled and clenched a fist. "Of course! And now it's time for me to try and win it back."

The two best friends readied their shuffled decks.

"May the best duelist win, Percy." smiled Thomas, drawing his first hand (LP: 4000). "My best friend!"

"You...too, Thomas." agreed Percy slowly, doing the exact same thing (LP: 4000).

The rest of their group watched the upcoming match with smiles on their faces also. They were very happy that their two friends were able to keep their promise to one another. The rising sun was now all gold and such...

"IT'S TIME TO DUEL!"


	77. Reflection! Fierce Battles of BC

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Chapter is also noted for a large amount of fanservice from some female characters. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Emily, Mavis, and Molly were each standing in the middle of a street in Knapford City in the mid-morning with their backs turned to a nearby building.

"One, Two, Three... TURN!" The three teenage girls exclaimed at once.

They turned around and, with excited, almost girlie-like, shrieks, were standing outside of a new spa that had just opened.

"This is amazing!" exclaimed Mavis happily, despite being the tomboy of the three girls. "I can't believe we get to go to this amazing new spa!"

"Eeee! I know!" added a very excited Emily.

Even soft spoken and shy Molly was just as giddy about it, too. As shown...

"I just can't wait to go in there and have my first mud bath!" she squealed in excitement.

Without wasting a second, Molly, Emily, and Mavis each ran happily towards the building. Yup, this day was sure to be exciting for those three girls.

(new location...)

As soon as they entered the main lobby, the three girls froze and stared on in admiration.

"Grease and oil!" exclaimed Mavis.

"Bubbling Sodas!" came from Molly.

"Rumble my legs!" finished Emily.

It was beautiful. There were saunas, a swimming pool, massage tables, hair salons, mud baths, hot tubes, etc.. On cue, a gentleman with a French accent and also wearing a suit walked up and greeted the three girls.

"Bonjour, mademoiselles." he bowed politely. "Welcome to Crovans Gate Spa."

Emily, Molly, and Mavis didn't say a word. They only looked to each other for a moment before letting out an excited and giddy...

"EEEEEEEEEEE!"

Ookay... overexcited much?

* * *

 **Title: Reflection! Fierce Battles of Battle City**

* * *

Minutes later, the girls were at the change rooms getting into their swimsuits. Soon, the doors opened, and Emily (wearing her emerald green two-piece swimsuit), Mavis (wearing her yellow and black bikini), and Molly (wearing a yellow one piece swimsuit) each came out ready to enjoy their day at the spa.

"So, what should we start?" asked Mavis.

"How about the sauna?" suggested Molly.

"Ready when you are." said Emily, already making her way down the hallway towards the sauna.

And Mavis and Molly both followed their friend.

(elsewhere...)

Minutes later and inside one of the sauna rooms, Mavis poured some cold water onto the hot rocks nearby and steam filled the entire chamber.

"Oh, this is life..." sighed Molly.

"You know-" Mavis spoke up. "-this isn't the first time Emily and I ever visited a sauna."

Molly was intrigued. "It isn't?"

"Nope." said Emily. "We were able to visit one at Discord's place during the San Francisco tournament."

"Oh, wow! It must've been lots of fun."

"Well, it was fun at first..." Mavis started to say.

"...at least until we started to leave it." Emily finished, shuddering a bit.

"Why? What happened?" Molly asked with a look of concern on her face.

"It's a rather embarrassing story." explained Mavis sheepishly.

And so Emily and the blonde-haired girl both started to tell their black-haired friend the story...in form of a flashback.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

It was several months ago, and Thomas and the group were in San Francisco for a Duel Monsters tournament. Thomas, James, and Percy each had qualified for the finals, and said finals took place inside Discord's grand mansion. The first and second duels of the finals had concluded, and it was now time to relax for the night.

"Now come on... Since the duels are finished for the day-" Mavis said to Emily/ "-why don't we go hit the sauna? My treat."

Emily was delighted. "I'm in!"

Patch got a look of pure mischief on his face when he heard the word ' _Sauna_ '. But unlike last time, Mavis went and gave the black-haired boy a VERY stern look when she and Emily both saw the dirty look on his face.

"Don't even think about it, Patch!" scolded Mavis.

"Follow us, and you're deadmeat!" Emily threatened. "Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Patch gulped nervously.

This time, unlike when they were relaxing by the pool in their swimsuits, Emily and Mavis were both only going to be wearing towels around their bodies when they go and enjoy the sauna (or Steam Room if you like), meaning they were now going to technically be... Yeah... No boys allowed, indeed. With that all agreed to, the dark green-haired girl and blonde-haired girl both walked away.

(elsewhere...)

In a new location within the mansion, some voices could be heard coming from inside a sauna with steam coming out of it.

"This is like heaven." sighed the voice of Emily.

"See? Always trust your best friend." added the voice of Mavis in a joking sort of tone.

"Oh, I will! I will!"

Some cheerful laughs from the two girls were then heard. Unfortunately, things were about to go very wrong for Emily and Mavis. Why is that, you're asking right now? Oh, because Patch decided to go and follow anyway.

"That Percy..." he muttered mischeviously. "What a wimp!" Although Patch had been warned not to, he just couldn't resist himself. "I'd like to see those two girls in just towels!"

He then sneaked over to the door, and was just about to go over and peek through the window when...

"Ahh, that was so relaxing!" came Mavis's voice.

"It's them!" thought Patch. "I'd better hide!"

Suddenly, the door to the sauna opened up and revealed a sweaty Emily and Mavis with their hair all wet and wearing nothing but towels around their bodies. Of course, they were so busy talking...

"Thanks again for the-" Emily started to say.

Both girls proceeded to look forth, and got a shock when they saw Patch...

"PATCH?!" Emily and Mavis both exclaimed in surprise.

But...that surprise came with a consequence. From the shock, the two girls raised BOTH their hands in the air as they jumped back. One of their hands was to keep the towel around their body. This resulted in one thing... Both girls' towels dropped to the ground near their feet...

"Uh-oh..." thought Patch, gazing at more than he ever imagined he would see. He also knew that he was REALLY in for it now.

There was a very long, awkward silence. Emily and Mavis both gazed at the flustered Patch before looking down to see he was staring at their fully exposed bodies. The two girls turned completely red in the face before silently looking back up at Patch...

(elsewhere...)

Outside Discord's mansion, it was quiet... Or it was quiet until the voices of Emily and Mavis both unleashed earthshattering screams that seemed to rock the whole mansion.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended, and Emily and Mavis both shared a laugh at their little misfortune from that time. Molly, however, felt terrible for her two friends.

"It must have been so embarrassing to be that exposed." she said with sympathy.

"Yeah." agreed Emily. "But while Patch is a bit of a... a..."

"Pervert?" Mavis interjected.

"Sure, let's call it that. But while Patch is a bit of that, he still really wasn't all that bad of a guy."

"Well, I'm glad he wasn't too bad." Molly smiled a little bit.

Eventually, it was time to get out of the sauna. The door opened, and Emily, Mavis, and Molly each left the room. They were sweaty and their hair was all wet.

"Well, where to next?" asked Emily.

Mavis suddenly sniffed the air, before getting a whiff of herself.

"Whew! I smell from all that sweating in the sauna!" she complained. "I vote a swim in the pool!"

"Agreed." agreed Molly.

How could Emily say no to a swim in the swimming pool?

(elsewhere...)

Minutes later, Emily was lying on a special chair in the middle of the water while enjoying a glass of chilled fruity juice.

"This is the life." she said happily.

Well...it was life, until Emily was suddenly splashed.

"Hey! HEY! What in the-?!"

Turned out the splashers were none other than a laughing Mavis and Molly.

"Gotcha!" teased the blonde-haired girl.

Emily shot her two friends a rather dark glare.

"Okay, you two are so in for it now!"

With that said, the dark green-haired girl jumped into the water and swam after her two friends. Very quickly, the three girls started to playfully splash each other. After at least ten minutes, they stopped while catching their breath.

"Cheeky rascals." chuckled Emily.

The three girls swam over to the edge of the shallow end. From there, Molly spoke up.

"Emily." she began. "What were you thinking about just now?"

The dark green-haired girl raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I think what Molly is asking-" Mavis corrected. "-is if you were thinking about anything while relaxing on that chair?"

"I was rather thinking about Thomas." said Emily.

"Again?" asked Molly.

"Actually...more about him taking part in the Battle City tournament."

"What about it?" asked Mavis.

"Well, about how many dangerous duels he had to take part in." Emily pointed out.

"You mean besides the one against Marik's dark side?" asked Molly.

Emily sighed and prepared for a long explanation...in a flashback form.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The Rare Hunter raised an eyebrow as he noticed Percy walking over looking very cross.

"Well, well, well." he said cruelly. "Look who's come back for another humiliation."

"Can it, you creep!" snapped Percy. "You took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and I want it back! So I'm challenging you to a rematch!"

That demand was met with some harsh laughter from the villain.

"Me? Duel you again?" The Rare Hunter mocked. "Not a chance. I've already took your rarest card, so there would be no point in dueling you again!"

At that moment, Thomas, Emily, and Edward each came running in.

"What's the matter, Percy?" asked Thomas.

"That's the guy, Thomas!" Percy replied, pointing at the Rare Hunter. "That's the creep that took my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! And now he's saying he won't duel me again."

"I've no need to duel a weak duelist like you again." said the Rare Hunter, sitting up and looking at Thomas with a look of evil in his eye. "I would, however, like to duel against the champion of the San Francisco tournament and take his Dark Magician from him."

"I accept." Thomas nodded firmly. "You are the trash contaminating the city!"

"Don't risk your Dark Magician like this, Thomas!" protested Percy. "Those Rare Hunters will do anything to win, even making fake rare cards to boost the power of their decks..."

But before Percy could continue, Thomas held up a hand to stop him.

"I have no right to know his method before the game takes place." he said calmyl.

"But, Thomas-!"

"I'd listen to him if I were you." The Rare Hunter added to that, holding the Red-Eyes Black Dragon card up. "If you say anything more, I'll tear your favorite card up and you'll never see it again."

Percy growled angrily, but choose not to say anymore.

"That's better." The Rare Hunter smirked, before looking to Thomas. "I hope you're ready to lose your Dark Magician!"

"I won't lose to a thief like you." sneered Thomas. "A duelist who selfishly takes cards from others shall pay dearly for it!"

(new scene...)

After the duel, Marik then decided to reveal his presence to Thomas.

"N-no, master! Please don't be angry!" he cried, holding onto his head in pain.

"What's going on?" Paxton asked nervously.

"I don't know-" Diesel gulped. "-but I'm getting out of here!"

The two boys quickly raced off as the Rare Hunter continued to go mad.

"What's going on?" Emily asked, sounding scared.

"I've seen this happen before." Thomas mumbled, recalling the same thing happening to Diesel 10.

Suddenly, the Rare Hunter gave a laugh (with a mix of voices).

"We meet again, Thomas Billinton." said the voice of Marik Ishtar.

"I had a feeling it might be you again." Thomas seethed. "Tell me who you are!"

The possessed Rare Hunter chuckled. "Very well, my name is Marik."

"What do you want with me?!"

A holographic image of Marik materialized, scowling. "Revenge."

"Revenge?" asked Thomas, sounding confused and angry. "Revenge for what?! What did I ever do to you!?"

"Not just against you." Marik replied. "Against your whole bloodline!"

"What's this clown talking about?" Percy asked, walking over.

"You would never understand the pain my family had to endure." sneered Marik, before returning his attention to Thomas. "But soon you will. I am the holder of a Millennium Item, just like Ishizu Ishtar. One of the three Egyptian God cards is already loose on Sodor. If you're foolish enough to come up against it, you will die by his hands."

"Egyptian God cards?" Thomas blinked, that was something Ishizu never told him about.

Marik smirked. "I see you've never heard of them before."

"Ishizu never mentioned something about a God card." Emily stated. "What exactly are they?"

"Only the three most powerful monster cards ever created." explained Marik. "I already have two of them."

"What are they?!" Thomas demanded. "How were they created?!"

"Like I would tell you." Marik taunted. "You'll just have to find out for yourself!"

"You creep!" Emily exclaimed angrily.

"Let the games begin." grinned the Rare Hunter leader. "I so look forward to playing with you and your friends, Thomas Billinton."

With that said, amid evil laughter, Marik released control over the Rare Hunter, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"It was after defeating that Rare Hunter things became more and more dangerous for Thomas." explained Emily.

"My goodness!" Molly gasped.

"And that wasn't all." Mavis spoke up.

"You mean...there's more?"

"I'm afraid so." sighed Emily.

"I remember when Toby and myself both encountered another of those Rare Hunters." Mavis explained. "During the night of the first day of the tournament."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Somewhere in the middle of Knapford, Thomas, Mavis, and Toby exited the magician's box prop and found themselves inside the locked up for the night mall.

"Are we in the mall?" Toby looked around.

"It looks like it." said Mavis. "But why are we here?"

Thomas could see a light coming from the card shop.

"Let's check the card shop!" He ran off towards the light.

"Wait up!" called Toby, as both he and Mavis both gave chase.

When they got to the entrance of the card shop, the three teens could see that the gate was not down.

"That's odd..." said Thomas. "If the store's closed, why isn't the gate down?"

Toby then saw that the computer was on.

"Hey, the owner's computer is on." he pointed out.

They walked in front of the computer and saw that on the screen was Thomas's dueling profile for the Battle City tournament.

* * *

 **Name** : Thomas Billinton  
 **Duel Rank** : 8/10  
 **Rarest Card** : Dark Magician

* * *

"Why is Thomas's profile showing?" Mavis asked, just before noticing something and gasping in fright. "G-grease and oil!"

"What is it?" Toby asked, touching and gripping onto his girlfriend's shoulders in concern.

"Take a look at Thomas's Dark Magician!"

The card on the screen was glowing purple. Suddenly, the card changed colour. The Dark Magician now sported silver hair, tanned skin, red robes, and a sinister smile on his face. It also came out of the computer as a hologram of a sort.

"What the-?!" cried Toby, reeling back. "The Dark Magician came out of the computer!"

"How is that even possible?" Mavis added.

"Welcome, Thomas!" (evil) Dark Magician greeted. "I've been expecting you!"

"Wait, you have?" Toby quizzed.

"Yes." said (evil) Dark Magician. "I knew from the start that you would come here. My master wishes to duel you. You see, you are not the only one with the powers of the Dark Magician in your deck, Thomas Billinton." He then motioned his scepter at Thomas in a threatening gesture. "And you are certainly not the best. It's time that you all met the TRUE master of the Dark Magician!"

Thomas smiled. "Okay, enough of these games. Come on out, Rare Hunter!"

Just then, there was a sinister laugh echoing throughout the shop. A man wearing a magician's suit, top hat, and white mask walked in from the door in the back of the shop.

"Greetings, Thomas Billinton." The man greeted greeted. He wore a Duel Disk on his left arm, which had a Dark Magician on a monster field slot and was in defense mode. In his right hand was another Dark Magician. "I am the illusionist known as Arkana, and I'm here to take you out of the tournament!"

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"He had the duel rigged so that whoever lost would have their legs cut off with a buzz-saw." said Mavis, still recalling the match. "Thankfully, Thomas was still able to mop the floor with him."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Thomas and Dark Magician Girl were both about to win the duel...

"And now... ladies and gentlemen." announced Thomas, pretending there was an audience besides Mavis and Toby. "Allow me to show you MY grand finale as my lovely Dark Magician Girl not only goes and destroys Saggi the Dark Clown, but also wipes out the rest of Arkana's life points!"

Mavis and Toby both stared cheering and applauding. They were happy that Thomas was about to win the duel. Arkana, however, remained very unhappy and afraid.

"Consider this your punishment for mistreating your cards!" Thomas shouted to the evil magician. "DARK BURNING ATTACK!"

Dark Magician Girl finally fired her blast, sending a powerful shockwave that not only destroyed Saggi, but also struck Arkana, causing him to scream as his life points dropped to zero (LP: 0).

"He won!" cheered both Toby and Mavis once more.

Thomas then heard something click open down near his feet. He looked down and saw that the box beneath his feet had opened. Inside was a Locator card and a key with a hat at the end similar to Arkana's.

"The key and a Locator card." he said, taking them. Using the key, he freed himself before looking at Arkana. "When duelists treat their cards as nothing but objects, they go down the path of ruin and defeat. You've lost because your own Dark Magician turned against you!"

Arkana was still grimacing in disbelief over his loss.

"And now-" Thomas went on. "-you must pay the price for it!"

"That's right!" gasped the evil magician. "I almost forgot about the saw-blades!"

Arkana was wailing away as the buzz-saw got closer and closer to cutting his legs clean off. As the evil magician panicked, he dropped the spare key on the ground. Suddenly, Thomas raced towards him.

"Hold on!" he cried. The blue-haired boy grabbed the key and began unlocking Arkana's shackles.

Just before *CHOP!*, Thomas pulled Arkana away from the buzz-saw.

"Thomas!" Toby and Mavis both cried out, just as they ran over.

"N-No game is worth dying for!" Thomas said to Arkana. "That's just sick!"

Arkana looked up. Thomas had saved his life, even after he almost tried to have him killed. A feeling of regret and remorse began to fill his mind while standing back up.

"What have I done?" The ex-evil magician asked sadly. "Catherine..." Suddenly, Arkana turned around and raced towards the curtained area with a yell. "I'm coming, Catherine!"

In a fit of madness, Arkana tore the curtain and held what looked like the body of Catherine under it.

"Oh, Catherine, my darling. I'm so sorry for how I acted." he said apologetically.

Just then, then head of ' _Catherine_ ' fell off the body, revealing it to be a dummy. Arkana was horrified to see this.

"A fake?" The magician gasped. "Then...Marik really was lying to me."

This became too much for him to bear and Arkana broke down to cry. The three teenagers now felt rather sorry for the poor magician.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Mavis with concern in her voice.

"Oh, Catherine, please come back to me." sobbed Arkana. "I don't want to lose you again after what I did years ago."

"Are you going to be alright, Arkana?" asked Thomas, walking closer to the poor man.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Even though Arkana was crazy and tried to kill Thomas-" admitted Mavis, sounding rather solemn. "-we still feel a bit bad for him after what he had gone through."

"Oh..." Molly whispered, looking a bit upset.

"HOWEVER!" Emily spoke up. "Do you remember what we did after returning to Sodor?"

"Oh yeah." Mavis recalled.

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Inside the Knapford Hospital, Arkana was resting in a room as a doctor and nurse were making sure he would be okay when a knock on the door came.

"Come in." called the doctor.

The door opened and in came Thomas and his friends.

"How is he?" asked Thomas.

The doctor sighed. "No change. Arkana hasn't awaken yet."

"Well, we think we might have a way to get him to wake up." Emily suggested.

"And what do you have in mind?" asked the doctor?

"Not ' _what_ '." corrected Mavis. "But ' _who_ '."

It was then Toby lead a blonde-haired woman into the room. Apparantly, this woman was the Catherine from Arkana's life a few years ago.

"Is that...Arkana?" The woman asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Toby nodded gravely.

The woman walked slowly up to Arkana's bed.

"Did he really lead a murderous life...just to try and get me back?"

"I'm afraid so, ma'am..." Thomas admitted. "But that was because he was lied to by someone."

Catherine gently put her hand on Arkana's face. "Arkana, my love..." she whispered. "Please come back to me. I've never stopped thinking about you ever since you forced me to leave you after that horrible accident years ago."

Slowly, Arkana began to open his eyes.

"Would you look at that?" asked the doctor in shock.

"He's coming around..." gasped the nurse. "But how could that be possible?"

The former Rare Hunter, now awake, gazed around is surroundings until he saw...her...

"Catherine?" asked Arkana quietly, seeing his true love for the first time in years. "Is it really you?"

"Yes, Arkana... it's me." Catherine confirmed, tears falling down her face.

"But why go find me? I was the one who shunned you after my accident."

"These children found me through an old friend of mine, and they told me about what you went through after losing me." explained the kind woman.

Finally, Arkana sat up and started to cry into his hands. He now greatly regreted everything he did in the last while, and wanted to forget they ever happened.

"Oh, Catherine, I'm so sorry for all that I've done!" mumbled Arkana in despair. "...but why bother apologizing since I know you'll never take me back now."

"That's not true." said Catherine kindly, hugging Arkana gently. "I've never stopped loving you, even after you shunned me."

This surprised the ex-evil magician greatly. "Really? D-do you really mean that?"

"Yes, my love." smiled Catherine. "I do mean it."

The reconciled couple then fully embraced while everyone else watched on with warm smiles on their faces.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"It was nice to help Arkana reconnect with his love." smiled Emily.

"It sure was." agreed Mavis.

Molly, who was extremely sensitive to sad and/or heartwarming stories, practically started crying from hearing ' _that_ ' story.

"Such a happy ending!" The black-haired girl sobbed. "It brings me to tears!"

Emily and Mavis both had to give Molly a hug to stop her from crying.

"There, there." Emily said soothingly. "Why don't we go on to the next activity here at the spa?"

"We'll even let you pick what we should do now." added Mavis.

"Okay." Molly sniffled a bit.

(elsewhere...)

A few minutes later, the three girls, still in their swimsuits, were each lying on a separate metallic table getting massages by some of the staff.

"Such bliss..." A now calmed Molly sighed. She was getting her legs and feet massaged.

"A good choice, Molly." Emily complimented. She was getting her lower and upper back massaged.

Surprisingly, Mavis, despite being extremely ticklish, was bravely lying on her back while getting her tummy massaged.

"Aren't you ticklish, Mavis?" Molly asked curiously, while looking over to her blonde-haired friend.

"I'm trying to be brave on it." said the blonde-haired girl, despite giggling a little bit from the touching-like feeling she was getting on her tummy. "But, to be a little bit honest, getting tickled is kinda fun once in a while... just so long as it isn't done by a pervert."

"Anyway..." Emily spoke up once more. "I've now been thinking about how far Percy came in this tournament."

"Really?" Molly looked over to her dark green-haired friend.

"Yes. He came a far way after losing his Red-Eyes."

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

The first flashback was to Percy's duel with Dennis...

"All right, Samson, check this out!" said Percy, drawing.

His eyes widened as he saw what he drew. It was exactly what he needed to win the duel.

"Yes!"

Quickly, Percy slotted the card into his Duel Disk.

"Behold the Spell card; Roulette Spider!" announced the green-haired boy.

"Roulette Spider?" asked Samson.

The Spell card materialized and a spider with an arrow on its back jumped out and attached to Jinzo's face.

"My Jinzo!" cried Samson. "What have you done?!"

And so, Percy began to explain his card's effect.

"Roulette Spider attaches itself to one of your monsters and spins it around rather like a roulette." explained Percy. "Then when it stops, it must attack whatever it's facing whether it be a monster or one of us."

"HUH?!"

"Of course, I'll have to give up half of my life points first." Percy went on (LP: 700). "And only you can tell it to stop."

A roulette board materialized below where Jinzo was standing, and the monster itself was moved to the center of the board.

"All right, time to spin the roulette!"

Jinzo began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster.

"Once again, only you can tell it to stop." reminded Percy. "And when you do, it will target either you, me, or any of the monsters on the field."

Samson looked very nervous.

"Well, Mr. ESP? What are you waiting for?"

Everybody waited and watched Samson. At last, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Jinzo!" he called. "Stop!"

Slowly, Jinzo's spinning began to stop until it was pointing towards...

"My Reflect Bounder!" gasped Samson.

Once the spider vanished from Jinzo's face, the android monster fired off a Cyber Energy Shock attack towards Reflect Bounder. As predicted, Reflect Bounder reflected Jinzo's blast back towards it, destroying it as well.

"N-no!" Samson wailed. "How could this have happened?"

"You wanna know, huh?" Percy smirked. "Let me do the math for you: Jinzo had 3200 attack points, subtract 1700 from Reflect Bounder... and you lose 1500 life points!"

Samson grimaced (LP: 0).

"And that means you're finished, and this duel is over!"

(new scene...)

Now Percy's duel against Diesel...

"Your last line of defense is gone!" Diesel gloated proudly. "Next turn, you're done! I'll have your rarest card and two Locator cards."

Percy looked at his deck while looking pretty worried.

"If I can't draw the right card-" he thought to himself. "-I'm done for."

Slowly, the green-haired boy drew his next card. Looking at the card, Percy felt relieved to the core.

"That's what I'm talking about."

"Well?" Diesel oiled. "Did you draw what you needed?"

Ignoring the comment, Percy brought out two cards from his hand.

"First I place one card facedown-" The green-haired boy began, slotting a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Next I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight in defense mode!"

A warrior wearing metallic armor materialized in a defensive stance (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1600).

"That's all for me." Percy said calmly.

Diesel watched carefully. "What is he up to now?" he thought to himself.

"Percy's planning something." commented Edward. "I just know it."

Looking at the card, Diesel let out a loud laugh.

"I've done it!" The devious black-haired boy cried out in triumph. "I've drawn the one card that will end this duel!"

He slotted his new card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk.

"I activate Magical Infestation!"

"What does that do?" asked Percy.

The Spell card materialized face-up, followed by Insect Barrier and DNA Surgery both vanishing.

"By sacrificing all of the Spell and Trap cards I have on my field-" Diesel explained. "-my Insect Queen can now not only attack your monster without requiring a tribute, but it can also deal piercing damage!"

"Oh no!" cried Mavis.

"Goodbye, Percy! And now, my Insect Queen!" ordered Diesel. "Destroy his scrap iron knight and what's left of his life points!"

Insect Queen obeyed and charged up another acid blast. However...

"You dork!" insulted Percy. "I was hoping you'd do that!"

"You were?!" Diesel exclaimed, realizing the trick.

"I activate the Trap card Graverobber!" announced Percy, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

The facedown card flipped up and revealed itself.

"No, not Graverobber!" Diesel yelled.

Out of the card came a little man with picks and shovels.

"This little guy can take a card from your graveyard and use it against you." explained Percy. "And I know just the card to use!"

Graverobber cackled and held out a familiar card. It was...

"Insecticide?!" squeaked Diesel, who was horrified to see the card.

"Time to exterminate your queen." grinned Percy in a sing-song tone.

The familiar spray can appeared and sprayed its contents. The Insect Queen shrieked in agony before finally fading away.

"Yeah!" cheered Percy. "There goes my pest problem!"

Diesel was practically in tears. "What have you done to my Queen?!" he sobbed.

"I just took out your best monster. And since you got rid of your two cards needed to stop me from attacking, I'm free to do so!"

From there, Percy drew his next card. Gearfried the Iron Knight immediately stood up into a battle position.

"I'll now switch Gearfried into attack mode!" Percy went on.

Diesel looked positively scared out of his wits.

"Alright, Gearfried-" Percy began confidently. "-scramble those eggs and wipe out the rest of Diesel's life points!"

The iron armored knight obeyed and lunged forth. Diesel screamed as the warrior monster sliced and diced the two eggs left behind (LP: 0).

"Welcome to loserville, Diesel." said Percy cheekily. "Population: You!"

Diesel sunk to his knees in a daze.

"I-I lost? I don't...believe it!"

Arry and Bert both couldn't believe it either.

"He lost again!" said Arry in fear.

"Lets get out of here before they mess with us, too!" Bert suggested, panicking.

The two raced off as Percy approached Diesel.

"All right, cough them up!" The green-haird boy demanded. "Your Insect Queen, Billy's deck, and both your Locator cards."

"M-mercy!" whimpered Diesel.

"Mercy?" Percy repeated. "Sorry, but you should have thought about it before you decided to go and steal someone else's deck. Just like in San Francisco, you're out of the tournament!"

Diesel collapsed in defeat.

(new scene...)

Finally Percy vs. Salty.

"Any last words?" Percy asked.

"Yes, six: This duel is not over yet!" Salty answered. He drew from his deck, looked at it, and smiled. "And I'll use my card right away." The sea dog held it out. "Return of the Doomed!"

The card materialized face-up.

"This revives a monster of mine that was destroyed this turn and puts it in attack mode!"

The card sank into the water, and a shadow of a monster appeared.

"What could it be?" Percy thought. "Is it the Legendary Fisherman? Or Fortress Whale?"

"My turn is done." Salty stated. "Now go!"

"Okay." Percy replied, drawing a card. "Here goes."

The green-haired boy noticed the card he drew.

"Giant Trunade... this card could help me out here. Umi would go back to Salty's hand, and expose the monster. But wait, what if it is the Fortress Whale monster? My Panther wouldn't stand a chance against it. What do I do?"

Salty grew impatient. "What on Earth are you waiting for?!" he demanded. "Hurry up and finish your turn so I can win!"

"I activate Giant Trunade!" Percy declared, as the mentioned Spell card materialized face-up. "Now all Spell and Trap cards on the field return to our hands!"

A giant black hole appeared in the sky and began sucking everything into it.

"Drain the sea!"

Within seconds, the extra water was gone, exposing Salty's hidden monster... The Legendary Fisherman (Level: 5/ATK: 1850/DEF: 1600).

"You've found my Fisherman." sighed Salty.

"Salty..." whispered Percy.

The old sea dog looked like he was gonna start crying any second.

"End the duel, now."

Sighing heavily, Percy took and slotted a card into his Duel Disk.

"Then I'll go and play Scapegoat." he said, just as four Sheep Tokens appeared...and one vanishes in a blue streak. "Now I'll offer one of them as a tribute so my Panther Warrior can attack!"

With one single sword slash, Panther Warrior went and destroyed The Legendary Fisherman. Because Umi and Tornado Wall were both gone, nothing could stop Salty's life points from dropping.

"I'm sorry, dad." Salty thought to himself.

The Legendary Fisherman, before fading away, gave the man a small smile. Salty sobbed quietly as his remaining life points finally dropped to zero (LP: 0).

"HE DID IT!" cheered Toby, Edward, Mavis, and Sir Topham Hatt.

"Percy!" cheered Emily.

Back at the aquarium tank, Percy saw that Salty was crying a little bit.

"Hey, you okay over there, Salty?" The green-haired boy called.

Hastily, the man dried his eyes and smiled brightly while accepting his loss.

"Yes, that was an excellent duel!" Salty said pleasantly. "Congratulations on winning."

"Thank you."

Salty walked over and handed Percy two Locator cards and his rare Legendary Fisherman card.

"My rarest card...and two Locator cards." The man stated.

Percy was surprised to see this card. "Wait, you're giving me your Legendary Fisherman card?" he asked. "Why's that?"

"You've earned it." Salty pointed out. "Besides, I'll always carry on my father's memories, card or no card."

Nodding, Percy accepted the rare card.

"Thanks." he said, smiling. "And don't you worry; I'll use it well in my deck."

Smiling back, Salty held his left hand out, and Percy accepted the handshake.

"You'd better. And best of luck in the finals!"

"Thanks." grinned Percy.

A whale soared through the air at that point, causing the crowd to begin cheering very loudly.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Even though he lost his ace monster-" said Mavis, after giving another tickled giggle. "-that didn't destroy his dueling spirit."

"In fact, it turned out he had another ace up his sleeve." Emily added.

"His Time Wizard?" askd Molly.

"No, his Gilford the Lightning!"

A flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

Percy was in his duel against Dark Marik.

"Okay, Marik! Get ready to face a force like no other!" Percy declared, readying his card. "I'll sacrifice Panther Warrior, Rocket Warrior, and Lava Golem to summon my ultimate fighting machine!"

Upon placing his card onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk, Lava Golem, Panther Warrior, and Rocket Warrior each turned into small orbs of light. Thomas and Spencer both smiled in the bright light, while Dark Marik merely scowled... Finally, the colourful orbs went into the sky.

"GILFORD THE LIGHTNING!"

Lightning bolts rained down from the sky, narrowly missing Thomas and the others off of the platform. The bolts of lightning also barely missed Skiff and his parents, too. A human male wearing orange clothing and silver armor was shown shadowed in the dark as lightning struck around him. Dark Marik watched in shock as two bolts of lightning struck past him and the wind picked up and moved his cape about. The warrior monster also had a sword sheathed on his back. Finally, the shadows faded away from the monster and revealed him fully before he gave a loud bellow of a battle cry as more and more lightning struck around the stage.

"G-Gilford the Lightning...?" Dark Marik asked nervously (a rare moment).

"Get ready, Marik." said Percy in triumph. "This monster is gonna put an end to your miserable life! So get ready! This is the true ace monster of my whole deck! The legendary warrior who controls the storms! Your Plasma Eel is about to bite the dust here and now!"

"Amazing!" Henry breathed.

"I've never seen anything like it." said Skiff.

"I'll admit it was a good move." Spencer admitted.

On the duel stage, Dark Marik recovered and began to laugh.

"I kinda missed the joke, chuckles!" snapped Percy.

"A fool to no end. Your new monster may be powerful indeed-" said Dark Marik. "-but it's no match for my Plasma Eel, which you made stronger with Graceful Dice. What's more, it also cannot be destroyed by battle!" He gave another loud laugh. "Your plan has failed! The so-called ' _legendary warrior_ ' will die in vain!"

That's right, Plasma Eel was now the stronger foe (ATK: 3000), while Gilford the Lightning was the weaker opponent (Level: 8/ATK: 2800). However...

"Wrong, Marik-chan!" retorted Percy. "Did you really think I was dumb enough to give you the advantage like that?"

"Yes!" Dark Marik replied bluntly.

"Percy's right." spoke up Thomas. "When Gilford the Lightning is summoned by tributing three monsters instead of the usual two... his effect automatically activates." He smiled more proudly. "Go and show him, Percy!"

"I sure will!" thought Percy, before giving the command. "Gilford, wipe out that Plasma Eel with Lightning Thunder!"

Gilford the Lightning obeyed. He drew his sword out, raised it up to the air, and charged it with the power of thunder. Lightning struck the lone Plasma Eel and caused it to be destroyed.

"My last defense!" cried Dark Marik. "But how? Plasma Eel couldn't be destroyed!"

"You really need to learn about how certain cards work." Percy taunted, waving a hand out.

"What do you mean?!"

"I agree that your Plasma Eel can't be destroyed in battle." said Percy. "However, it CAN still be destroyed by card effects, which is what Gilford just did. When he is summoned with three tributes, Gilford destroys all of my opponent's monsters like that no matter what!"

Dark Marik cursed loudly in anger. Percy was feeling more and more confident than ever.

"With your field now completely empty, I can finish you off right here, right now!"

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"Remember, Molly?" asked Emily.

"I almost forgot." said the black-haired girl at last. "It's just that I heard that he also relied on the Time Wizard + Baby Dragon combo a lot before getting Red-Eyes in San Francisco."

"That is true." came from Mavis, again giving a tickled giggle.

Finally, one of the staff members (the one who was massaging Emily) spoke up... "The mud baths are ready now." he said. "If any of you three are interested."

"I'm so in!" came a desperate Mavis while sitting up, thus pushing the staff member massaging her back some.

This earned the blonde-haired girl a weird stare from the remaining staff members present, causing her to blush from her little outburst.

"What?" Mavis asked sheepishly.

Emily and Molly both laughed a little bit.

(elsewhere...)

Minutes later, the three girls were inside a huge tub filled with mud. But not the stinky, cold kind of mud. This mud was dirty, yes, but it was also very warm and refreshing also.

"Whoever thought getting covered with mud would be this relaxing?" asked Molly. "I rather like it."

"I bet James wouldn't think so." chuckled Mavis.

"That guy is so vain and whiny when it comes to getting dirty." added Emily.

"Hey!" came an offended Molly, hurling some mud into Emily's face. "That's my boyfriend you're talking about."

"Sorry." The dark green-haired girl apologized, wiping the mud off of her face. "But you have to agree, don't you?"

"Perhaps, but he does have a good heart, you know." Molly reminded. "He saved my life, after all."

"That's right." said Mavis. "You told us during the ride on the blimp."

Molly nodded...just as a flashback began.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK**

James and Zander were about to have a rematch.

"You want a rematch? Well you've got one!" James declared bravely. "Just don't hurt her."

He was referring to the captured Molly, of course.

"I knew you'd see things my way." Zander remarked. "How many Locator cards do you have?"

"I have five." said James, holding his Locator cards up.

"I've got only one." Zander held his up. "Why not this? if you win, you'll not only get my Locator card and Molly here back, but I'll also give you two special cards of mine."

"What's the catch?" James asked suspiciously.

"If I win, not only do I get all five of your Locator cards...but you and your two friends over there will not leave here alive."

Henry couldn't help but gulp.

"I accept." said James with determination. "I beat you before, and I'll beat you again."

"We'll see about that." Zander smiled coldly and calculatingly.

(new scene...)

James was about to perform his winning move...

"All right!" The red-haird boy thought to himself, looking at his drawn cards. "Time for me to win this duel!" He selected his drawn Miracle Fusion Spell card and slotted it into his Duel Disk. "I activate Miracle Fusion!"

The mentioned card materialized face-up and ready to activate.

"Miracle Fusion?" Zander frowned.

"That's right." confirmed James. "This Spell let's me do a fusion summon with Elemental HEROES in my graveyard or my field."

Both Element HEROES Sparkman and Flame Wingman both appear before fusing together.

"And the monsters I've chosen are Elemental HERO Sparkman and Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"

The fusion ended and Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman stood tall and proud (Level: 8/ATK: 2500).

"Shining Flare Wingman?" gasped Zander. "That monster gets stronger for every Elemental HERO in your graveyard, right?"

"That's right." nodded James, three cards then slid out of his graveyard. "My monster gains 300 attack points for every Elemental HERO in my graveyard." He took hold of them and showed them to Zander. "And I count three."

Shining Flare Wingman grew stronger (ATK: 2500 - 3400). Zander sighed in relief.

"Your monster is still weaker than my own." The disgraced Rare Hunter commented. "I'm safe."

"I'm not finished yet!" James held out another card. "I'll add in Miracle Contact next!"

Three more cards slid out of his graveyard. They were Grand Mole, Flare Scarab, and Elemental HEO Neos. James then took hold and shuffled the three cards into his deck.

"You remember seeing this card in our last duel, right?" The red-haired boy asked.

"Yes." growled Zander. "I know what it does."

"Then I'll use it to merge Neos with Flare Scarab and Grand Mole! Come forth, Elemental HERO Magma Neos!"

Another fusion commenced. When it ended, there stood Elemental HERO Magma Neos (Level: 9/ATK: 3000).

"My new monster gains 400 attack points for every card on the field, regardless of who owns it." James explained.

Since there were three cards of the field, that was an extra 1200 attack points added in to its strength (ATK: 3000 - 4200).

"And-" James went on. "-before you say my monsters are weaker than your Yubel, take a good look at this card!" He held out Neo Space. "The Field Spell Neo Space!"

The sky turned from dark and cloudy to all...very colorful.

"Since I played an extra card, my Magma Neos gains 400 extra attack points!"

Magma Neos grows stronger (ATK: 4200 - 4600).

James smirked. "And that's not all Neo Space does!"

"What else does it...do?" Zander demanded, sounding nervous.

"It grants my Neos monster an additional 500 attack points and prevents him from leaving the field at the end of the turn."

Magma Neos reached its full strength (ATK: 4600 - 5100).

"N-No!" stammered Zander. "This can't be happening!"

"Magma Neos!" commanded James. "Wipe out Yubel the Evil One now!"

Magma Neos obeyed, charging up a large meteor and hurling it at Yubel.

"Your monster is history, Zander!"

"Alright, James!" cheered Gordon and Henry at their friend's comeback.

Magma Neos sent down its Meteor Meltdown attack from the sky. Yubel was hit by the meteor and a massive explosion filled the area.

"James!" cried out Molly.

When the smoke cleared, Magma Neos stood triumphantly while Yubel the Evil One was destroyed.

"M-My monster..." mumbled Zander in a low whisper (LP: 1450).

"It's gone." said James proudly. "And that leaves you wide open for a direct attack! Go get him, Shining Flare Wingman!"

"N-No!" cried out Zander in rage. "I will not lose to you a second time!"

"Too late, pal!"

Shining Flare Wingman charged up a blast and fired at Zander.

"No... NO!" The Rare Hunter winced, as the attack got closer and closer.

The blast struck Zander and sent him flying back as he roared in pain from the attack (LP: 0).

"I've won!" cried James, jumping up into the air happily.

"Nice win, James!" came from both Gordon and Henry.

The three Rare Hunters each stared in disbelief over what had just occurred.

"He just beat Zander again!" wailed one Rare Hunter.

"Let's beat it before he decides to mop the floor with us!" added another Rare Hunter.

The three Rare Hunters quickly bolted out of there before it was too late. Zander, who was back on his feet, quickly fled the school grounds too...though not before turning around and threatening the three Tidmouth Teens.

"You haven't seen the last of me!" shouted Zander. "I will have my revenge!"

James only stared on in defiance before Zander ran out of the area, dropping two cards and a Locator card in the process. With the four Rare Hunters gone, James, Henry, and Gordon made their way over to the tied up Molly.

"You're safe now." said Henry, untying the roles.

"Oh, thank you." Molly sighed in relief.

As soon as the black-haired girl was freed, James quickly wrapped his arms around her.

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

The flashback ended.

"I still can't believe he said he hated you at first." Mavis said in an upset tone.

"He only said it out of anger and frustration." Molly pointed out. "Apparently, he thought I was the one who hated HIM, when I only hated his conceited and arrogant attitude."

"Good point." Emily shrugged.

"Apparantly so..." agreed Mavis, before adding as a joke... "Too bad you can't fully tame his occasional interest in other girls."

"Oh, har har..." Molly laughed sarcastically, hurling some mud at the blonde-haired girl's face.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" Mavis, after wiping the mud off her face, gave a cheeky smirk.

"What if it is?" grinned Molly.

"Challenge also happens to be my middle name!" added Emily, also smiling.

With that said, the three girls began to playfully hurl mud at each other while laughing joyously and having a good time.

(elsewhere...)

An hour later, after getting cleaned up and dressed again, Emily, Mavis, and Molly each went to the spa's restaurant for a bite to eat before leaving.

"If the massages and saunas were terrific-" said Emily, rubbing her hands together. "-I bet the food will be just as amazing."

"There's one thing we haven't talked about so far today." Mavis pointed out.

"What is it?" asked a curious Molly.

"The big Duel Monsters costume party! It's in just two more days!"

"I know, right?" asked Emily. "We have to get our costumes ready for it."

Remembering she was going as a Harpie Lady along with her two friends...reluctantly, Molly blushed a deep red.

"Why me?" she thought to herself unhappily, before speaking aloud. "W-Why can't Lady be a Harpie Lady alongside you two?"

"Lady's going to San Francisco tomorrow." Emily pointed out

"She'll be gone for most, if not all, of the summer." added Mavis. "And we need a third girl."

"B-B-But why me?" asked Molly timidly. "You both have perfect figures for it." She looked down feeling very embarrassed. "And the costume would likely be too big for my upper half, anyway."

"Molly, I've told you this once before..." Mavis pointed out gently. "I don't have the perfect body for it either...but I'm not gonna let it bother me."

Molly still didn't say a word, much to the blonde-haired girl's concern.

"Emily, a little help here, please?"

"She's right, Molly. I'll admit that even I don't have the greatest figure for a costume like that." said Emily, putting a comforting hand on her black-haired friend's shoulder. "Besides, it doesn't matter who has the greatest figure for filling out the costume. All that matters is that we go through with it and have fun."

Molly looked up. "Are you sure?"

"Definitely."

"And if it makes you feel any better-" Mavis added to that, starting to laugh a bit. "-there will be a fourth person in our group."

"Fourth person?" Molly quizzed. "Who would that be?"

Emily giggled. "Well, you know that every Harpie Lady Sisters trio needs to have a pet dragon by their side. And, ha ha, James volunteered for it."

Molly's eyes widened. "What?!"

"Not willingly, mind you." The dark green-haired girl continued to speak. "Yesterday, James and I had another duel in the park. In addition, we also made a bet."

"What was the bet you made?"

"If James won that duel, I would have had to go and purchase an Elemental HERO Neos costume for him. But if I had won... James would have to go with the three of us as Harpie's Pet Dragon."

"And guess who happened to win the match?" chuckled Mavis, as she and Emily both high-fived.

"James as Harpie's Pet Dragon..." muttered Molly.

"Look on the plus side." Emily remarked. "James will have a collar on him, and so if he gets out of line...just give it a tug."

That did it. The usually shy black-haired girl was now practically laughing in her seat.

"There we go." smiled Mavis. "That got you feeling better."

"Although James as Harpie's Pet Dragon?" chortled Emily. "Could you imagine him as that monster?"

All three girls laughed at the idea just as their food and drinks came.

(elsewhere...)

Another hour later, after paying for their spa day, Emily, Mavis, and Molly each left the building. It was still the afternoon, meaning they still had lots of time to kill.

"What an amazing afternoon." said Emily cheerfully. "We should come here again sometime."

"Perhaps." agreed Mavis. "But remember that the spa is expensive."

"Too true." The dark green-haired girl sighed. "I guess what we can do now is go and purchase our costumes and wigs."

Molly gave a defeated sigh before smiling. "I guess this could be for the best." she thought, blushing a little bit.

"I'm in for that." Mavis smiled in agreement.

Suddenly, the three girls gave each other a high-five.

"BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!"


	78. The Valkyria and the Magician Girl

This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:

Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel

The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry

Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami

Song used in Intro and Outro (c) Unknown

WARNING: Again, this story is rated T (13-plus) for moments of violence, bloody moments, and some suggestive themes. Chapter is also noted for a large amount of fanservice from some female characters. Viewer discretion may be advised.

* * *

Opening up in Thomas's bedroom late one night, the blue-haired boy was trying to get some sleep. Suddenly, atop the nearby dresser, the Millennium Puzzle began to glow and the spirit of Dark Magician Girl came out.

"Dark Magician Girl?" asked Thomas, waking up and rubbing his tired eyes. "It's 10:30 in the night. What's the matter?"

"I'm sorry to have awoken you, Thomas." Dark Magician Girl said apologetically. "But there seems to be a small problem with one of the monster cards in your deck."

"What?" Thomas sat up upon hearing this bit of info. "Which one is it?"

Dark Magician Girl sighed as she disappeared once more. "You might want to take a look at it yourself."

Thomas got out of bed and walked over to pick his deck up off the dresser and look through it.

"My cards seem fine." he thought to himself, cycling through each card until he stopped at one glowing all white. "Hey, this is...!"

The glowing monster card in question was revealed to be Magician's Valkyria.

"Magician's Valkyria."

Within a second, the spirit of the usually stern-faced teal armored female spellcaster appeared in Thomas's room with her arms folded.

"Umm, h-hello there..." The blue-haired boy greeted shyly. The only time Magician's Valkyria had ever spoken directly to Thomas was during his duel with Montague, and was probably the only time the older female spellcaster ever gave a kind smile to anyone. All other times, however, she looked so stern that it was difficult to tell if she was truly friendly or not. But this time around, Thomas could see that his monster looked rather upset over something. "Is...there something the matter?"

Magician's Valkyria didn't say anything at first; she then looked over to Thomas and only gave a sad sigh.

"Are you-?"

"It's not fair how you always seem to rely more on the Dark Magician Girl than me." Magician's Valkyria finally spoke up, interrupting her master. "Is it because she's prettier than me?"

Thomas blinked a few times before immediately shaking his head. "No, that's not true at all." he denied. "Alongside Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl is one of the most trustworthy monsters in my whole deck." The blue-haired boy then gave his spellcaster-type monster a smile. "But... that doesn't mean I don't care about you or any of the other monster cards I have."

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to make Magician's Valkyria feel any better...

"If only other people feel the same way." The older, female spellcaster commented, walking over and sitting down on the end of Thomas's bed. "Every time you summon Dark Magician Girl, practically everyone in the audience gets overjoyed by her presence and beauty. But nobody's ever excited or happy to see me. All they every do is complain that I'm but a weaker copy of her."

"Well-" said Thomas, walking closer to his monster. "-' ** _I_** ' think you're beautiful."

"That's rather sweet of you to say." Magician's Valkyria looked to her master and smiled briefly, but then lost her smile just as quickly. "But it doesn't seem that way to everyone else. Your friend James even called me not as pretty one time."

"Oh, don't mind, James. That guy often speaks before thinking far too often."

"Besides-" The older, female spellcaster continued some more. "-there are other duelists out there that take my ability for granted."

Thomas blinked some more from hearing that. "For granted? What do you mean by that?"

"My name is based on the Valkyries of Norse Mythology." explained Magician's Valkyria, looking at her master again. "Handmaidens of the God, Odin, who are chosen and destined to be slained in battle. It's similar to my ability of protecting my fellow spellcasters." The older female spellcaster then looked towards the ground while becoming more and more upset. "Ever since I was a child in the Duel Monsters spirit world, I was taught that my purpose in life was to merely serve and die in battle, nothing more." The older, female spellcaster began to feel more and more ashamed with herself. "Most duelists would pack their decks with at least two or three copies of my card form, using them for the mere purpose of protecting their other monsters from being wiped out and only seeing me as nothing more than a human shield."

A small tear rolled down Magician Valkyria's cheek as she closed her eyes and ended her little tale. Thomas now felt very sorry for his own monster. But before he could say anything more, the blue-haired boy heard a light knock at his door.

"Thomas, I hear voices in your room." called Mrs. Billinton from the other side. "Is somebody in there with you?"

Thomas gasped as the door opened and revealed his Mother... Thankfully, she couldn't see Duel Monsters spirits... although she could see that her son was out of bed in the middle of the night.

"O-Oh, sorry, Mom." Thomas apologized sheepishly. "Guess I couldn't...sleep."

"Well, I shouldn't wonder." said Mrs. Billinton, chuckling a bit. "After all, there has been tons of excitement you've been through these past few days. But if you don't get your sleep, you'll be too exhausted for tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll go back to sleep. Good night, Mom."

Mrs. Billinton smiled. "Good night, honey."

With that said, the kind woman closed the door. Seconds later...

"Phew... That was close." sighed Thomas, after making sure his Mother had left. "It's a good thing my Mom can't see Duel Monsters spirits like you. Otherwise she'd be me asking why a 15-year old boy like me had a woman in her early-to-mid 20's sitting on his bed."

Magician's Valkyria had a rather puzzled look on her face. She didn't really get humans and their behavior sometimes.

"Uhh... Heh... Human Mothers can sometimes be overprotective with their children when certain things go on that they're not used to." Thomas explained sheepishly, just before his face softened up. "Anyway, I'm really sorry that you feel like others don't appreciate you."

"Perhaps the human males might show more interest if I wore a swimsuit like those teenage and adult human females often wear at what your kind call...the beach." said Magician's Valkyria innocently.

Thomas suddenly blushed as he started to imagine Magician's Valkyria wearing such a swimsuit.

* * *

 **VISION**

In this imagine scene, Magician's Valkyria, with a sexy-looking body outside her usual armor, was posing in a lovely, skimpy, teal bikini, and even winking in a flirting manner.

 **END VISION**

* * *

Suddenly, the blue-haired boy snapped out of his thoughts when he realized what he was thinking (looking like a pervert in the process).

"Easy, Thomas!" Thomas thought to only himself. "No dirty thoughts, no dirty thoughts!"

Magician's Valkyria raised an eyebrow curiously. Being a Duel Monsters spirit, she again didn't fully understand Thomas's behavior at the moment.

"Err..." Thomas said sheepishly, still blushing. "It's rather complicated for me to explain to a Duel Monsters spirit... From what I can tell you, human males sometimes like girls when they wear clothing like that. And they sometimes even imagine them that way, like how I sometimes..." He suddenly stopped talking and face faulted unhappily upon realizing what he was saying towards a female (human or not). "Oh, great! I... I seriously hope I'm not acting or sounding like a complete pervert towards you..."

The older, female spellcaster merely thought about it, but ultimately went against the idea...

"My apologies for making you feel so flustered, master." apologized Magician's Valkyria, standing back up. "I know I want people to like me, but I want it to be for who I am, and not for someone who shows lots of skin."

Thomas recovered from his...dirty thoughts, and smiled at the spirit (who he also saw as his friend).

"Well, again, don't worry." The blue-haired boy said positively. "I'm sure there's a way to get people to appreciate you more... Just wait and see."

Magician's Valkyria, feeling much better now, smiled at her ' _master_ '. But how was Thomas gonna pull off helping his monster feel special? That was anyone's guess.

* * *

 **Title: The Valkyria and the Magician Girl**

* * *

Next morning after breakfast, Thomas went out for a walk around town. At the local Cafe, he saw Emily enjoying some breakfast on her own.

"Hello, Thomas." said the dark green-haired girl cheerfully.

"Morning, Emily." Thomas greeted right back.

"You look like you're in deep thought. Is something the matter?"

Thomas told Emily about the visit he had gotten from Magician's Valkyria last night.

"Well, Dark Magician Girl is one of your ace monsters." Emily pointed out, once her blue-haired friend had finished explaining the situation.

"I did tell my Magician's Valkyria that." Thomas pointed out, just before sighing. "But, she feels jealous and left out since nobody seems to show that they like her just because she's not Dark Magician Girl. I want to find a way to help her feel special, but I don't know how."

Little did Thomas realize that his chance would come soon... Up in the sky above the Cafe, a small ball of yellow was floating along.

"At long last!" came a cheerful voice (which was also very familiar). "My favorite day of the year has finally come; Duel Monsters Spirit Day. The only day once a year when Duel Monsters spirits get to walk freely in the human world. I might have missed out on it the previous years, but I'm not letting this year go to waste."

As it turned out, Duel Monsters Spirit Day was on the same day as the Duel Monsters Costume Party outside Sodor High School. Either way, back with Thomas and Emily...

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out, Thomas." Emily said reassuringly.

With that said, she, after paying for her meal, started to leave the outdoor Cafe.

"Where are you going?" called Thomas.

"I'm meeting Mavis and Molly at the costume shop!" Emily called back. "Namely to try on our costumes for this afternoon!"

"This afternoon?"

"Yes." giggled the dark green-haired girl. "For the costume party at the high school, silly."

Thomas turned pale. "Oh no! I almost forgot about it!"

Very quickly, the blue-haired boy made a dash down the street like a roadrunner. He hadn't chosen a costume to wear for the party yet, and now the one he could have worn was probably sold out at the store. Either way, Emily couldn't help but giggle about Thomas's antics yet again.

"Thomas, you are SO cheeky sometimes." she said only to herself.

(elsewhere...)

At around 11:30 am, Thomas was at the costume shop with Emily, Mavis, Molly, and, surprisingly, James. The girls and James were each inside separate change rooms getting into their costumes.

"So, you three girls are going as the Harpie Lady Sisters?" asked Thomas.

"That'd be right!" came Mavis's voice, followed by some grunts of a sort and muttered words of... "Darn thing...!"

"I guess so..." whimpered Molly's voice.

"I still can't believe I have to go as this... this... creature!" came a whine from James's voice.

Inside one change room, Emily was busy trying to get her costume on when she overheard her red-haired friend complain about having to dress up for the big party. While changing, the dark green-haired girl was implied to have been naked, but was only seen from the shoulders up.

"James, we've talked about this." scolded Emily, slowly managing to get herself into a form-fitting purple bodysuit. "Just suck it up, and go along with it like a man!"

Thomas clearly didn't get the full story on the bet James and Emily both made days ago when they had yet another duel, but he did hear that James was dressing up (thinking that the red-haired boy was going as either Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman or Elemental HERO Neos) despite whining all about it. Eventually, after around ten minutes or so, the first three doors opened up...and Thomas blushed upon seeing Emily, Mavis, and Molly each emerge from their respective dressing room.

"Fizzling Fireplaces!" thought Thomas.

The three girls were each now wearing the Harpie Lady's Cyber Shield armor and full purple bodysuits (although their arms and shoulders remained bare), along with makeshift wings and clawed gloves, bird-like feet/boots, pointy ears, make-up, and even wigs. Emily wore a purple-haired wig (which also fit perfectly over her long dark green, almost emerald, hair), Mavis wore an orange-haired wig, and a blushing Molly was wearing a blue-haired wig.

"Wow." Thomas breathed. He then recovered and smiled. "You three look beautiful!"

Molly, despite being complimented, still felt a bit embarrassed wearing something like this.

"Why, thank you, Thomas." said Mavis, grinning broadly.

"You're so sweet." gushed Emily, feeling flattered.

Thomas then noticed that one of the three Harpie Ladies was blushing a bit. "Molly, you feeling alright?"

"I-I-I think so." stuttered Molly, feeling very flustered. "It's just that I've never worn a costume quite like this before. I feel so...exposed."

In an adorable manner, the black-haired girl used the wings on her arms to cover her blushing face.

"If that's the case, then you should be thankful that we didn't decide to go for the ' _other_ ' Harpie Lady clothing." joked Emily. "You know? ' _Those_ ' ones..."

Molly's blush immediately deepened upon hearing that. She knew exactly what Emily was talking about, and didn't like it one little bit.

"Emily!" The embarrassed Molly protested.

Unfortunately, Thomas, upon overhearing the dark green-haired girl's joking comment, started to envision Emily, Mavis, and even Molly each wearing the REALLY revealing Harpie Lady clothing (from the Japanese version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime).

* * *

 **VISION**

Emily, Mavis, and Molly were each standing on a stage in the middle of Knapford City, now wearing the above mentioned Harpie Lady costumes, and modeling before lots of people. The three teenage girls were showing off TONS of breast cleavage and also their tummies (which included the navel), and even gave seductive-like winks to whichever teenage male was watching them at the moment.

 **END VISION**

* * *

That whole vision caused the blue-haired boy to blush to himself once again.

"Cinders and Ashes! They're so sexy! The sexiest girls at Sodor High School!" Thomas was thinking to himself in a rather...dirty manner. But very quickly, he realized his mistake and tried to push those perverted thoughts out of his head. "N-No dirty thoughts, Thomas Billinton! No dirty-"

The blue-haired boy's vision and thoughts were interrupted by another voice! ...which also sounded both annoyed and embarrassed.

"I'm not coming out!" came the voice of James. "I look stupid!"

Emily and Mavis both looked to each other and nodded before gazing back at the door to the red-haired boy's changing room.

"Either come out this minute-" called Emily. "-or we're coming in there to force you out!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Wanna bet?" dared Mavis sternly, folding her arms.

After a couple of moans and groans, as well as a number of choice (swear) words, the door to the fourth dressing room finally opened... Just as quickly, Emily, Mavis, and Thomas (now that he knew the truth) each began laughing their heads off.

"Oh, wow!" wheezed Thomas. "NOW I understand what this was all about."

"My goodness, James!" chortled Mavis. "You look like a very fierce pink dragon!"

"Shut up!" said James. "It's not funny!"

Molly, trying all she could to hold it in, finally burst into gut busting laughter while forgetting all about being embarrassed over wearing her own costume, which was also much to James's dismay...

"Not you too, Molly!"

"But, sweetie, you look so adorable." giggled Molly, gaining some control from her laugh.

That's right; James Hughes was all dressed in a highly bulky Harpie's Pet Dragon suit... and his face was as red as his flaming red hair.

"Ooooh, why me?" The poor red-haired boy mumbled quietly.

"You've lost the duel and bet, Mr. Hughes." teased Emily. "If you had won it, I would have bought you one of those Elemental HERO costume! ...but, alas, you didn't win against me."

James sobbed comically in response... just before a flashing white light came. Snickering deviously, Thomas had just used his cellphone to take a picture of the red-haired boy in his...' _fierce_ '...pink dragon costume.

"For the memories!" The blue-haired boy chuckled cheekily.

"You're not keeping that for anything!" protested James, getting pretty angry. "Gimme that camera!"

He started to give chase when he felt someone yank on the chain bound to his collar, causing the red-haired boy to yelp and wheeze and fall onto his rear end.

"Oh no, you don't!" scolded Molly, being the one who yanked on the chain. "Bad pet dragon! Very bad!"

James whimpered and moped, drawing a circle on the ground with his finger.

"I just pray that Gordon and Henry both don't see this." he thought to himself. "They would never let me live it down..."

Suddenly...

"What's that, Gordon?" Thomas spoke on his cellphone. "You and Henry will both be there at the party?"

James panicked even more so as the blue-haired boy finished up his call.

"Great! we'll see you two there."

"This just keeps getting worse and worse!" groaned the red-haired boy.

At that point, Molly looked over to Thomas rather curiously.

"So... what are you going as, Thomas?" she asked softly.

"That's a good question." said Thomas thoughtfully. He hadn't even thought of what costume he would dress in. Looking about the various choices, and even the ones in the leftover bin, the blue-haired boy suddenly noticed one costume on the rack. "Yes! They have one costume left!"

"What?" asked Emily. "What is it?"

Thomas held out the costume happily. "The Dark Magician!"

"Not surprised." joked Mavis.

After a spending a few minutes in one of the changing rooms, Thomas exited, twirled his make-shift staff a few times, and struck a pose.

"Tada!" The blue-haired boy announced proudly. "How do I look?"

"Almost like the real thing." admired Mavis, while clapping.

"Yay!" cheered Molly, also applauding.

"...except shorter and cuter." flirted Emily, the only one who wasn't applauding.

Thomas blushed as Molly and Mavis both giggled in response.

"A-Anyway, I've heard Toby is going as the Flame Swordsman." The blue-haired boy finally said.

"I thought Percy was going as that?" quizzed Mavis.

"Oh no, he's going as Lord of the Red." corrected Emily.

"Lord of the Red?" asked Molly curiously. "Is that an evolved form of Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

"It's a ritual monster that involves something to do with Red-Eyes." explained Thomas.

Finally, after some more chatting, Emily checked her watch and gasped.

"Oh boy!" she cried. "We need to get going! The party begins at noon outside the high school!"

"Do I have to go as this?" whined James.

"Yes!" scolded Mavis, pulling on the chain and leading the ' ** _Pet Dragon_** ' along.

"OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!"

Poor James. This was not gonna be his day...

(elsewhere...)

Later on outside Sodor High School—or rather on the school grounds—it was currently a busy place. People were gathered all around, and many of them were wearing costumes of various Duel Monsters.

"My, oh my, such creative costumes!" chuckled Lady Hatt, the wife of Sir Topham Hatt.

"Ma'am-" said Timothy, dressed as Vampire Lord. "-those costumes are based off of Duel Monsters."

"Duel Monsters?" asked Lady Hatt. "You mean that card game?"

"Based on the ever popular Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and manga!" added Stephen, a rich boy with gold-like blonde hair.

Nearby, a shy boy about 14-years old and with green hair was walking around when a female voice (with a French accent) called out to him.

"Luke, over here!"

The boy (Luke) turned and saw a 14-year old girl with long, curly, light blue hair walking up to him. The pretty girl was shown to be dressed up as Queen's Knight.

"Oh... h-hi, Millie." greeted Luke shyly.

"Bonjour, Luke." greeted the girl (Millie) back, speaking briefly in the French language. She then gave the shy boy a kind smile before going into a pose. "What do you zink?"

"I think you look very pretty in that costume."

"Don't you have a costume, too?" asked Millie curiously.

The shy green-haired boy shuffled his feet about.

"Um... Y-Yes, I do." admitted the shy green-haired boy.

"Well, where is it?"

"In my backpack..." answered Luke. "B-But I don't know if-"

"Come on." said the light blue-haired girl sweetly. "Let's see it." She gave her friend a ' **cute** ' face. "Do it for me?"

Luke blushed for a moment, but then smiled at his friend...

"You know what? Sure." he agreed at last.

Minutes later, Luke returned and was now dressed as King's Knight.

"Well?" The shy green-haired boy asked nervously.

"You're a King!" Millie giggled, approaching and kissing the boy on the cheek. "...my King, zat is."

"Aw gee...thanks." Luke said bashfully.

"Somebody need a Jack?" called another male voice.

The two friends looked over and saw Peter Sam—a 15-year old boy with green hair—of the Narrow Gauge class walking over. He was shown to be dressed as Jack's Knight.

"Peter Sam?" blinked Luke.

"Now we three are ' ** _The_ _Three Musketeers of Face Cards_** '." grinned Peter Sam.

"Let's go meet up with ze others." suggested Millie. "Maybe we'll get to see one of ze costume duels."

None of them noticed the small yellow ball had overheard them.

"A costume duel?" The voice in the ball asked herself. "Perfect!"

(elsewhere...)

In another part of the schoolyard, Emily, Mavis, and Molly, who were each dressed as the Harpie Lady Sisters, were being stared at and/or admired by MANY males ages 14-17.

"Dude, they look hot." remarked a grinning Hank. A tall, well-built, 17-year old boy with dark blue hair.

"Any of you wanna hang out sometime?" called Connor.

While Emily and Mavis were both ' _somewhat_ ' enjoying the attention, Molly was once again back to feeling rather flustered over being admired by boys while wearing revealing clothing.

"I'm not used to compliments like this." The black-haired girl said to herself quietly.

Meanwhile, Thomas, as Dark Magician, twirled his staff around a few times before posing with a mighty shout. As expected, several students, mainly teenage girls, started swarming him.

"OMG! He's so cool" squealed a female student.

"Not only is Thomas the Duel King of the whole Island of Sodor-" came the voice of another girl. "-but he also went as the super handsome Dark Magician!"

Thomas couldn't help but blush as he got surrounded by more and more teenage girls, and they were fangirling over him.

"Man... Why do I always keep getting the attention of the girls?" The blue-haired boy thought to himself.

Over with Emily, Mavis, and Molly... While the latter two didn't pay any attention, the dark green-haired girl seemed to have the same thought when she saw what was going on.

"He's now so popular with the girls." Emily thought to herself unhappily. "Why can't I get the courage to tell him that I love him?"

At that point, a very grumpy looking James, again as Harpie's Pet Dragon, slumped sulkingly in... and as expected...

"Is that James?" asked Connor.

"As Harpie's Pet Dragon?" added Caitlin.

"It is!" announced Hank.

This caused many of the spectators to start laughing loudly.

"Why me...?" pouted James bitterly.

Unfortunately, it was about to get a whole lot worse...

"What's with all the laughter?" came the voice of Gordon.

"Beats me, Gordon." replied the voice of Henry. "But whatever it is, it must be hilarious."

James was horrified. "No! Not them!"

The red-haired boy started to make his escape... but unfortunately...

"Stay right where you are!" scolded Mavis, gripping onto the chain and caused James to yelp and wheeze and fall onto his rear end. "The bet must be honored!"

"Oh, come on!" wailed James.

Trying all he could, the red-haired boy couldn't escape Mavis's strong grip. Finally, Gordon and Henry both walked into the area and joined their friends.

"Wow! You three went as the Harpie Lady Sisters!" grinned Gordon, noticing Emily, Mavis, and Molly. "That was a nice idea."

"Thank you, Gordon." Emily smiled.

"But who's the dragon?" asked Henry.

James whimpered. "Please don't say it's me! Please don't say it's me!" he thought to himself.

Alas...

"That dragon happens to be James!" laughed Mavis.

"James?!" Gordon and Henry both gawked.

James, with his face now as red as his hair, looked over to his two best friends with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hi there..."

"Why in the world are you dressed up as something like that?" demanded Gordon, bursting into laughter as expected. "You look like a deranged lizard!"

"More like an overgrown and overweight pink dragon!" Henry corrected, also laughing.

James groaned and buried his face in the ground. He was NEVER gonna live this down, now... Just then, a new voice was heard...

"Hello everyone!"

Everyone looked over.

"HUH?!" Gordon and Henry both gawked.

Standing in the area, with a Duel Disk on her left arm, was none other than...

"Is that...Dark Magician Girl?" breathed Emily.

"It is!" Mavis confirmed, rubbing her eyes like she was seeing things.

"Oh my..." Molly whispered in total surprise.

"But how can that be?" demanded Henry, looking as shocked as ever.

"She can't be real... It has to be someone cosplaying as her!" Daisy Cammell claimed.

"Would anybody like to duel me?" asked Dark Magician Girl. "I have my own deck and Duel Disk."

James, who was too embarrassed to even get up or even hear that Dark Magician Girl was here, stayed down. Percy wasn't present in the area...yet, and Emily didn't have her Duel Disk at the time. That left only one person...

"I'll be your challenger!" called Thomas, readying his own Duel Disk.

"Great!" smiled Dark Magician Girl. "This is going to be so much fun."

Taking Thomas's hand, the female spellcaster (human or not) led him over to the school basketball court to act as their arena.

"One question before we start..." Thomas spoke up. "Are you the real Dark Magician Girl?"

"I'm as real as you want me to be." Dark Magician Girl replied kindly, winking.

At that moment, Paxton and Diesel were both walking near the gathering crowd around the basketball court.

"What's going on over there?" asked Paxton curiously.

"Likely a duel." grunted Diesel. "And very likely a waste of my time."

Paxton sighed a bit... but went ahead and asked about it.

"Who's dueling?" The green-haired Smelter teen asked curiously.

"Thomas is facing..." Gordon began.

"Yes?"

The tall, blue-haired boy grinned widely. "...the Dark Magician Girl!"

Diesel, upon hearing the name ' **Dark Magician Girl** ' turned around with a look of shock on his face.

"Did you say the Dark Magician Girl?!" The devious black-haired boy asked, starting to run over. "Out of the way! I saw her first!"

"And I thought he hated her." whispered Emily to Gordon in a deadpan tone.

"Agreed."

The devious black-haired boy immediately started pushing his way through the large crowd. Once he was finally through it, Diesel saw Dark Magician Girl...about to duel Thomas Billinton. It would seem she WAS real!

"Grease and oil! I can't believe what I'm seeing!" cried Diesel. "That really IS the Dark Magician Girl!"

Over with James, he had finally heard someone mention ' **Dark Magician Girl** '.

"The Dark Magician Girl?" The red-haired boy asked excitedly. "The Dark Magician Girl?! Here in real life?!"

He immediately got up and pushed his way through the crowd and...

"Rumble my legs! She IS real!"

"Back off, pretty boy!" snapped Diesel, shoving the red-haired boy aside. "I saw her first!"

"No, I did!" James snapped back, shoving the devious black-haired boy aside.

Back at the center of the court, Dark Magician Girl had already drawn her opening hand.

"Is it alright if I go first?" she asked hopefully (LP: 4000).

"Be my guest." said Thomas politely (LP: 4000). "Ladies first, after all."

"Oh, you're so sweet!" giggled Dark Magician Girl.

* * *

 **Turn One** : Dark Magician Girl (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 40  
 **Current Hand** (5): Fire Sorcerer, Magical Dimension, Dark Magician, Skilled Dark Magician, and Dimension Fusion

* * *

A monster called Skilled Dark Magician materialized face-up (Level: 4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1700).

"I'll begin with Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode!" said Dark Magician Girl, she then took another card from her hand. "Now I'll activate Magical Dimension!"

"Magical Dimension?!" Thomas recoiled.

"That's right." smirked Dark Magician Girl. "Now I'm sure you know how this card works - I can only activate if I have a spellcaster-type monster out on my side of the field. From there, I can sacrifice a monster to special summon another spellcaster from my hand."

A large magician-shaped coffin materialized behind Skilled Dark Magician, opened up, and sucked the monster inside.

"By sacrificing my Skilled Dark Magician-" explained Dark Magician Girl, placing another card onto a monster field slot on her Duel Disk. "I can special summon from my hand, my master... Dark Magician!"

The coffin closed, began glowing all white, and opened back up... and out came the purple-haired Dark Magician (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100)!

"She just summoned the Dark Magician before Thomas could summon his own!" exclaimed Mavis.

Dark Magician Girl smiled. "Well, what do you think of me now?"

"I admit it." smiled Thomas. "You have the perfect combination of beauty, brains, and brawn."

Dark Magician Girl blushed and giggled at the compliment. Rather unfortunate with a certain someone in the audience...

"Ooooh! He's already flirting with her!" pouted Emily jealously. "Before long, she'll be flirting with HIM!"

Back within the basketball court...

"However-" continued Thomas, drawing his card. "-I'm prepared for anything!"

* * *

 **Turn Two** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (6): Monster Reborn, Sage's Stone, Diffusion Wave-Motion, Magical Hats, Mage Power, and Magician's Valkyria

* * *

"Thomas..." spoke a familiar voice in Thomas's head.

"Yes?" Thomas asked mentally. The blue-haired boy then noticed he had Magician's Valkyria in his hand. "Huh?"

His hand contained Monster Reborn, Sage's Stone, Diffusion Wave-Motion, Magical Hats, Mage Power, and the added Magician's Valkyria

"Your promise..." The glowing Magician's Valkyria card spoke mentally.

Thomas suddenly remembered his promise to help Magican's Valkyria.

"Alright." he said, taking a card from his hand and placing it onto a monster field slot on his Duel Disk. "I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode!"

The familiar female spellcaster materialized in a battle stance. (Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1800).

"Oh, boo!" howled Diesel. "Get her off the stage!"

"We're here to see Dark Magician Girl!" called James rudely. "Not a middle-aged lady like her!"

Magician's Valkyria took great offense of being called ' _middle-aged_ ' since she was clearly only in her 20's. Thomas, meanwhile, was very cross by the insult and booing as well.

"Stop it!" shouted Thomas. "You're hurting Magician Valkyria's feelings!"

The crowd of males that weren't Toby, Edward, Percy, or Henry, only continued to boo and rant regardless.

"What's wrong with these guys?" asked the voice of Percy.

Emily, Mavis, and Molly each turned around and saw Percy walking in while dressed as the Lord of the Red.

"Best to take a look for yourself." Mavis suggested.

Percy could see the situation and was rather cross himself (despite being happy to see Dark Magician Girl, as well).

"Hey, cut it out!" The green-haired boy snapped. "What's with you jerks, anyway?"

Unfortunately, he was quickly hushed up by a number of death glares from many of the boys... And they then resumed their booing—much to Thomas's further frustration.

"Don't listen to them, Magician's Valkyria!" The blue-haired boy called out kindly. "You alone will win the duel for me!"

Magician's Valkyria, though not too sure how she would do so, agreed to what Thomas said and nodded.

"Aw, that was sweet of you to defend your monster like that." smiled Dark Magician Girl. "That's one of the qualities that makes you a True Duelist."

She then winked at Thomas, causing the blue-haired boy to blush a little bit.

"Thank you." mumbled Thomas bashfully.

Back with a certain dark green-haired girl...

"I KNEW it!" pouted Emily again. "She IS flirting with him!"

"But even then-" went on Dark Magician Girl. "-you'll have to think on your feet if you want Magician's Valkyria to stay on your side of the field! My Dark Magician has 2500 attack points, meaning your monster won't stand a chance in a head-on fight."

"Maybe." agreed Thomas, taking two cards from his hand. "But that has a chance of changing."

With that said, he slotted the cards into separate Spell/Trap slots on his Duel Disk. On cue, two facedown cards materialized behind the older, female spellcaster.

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"What do you think Thomas is planning?" asked Molly.

"Hopefully something helpful." said Edward, walking into the area. "Magician's Valkyria won't last long in a head-on battle with the Dark Magician."

"It's my turn!" announced Dark Magician Girl, drawing a card.

* * *

 **Turn Three** : Dark Magician Girl (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 39  
 **Current Hand** (3): Fire Sorcerer, Dimension Fusion, and Pot of Greed

* * *

The Pot of Greed Spell card immediately materialized face-up.

"I activate the Spell card Pot of Greed." said the female spellcaster, who was also holding up said card. "This allows me to draw two additional cards."

Drawing two cards, Dark Magician Girl decided on her next move.

"Next I'll place one monster in defense mode." she continued, placing a card sideways and facedown on a monster field slot on her Duel Disk. "Now, Dark Magician, attack Magician's Valkyria!"

Dark Magician obeyed, twirling his staff about, but Thomas was ready for it...

"Reveal facedown card!" announced Thomas, holding his hand out.

"NOOOOOOO!" wailed Diesel.

"Our beloved maiden is about to be counterattacked!" added Gordon in despair.

Fortunately for the males in the crowd, Thomas's facedown card was revealed to only be...

"Magical Hats!"

Magician's Valkyria was sealed inside one of the four magician hats. The hats shuffled around for a moment, and then spread out.

"Oh, I love this trick!" Dark Magician Girl said in excitement.

"I bet you do. Either way, you have to guess which hat my Magician's Valkyria is hiding under." explained Thomas. "You've only got a one in four chance of success."

"Well then, I'll start...with the left most hat!"

Dark Magician, obeying Dark Magician Girl's command, fired a blast of black magic from his staff at the left most hat, striking it and causing an explosion of smoke to cover the field.

"Did she choose right?" asked James.

"Please be it!" Diesel pleaded.

The smoke cleared, but the hat was shown to be...

"Oh, phooey!" pouted Dark Magician Girl playfully. "I missed."

"Better luck next time." chuckled Thomas.

Cue booing from the crowd of males...

"You jerk!" called Gordon.

"Oh brother..." groaned Mavis, doing a facepalm and shaking her head.

"If they don't stop booing in five seconds-" Emily mumbled threateningly. "-I'm going to have to get violent with them!"

Back within the basketball court, a facedown card materialized.

"I'll just set this little card facedown and end my turn." Dark Magician Girl announced.

"It's my turn!" said Thomas, drawing a card. "Draw!"

* * *

 **Turn Four** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 4000)  
 **Deck** : 38  
 **Current Hand** (4): Monster Reborn, Mage Power, Sage's Stone, and Sangan

* * *

Upon seeing his drawn Sangan card...

"I could use this as a decoy to protect Magician's Valkyria just in case, but then again... Dark Magician Girl's facedown card could be a potential Trap that would make it backfire on me."

Suddenly...

"Now it's my turn to activate a facedown card!" announced Dark Magician Girl.

"YOU GO! DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" cheered the males in the audience.

The female spellcaster's facedown card immediately opened itself, revealing...

"Is that-?" Thomas began.

"This Trap card is called Sorcerer's Calling(!)." explained Dark Magician Girl. "It can only be activated if I have the control of one spellcaster-type monster on my side of the field at any time during your main phase one or two. Both of us must now special summon from our decks one spellcaster-type monster."

Both duelists took out their decks from their respective Duel Disks.

"I have a feeling on what she'll call out." Thomas thought to himself, looking through his deck.

Over with Dark Magician Girl... she was looking over her own deck while studying her opponent's face carefully...

"I've a good feeling what he'll summon..."

Finally, both duelists chose their cards.

"Come forth - Dark Magician Girl!" The two duelists announced in unison.

Appearing to both sides of the field were the two copies of Dark Magician Girl (Level: 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 1700). The two female spellcasters waved cheerfully to each other.

"MORE DARK MAGICIAN GIRLS!" cheered the males in the crowd. "HURRAY!"

Mavis and Toby, who had just arrived and dressed as the Flame Swordsman, both sighed in dismay.

"These guys are so nuts." sighed Toby.

"More than nuts..." muttered Mavis.

"Now the next effect of my Trap card activates." announced Dark Magician Girl. "My summoned spellcaster-type monster cannot cannot be targeted in a battle for the remainder of the turn, and your summoned spellcaster cannot launch an attack at all this turn."

Dark Magician's staff started charging another Dark Magic attack.

"Wait, why is Dark Magician about to attack when it's still my turn?" Thomas asked in surprise.

"The third effect of my Trap card." explained Dark Magician Girl. "Dark Magician will automatically seek out and destroy the one monster you control with the lowest attack points!"

"No!"

Dark Magician fired his blast of black magic at the right hat (which contained Magician's Valkyria). Another explosion of smoke clouded the field. This time, Magician's Valkyria was hit and destroyed, but Thomas thankfully didn't lose any life points.

"This isn't the last you'll see of her!" declared the blue-haired boy, taking a card from his hand. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring Magician's Valkyria back!"

Within a second, Magician's Valkyria returned to the field again.

"Now I activate an Equip Spell card!" Thomas slotted a card into a Spell/Trap slot on his Duel Disk. "Mage Power!"

The mentioned Spell card materialized face-up.

"This raises Magician Valkyria's attack power by 500 points, plus 500 more for ever Spell card or Trap card on my side of the field." explained Thomas.

He then slotted another card into his Duel Disk, causing a facedown card to materialize on the field.

"Now I'll set one more card facedown. This, along with the default 500 point boost and my other facedown card, gives Magician's Valkyria a 1500 attack point boost!"

Magician's Valkyria grew more powerful (ATK: 1600 - 3100).

"Now she's strong enough to defeat Dark Magician!" cheered Emily.

And the battle phase began...

"Magician's Valkyria!" said Thomas. "Attack the Dark Magician with Mystic Scepter Blast!"

Magician's Valkyria obeyed, firing off a blast from her scepter. Dark Magician was struck and wiped out in an instant.

"Oh dear!" gasped Dark Magician Girl (LP: 3400).

On cue, the crowd of males started booing yet again.

"How dare you attack her like that!" protested Murdoch.

"Shame on you!" scolded BoCo.

Thomas fell down anime style. Emily, meanwhile, was growing very cross over how almost everyone was treating Thomas.

"Does anyone want my claws scratching their face in?!" The dark green-haired girl asked hotly, raising her Harpie Lady-like claws up.

Not that it really mattered - the crowd still booed regardless.

"Ugh! A waste of my breath..." muttered Emily in irritation.

Back within the basketball court, Dark Magician Girl was smiling at Thomas.

"That was a very good move."

"Thanks." Thomas smiled back. "Now let's see if you can do better."

"Gladly!"

And Dark Magician Girl drew her next card.

* * *

 **Turn Five** : Dark Magician Girl (LP: 3400)  
 **Deck** : 36  
 **Current Hand** (3): Dimension Fusion, Magician's Refresher(!), and Alchemist's Potion(!)

* * *

Upon seeing her drawn card, the female spellcaster slotted it into a Spell/Trap slot on her Duel Disk.

"I'll start with my Alchemist's Potion Spell card! What it does is it allows me to draw two cards by banishing one spellcaster-type monster card from my deck."

Another Skill Dark Magician briefly materialized on the field before fading away into oblivion, thus allowing Dark Magician Girl to draw two more cards from her deck. Immediately, a Spell card called Flip-A-Chance materialized face-up.

"Now I'll activate my Flip-A-Chance Spell card! What this does is it flips a facedown monster on my side of the field face-up and returns it to my hand." explained Dark Magician Girl. "However... if the monster returning to my hand has a flip effect, it is automatically activated!"

Dark Magician Girl's facedown monster flipped up to reveal...

"Fire Sorcerer!" cried Thomas.

"Thomas will now take 800 points of damage as soon as Dark Magician Girl banishes two cards from her hand!" exclaimed Percy.

The green-haired boy was right - Dark Magician Girl banished both Black Magic Ritual and Dimension Fusion from her hand. Appearing briefly was a young girl with blonde hair and dressed in black.

"Alright, sweetie!" called Dark Magician Girl. "Do your thing!"

Fire Sorcerer obeyed, creating a wave of fire.

"Look out, Thomas!" called Emily.

But it was too late. Thomas was hit by the fire wave and screamed a bit (LP: 3200).

"GO, GO! DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" cheered the males in the crowd.

"And that's not all." continued Dark Magician Girl, taking one more card from her hand and holding it out. "This is a Spell card called Magician's Refresher."

"What does it do?" asked Thomas in concern.

The Spell card materialized face-up.

"This revives my fallen Dark Magician from my graveyard, that's what!"

With that said, Dark Magician returned to the field.

"And now, in exchange for not allowing any of my monsters to attack this turn, I can go and destroy your Mage Power card!" declared Dark Magician Girl. "All thanks to my Magician's Refresher's next effect!"

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl both crossed their weapons together.

"Open fire!"

The two spellcaster-type monsters obeyed and fired a magic blast from their crossed weapons, striking and destroying the face-up Mage Power.

"With Mage Power gone-" grinned Dark Magician Girl playfully. "-Magician's Valkyria loses her power boost!"

Magician's Valkyria felt her gained power drop (ATK: 3100 - 1600).

"YOU GO! DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!" cheered the males in the crowd once more.

Magician's Valkyria turned to Thomas for guidance. The blue-haired boy could see that his monster was beginning to lose all hope.

"It's not over yet." said Thomas kindly. "Just believe in yourself. We CAN win this duel together."

Magician's Valkyria still wasn't so sure.

"The key to showing your true might is hidden in my deck. If I can draw it now, we can win!"

With that said, Thomas put his fingers to his deck, readying to draw.

"Alright, everyone!" called Thomas. "So you don't believe that Magician's Valkyria can win me the duel? Well, I'm about to prove you wrong...NOW!"

With that said, the blue-haired boy drew his card, creating a slash of colour in the process (a Destiny Draw).

* * *

 **Turn Six** : Thomas Billinton (LP: 3200)  
 **Deck** : 37  
 **Current Hand** (2): Sangan and Magician Secrets(!)

* * *

Upon seeing his card, Thomas gave a smirk of satisfaction.

"Alright, I reveal my first facedown card!" he declared, poking a button on his Duel Disk.

Thomas first facedown card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Sage's Stone?" Dark Magician Girl blinked.

"Correct." confirmed Thomas. "Since I control my own Dark Magician Girl..."

A card slipped from Thomas's deck, and he took hold of it and held it out for everyone to see.

"...I can automatically special summon from the deck MY own copy of Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician materialized beside Dark Magician Girl and Magician's Valkyria (Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100).

"And now to activate the card to allow my Magician's Valkyria's true power to be unlocked!" Thomas continued, slotting a card into his Duel Disk. "Now behold it!"

A facedown card materialized, but quickly flipped face-up and revealed itself.

"This is the legendary Magician Secrets!"

"An extremely rare and risky card." Edward remarked.

"What does it do?" asked Percy.

On cue, the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl on Thomas's side of the field crossed their weapons together and took aim at Magician's Valkyria.

"My Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl will both infuse their powers together and unlock my Magician Valkyria's true might deep within." explained Thomas, taking a life point hit (LP: 1200). "All I have to do is give up 2000 life points and tribute all three of my two magicians."

With that said, the two spellcasters finally fired a blast at Magician's Valkyria, striking her and causing the whole field to get covered in a bright white light.

"What's happening?" exclaimed Henry.

"I think...Magician's Valkyria is evolving!" Mavis pointed out.

"Oh, wow..." mumbled Molly.

"Why didn't I bring sunglasses?" cried James.

When the light faded, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were both gone... but Magician's Valkyria had transformed into a completely new, and very beautiful looking, form.

"Whoa!" Gordon exclaimed. "Look at that!"

Magician's Valkyria's clothing and accessories had all turned white, her hair turned from dirty blonde to pure blonde, her heatgear was gone, and her scepter had become something new.

"Thanks to my Spell card-" said Thomas. "-Magician's Valkyria has finally shown you her true power and beauty. In this new form, which you can call her Norse mode if you wish, her attack power becomes the combined total from my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl's base attack points."

Magician's Valkyria - Norse Mode twirled her scepter about and posed for battle (ATK: 1600 - 4500).

"And this is the risk I must take." The blue-haired boy went on. "If my new monster destroys a monster, but fails to win me the duel...I receive 4000 points of damage as a penalty."

"A 4000 point penalty?" asked Toby. "That's a pretty big risk."

"Not to mention even if Thomas destroys one of Dark Magician Girl's monsters, she won't be defeated." Edward pointed out.

"Then I guess it's all over for Thomas." sighed Percy.

"Maybe it's not." said Emily. "We just have to keep hoping that he can win."

Back within the basketball court, Dark Magician Girl started to speak to Thomas...

"I'm impressed that you've shown us your monster's true power." she smiled, but then looked rather uneasy. "But are you really willing to take such a risk like this? What if you don't manage to win?"

"My new Magician's Valkyria monster WILL win me this duel." insisted Thomas. "I still have one final facedown card yet to play... and now is a good time to do so!"

The card flipped up and revealed itself to be...

"Diffusion Wave-Motion!"

Magician's Valkyria - Norse Mode's staff began to spark with power.

"Hold on!" protested Diesel. "That card only works on spellcaster-type monsters with level stars of 7 and above!"

"Yes, that is true..." Thomas admitted. "But my Magician's Valkyria's star level was raised from 4 to 8 from using my Magician Secrets Spell card!"

"Oh, wow!" cried Dark Magician Girl in excitment. "Since both my monsters are in attack mode...!"

"...my new monster can attack them both at once!" finished Thomas (LP: 200). "Magician's Valkyria! Attack Dark Magician Girl's monsters now with Holy Burst Blast!"

Magician's Valkyria - Norse Mode obeyed, raise her scepter up, and began to charging a powerful blast.

"With the power of my new monster, we cannot be stopped!"

At last, Magician's Valkyria - Norse Mode went and unleashed her mighty blast at both of Dark Magician Girl's monsters. Both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were hit and fell in one strike.

"Both of your magicians have fallen!" declared Thomas.

Dark Magician Girl closed her eyes and accepted her defeat.

"Well done, Magician's Valkyria." she thought to herself (LP: 0).

* * *

 **RESULTS: Thomas Billinton wins!**

* * *

The holograms all started to vanish...but not before the crowd, even all of the males, started to cheer.

"Valkyria! Valkyria! Valkyria! Valkyria!"

"See, Magician's Valkyria?" said Thomas happily to his monster. "They love you now."

Magician's Valkyria - Norse mode turned and smiled at her master before fading away with the remaining holograms. It was then Dark Magician Girl gave a satisfied smile.

"My work here is done." she said to herself quietly, and then spoke aloud to the audience. "I'm so glad that I've got to meet all of my fans! And I hope to see you all again, soon!"

The males in the crowd all cheered for Dark Magician Girl. From there, she left the area. Of course, no one knew if she was real...or just a cosplayer.

"I still wonder if she was the real Dark Magician Girl?" Paxton questioned.

"Who knows?" shrugged Diesel. "What matters to me is that I'd like to get me one of those Magician's Valkyria cards."

Thomas walked over to where his friends were waiting.

"Hey, guys." The blue-haired boy greeted. "What did you think?"

"You and Magician's Valkyria were both amazing!" Percy said in an admiring tone.

"Despite almost everyone gripping about her, you never gave up supporting her." added Edward.

Emily then turned to both Gordon and James. "Well?"

"Okay, I'll admit it-" sighed Gordon. "-maybe Magician's Valkyria is both a beauty and a strong fighter."

"And perhaps it was wrong of me to insult her and call her middle-aged..." added James.

Everyone smiled from hearing that, but if only James had stopped there...

"...although I still like Dark Magician Girl much better."

He immediately felt the chain being yanked by an upset-looking Molly.

"Bad pet dragon! Very bad!" The black-haired girl scolded.

"I am very bad." whimpered James shamefully.

"Good thing I have pictures of James in his costume." chuckled Thomas cheekily, holding his cellphone up (containing the pictures). "For the memories, that is."

James gave a scream. "Noooooo! Someone kill me! PLEASE!"

The rest of the gang just laughed heartily.

(elsewhere...)

Out of curiousity, as the party went on, Thomas had followed Dark Magician Girl to get some answers.

"If she's the real Dark Magician Girl-" The blue-haired boy thought to himself. "-how was she able to make herself visible to everyone without holograms?"

Before Thomas could think anymore, he was caught from behind in a hug. It was Dark Magician Girl, seeming very happy.

"That was so much fun! I really enjoyed dueling with you, Thomas."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." smiled Thomas. "But I wanna know one thing. How were you able to make yourself real to everyone?"

Dark Magician Girl let go of the blue-haired boy as she told him her story...

"About three thousand years ago-" began the female spellcaster. "-the Duel Monsters spirits were curious as to what the human world was like. So, we started a tradition. On one day, every year, spirits would be able to walk freely among the humans. However, as time went on, the tradition ended out of fear that not only would it risk the exposure of their world, but it might put the humans in danger. I really hoped to be able to join you guys for fun. And thankfully, this year was my chance."

"The Costume Party!"

"Yes." nodded Dark Magician Girl. "Thanks to the party, I could blend in with the crowd and have fun. If anybody saw me, they would just think I was in costume."

"That's genius." Thomas commented positively.

"Thanks. Also, there was another reason why I wanted to come out."

Thomas listened carefully. "What was it?"

"I wanted to help you with Magician's Valkyria's troubles." explained Dark Magician Girl. "I felt bad for what she was going through, and she's been like a big sister to me."

"Well, I'm glad you could help." bowed Thomas, just before happily embracing his friend in an another hug. "Thank you."

Dark Magician Girl happily returned the hug. "I can't wait until next year." she sighed.

"Maybe then, my friends and I could show you around a bit."

"That would be a fun idea." Dark Magician Girl smiled some more.

With that said, she quickly kissed Thomas on the cheek before disappearing into light.

(elsewhere...)

A little bit later after the party, Thomas (still dressed as Dark Magician) was sitting on a bench in the park with Emily (still dressed as Harpie Lady #1).

"What an eventful day it has been." sighed Emily. "I had a lot of fun today."

"So did I." agreed Thomas.

"I'll go get us some Ice Cream."

With that said, the dark green-haired girl got up and left the area. As soon as he was alone, a pair of hands came over Thomas's eyes.

"Guess who." giggled a voice (female).

Thomas knew it couldn't be Emily. Taking the hands off, he could see it was...

"Magician's Valkyria?"

Yes, indeed... It was the very same Magician's Valkyria, back in her regular form.

"What're you doing here?" Thomas asked curiously.

"I wanted to thank you." Magician's Valkyria answered pleasantly. "Thanks to you, everyone has begun to appreciate me more."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help."

Magician's Valkyria then looked puzzled. "There's just one thing I don't quite understand, though."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Before all this began-" explained Magician's Valkyria. "-you were aware of my special ability to prevent my fellow spellcasters from being attacked. To ensure that none could be attacked whatsoever, why did you not add at least a second copy of me to your deck?"

"Well, I guess I thought you were too special and unique." shrugged Thomas.

"What?"

The blue-haired boy stood up and approached the older, female spellcaster.

"Like you said last night-" continued Thomas. "-there were duelists that just took your abilities for granted and would get up to three copies of your card for just so they could protect their other monsters... However, I didn't want to be like one of those duelists. I wanted you stand out and be special in your own way."

With that said, he hugged the older, female spellcaster—much to her surprise.

"M-Master!" Magician's Valkyria cried out, blushing a bit. "What are you doing?"

"Hugging you." explained Thomas kindly. "Humans often do this for each other when they're upset and in need of comfort, or if they're just happy with their friends."

The older, female spellcaster felt flustered. "Friends? B-But you're my master!"

"No, we're friends. And if things were the other way around, you would probably do the same for me."

Magician's Valkyria finally smiled and accepted the hug, returning it in the process. Right then, Emily returned with some ice cream.

"Thomas?"

When she got to the bench, she saw Thomas hugging...the air?

"What in the world are you doing?" The dark green-haired girl asked. For some reason, she couldn't see Magician's Valkyria.

"Hugging Magician's Valkyria." said Thomas. "Can't you see her spirit, too?"

Emily gave her friend a blank look. "What spirit?"

"You've seen Duel Monsters spirits before, too." protested Thomas, recounting their previous encounter with the spirits. "So why can't you see her?"

"I can see Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Kuriboh, Wingweaver, and Kuribon... but I can't see a Magician's Valkyria."

Thomas was very confused now... Ultimately, he decided to just forget about it.

"Sorry, Magician's Valkyria." Thomas said quietly.

"It's quite alright." replied the older, female spellcaster. She was, rather surprisingly, still visible to her master/friend. "Well, I'll leave you to your date with Emily."

Thomas blushed. "D-Date?!"

"Thomas, just who are you talking to?!" demanded Emily.

The blue-haired boy stuttered a few times before sighing. Magician's Valkyria, meanwhile, giggled and faded away. Looks like she might have learned a little bit about humans and their behaviors on this very day. Don't you all think so?

* * *

 **Battle City Tournament Finals Arc**  
 **The End**


End file.
